14 DAY TRIAL // This year, Le Tour departs from Corsica, further away from Paris than in the last few years, even though we are technically still on French territory.
There’s no prologue to give time trialists a chance to shine, and the first road stage is flat enough that both in the virtual space and in the real world Mark Cavendish, the Manx Missile, has the best chance of winning and taking the first Yellow Jersey of the race.
I have no clear sprinter in my own team and I am unwilling to try any weird tactics at the beginning of the Tour, so I plan to keep my most important rider, Andy Schleck, out of trouble, although I might grow restless and attempt something near the finish line.
The race started with the inevitable but also doomed breakaway, which comprised a number of slid riders.
A very lifelike cat and mouse game followed, as the peloton tried to get the breakaway back while also making sure that no new threats formed.
This meant that the gap was actually closed down in the final 5 kilometers and I got an idea.
Fabian Cancellara, the time trialist of Radioshack, can accelerate quickly and then settle for top speed on a flat road, so I sent him to the head of the group and, just as the breakaway was absorbed, I told him to attack.
He quickly gained ground and had a few seconds in hand when we entered the last kilometer, with the sprint trains a little disorganized behind.
Unfortunately, Cavendish can really fly in the final hundred meters and he caught and passed my rider to take the win and the Yellow Jersey.
Take a look at how the first stage played out via the video below, time-compressed but featuring a full view of the final sprint.
