14 DAY TRIAL // Traditionally the organizers of the Tour de France try to schedule impressive, action package moments for Sundays but sometimes that's just not possible and the second stage of the race looks to be a rather tame one on paper, although there's a chance that he will see some surprises.
Departure is in Utrecht once again, and the peloton will have to ride 166 kilometers to get to the top of one of the flood defenses that make sure the Netherlands does not lose land to the sea.
There are no mountain points to pick up, and the final section of the stage will be ridden along the coast, which for cycling fans means one thing: echelons.
The peloton in cycling is based around the idea that one or two riders will bear the brunt of the wind in order to protect those behind them but when crosswinds arrive, usually near the sea or when other major open areas are involved, small groups tend to appear and big gaps can open up relatively quickly.
The best way to deal with an echelon situation is to keep a team together and designate one or two bin engines that have to constantly deal with any accelerations from rivals.
Prediction: Kristoff will take the real stage and Cavendish the simulated one.
For the first stage, my choice of Tony Martin was solid but younger Rohan Dennis managed to deliver the performance of his life to take the first Yellow Jersey in the real world.
Pro Cycling Manager 2015 does not do echelons well
I have played a lot of the series over the year, and I think I only saw a split caused by a crosswind once, and it had a very limited impact on the actual race.
This first stage of the 2015 Tour de France is a little boring, with my team basically only trying to make sure that we have water and get into a decent position for the sprint, even if we do not have the strongest train around.
I use Jungels and Cancellara to get me thorough the last 8 kilometers and then Felline sets up the actual sprint for Nizollo.
Unfortunately I launch too late, mostly because I underestimate the pace of the opposition, and Degenkolb manages to get the win with a solid gap to the rest.
I take eight, and the biggest surprise is that Mark Cavendish, the Manx Missile, is outpaced by Elia Viviani, who rides for his old team Sky.
Here's how the stage played out in PCM 2015:
