14 DAY TRIAL // Stage 15 is another one for the sprinters, set before the second full rest day and before the third week of Le Tour de France, which usually marks the moment when the big tests come.
It is rather short and with a lot of bumps, but this is the kind of stage where as long as the teams are willing to work a breakaway has almost no chance of staying ahead.
Expect to see another battle between the fast men of the peloton although this sport always offers the potential for big surprises, especially so far into a grand Tour.
The big problem is not that the sprinters themselves are tired, because they rarely use their force to try and keep up pace with the climbers in the mountains, but the fact that the sprint trains are no longer present or that individual members are less able to do their job perfectly, like they did during the first week of Le Tour.
My only intentions with Stage 15 are to keep Schleck and his helpers out of trouble for the crucial heavy mountain stage that follows after the rest day.
My plans were limited, but I got more than I bargained for, with Benatti once again getting a sneaky win after I managed to create a train from three men that was never challenged by other teams.
The stage followed the usual breakaway and chase template, with no actual incidents until the final ten kilometers.
My riders once again seemed to be out of position and, for an instant, I thought about not contesting the sprint.
I decided to give it a go and managed to win with a respectable margin, after beating both Thor Hushovd and leader of the GC Cadel Evans.
Take a look how the final kilometers of the stage happened below:
