14 DAY TRIAL // The Classics are early spring races that have a long history behind them, but classic routes sometimes can also refer to the kind of stage that is designed with history as a guide and are setup to create racing that will be remembered for years.
Stage 16 of Le Tour de France 2012 is one such stage, going for 197 km from Pau to Bagneres-de-Luchon, with riders first tackling the Col d’Aubisque and the Col du Tourmalet, which are both Hors Categorie, before going over another two Category 1 mountains and then descending for 16 kilometers to the finish.
There’s a lot of climbing to do and many riders will be tired, despite the rest day, and this could be one of the decisive days, because the 10 percent gradient can allow someone to gain an advantage that can then be maintained downhill.
Unfortunately, my carefully laid plans did not stand up when faced with the actual simulated stage and I probably managed to drop any chance of winning Le Tour de France on this day.
I fell victim to one of the major riders that real world cyclists face: unexpected hunger.
Pro Cycling Manager does not deal with feeding zones, as a series, but it simulates the need for nourishment by constantly draining two water bottle icons for each rider.
Because of the fast pace and the splits in the peloton, I was unable to adequately provide the water for my leader and that meant that he needed to use his energy resources to get his bottles rather than to keep up with the other team captains.
I ended the day more than 3 minutes down on the leading group and that means that I drop to sixth place in the overall classification.
Take a look at my blunders in the video recap of Stage 16:
