... from http://www.tylerhamilton.com:
July 23 Stage 16
BAYONNE: What a day today turned out to be. With Paris on the horizon and a day off from racing yesterday, I started letting myself feel a little disappointed about this year's Tour. I had really centered my entire season around my objectives for July. With five stages to go, I knew my initial hopes of finishing on the podium by the end of the race were not going to be realized. I was trying to convince myself that 7th overall with my injuries was still respectable. But part of me was having a little trouble justifying all the suffering I had put myself through since the first stage.
Last night Bjarne pulled everyone together to remind us that the Tour was not over. He told us to maintain our focus on the race, and to avoid thinking about Paris. He said there was a stage similar to today's in the '96 Tour. It was one of the last of the most difficult days of that year's race. He noted that some of the guys had started to relax a bit, and on that day missed an opportunity when an important break went up the road. He shared this story with us to remind us that the race was still in full swing, and there were still opportunities to be made or missed. And that none of us should be asleep at the wheel.
The ironic thing was, that I almost fell into the trap Bjarne was telling us to avoid. I started today's stage riding at the back. Suddenly a gap opened up in front of me and I was in the second group. Four of my teammates dropped back to where I was and hauled me back up to the front of the first group. There was already a break up the road that included my teammate Nicki Sorensen. When we hit the first climb of the day I radioed Bjarne and asked him what I should do. He told me if I felt good, I should try to go across. So I attacked and bridged up to the group that was away. Nicki and I worked together for the next 30 kilometers until we hit the base of the steepest climb in this year's Tour de France. That's when I decided it was time to make a go of things. And then, with a 120 kilometers to go, I was off the front and on my own.
The profile made it look as though there were two hard climbs and then flat roads leading into the finish. Unless you previewed the stage, you had no way of knowing how steep the two climbs were. Or how technical the decent was coming off the first climb. And that flat stretch wasn't so flat. It was up and down all the way home. The last twenty kilometers seemed to go on forever. I think my tongue was hanging out the entire time. I don't know if I've ever worked so hard for anything in my entire life. This stage win was not only special for me personally, but also for everyone who has helped me stay in this race, and supported my decision to keep going. If you told me two weeks ago that this day was possible, I would have offered to sell you some swamp land. But that's bike racing. Extreme lows can easily be matched for extreme highs. And there's no telling where or when you will find either experience.
My wife has been at the race since my accident. She has been on the longest unplanned road trip of her life. Today our team's sponsor CSC offered her the opportunity to see the stage from one of the race's helicopters. Ole offered to take Tugboat to the team hotel, so she could go. She boarded the helicopter at the base of the second descent with our friends Richard, Sharon and Ty from Speedplay and followed the race for about 30 kilometers from the air. Most people take in a little of the scenery while they are in the air but Haven just wanted the pilot to follow me. I guess you could say she had the cycling equivalent of a courtside seat this afternoon. Today was a day neither one of us will ever forget.
I have to send a special thanks out to my teammates who towed me back up to the front today. And to Nicki who broke out his Liege legs to shred the break away group on my behalf. The team rode really well together today and that made all the difference.
Behind the Scenes: In case you ever wondered what cyclists eat for breakfast, I'll give you a little insight. Here's what's in our team's "breakfast box" which is a clear plastic crate that not only makes its way to breakfast, but every meal. Inside you will find no fewer than four kinds of cereal, a large jar of Nutella, soy milk, sugar free jam, ketchup and mustard (for our eggs, rice and pasta), instant decaf coffee, honey, parmesan cheese, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, nuts, low sugar cookies, rice cakes, water and fruit.
Four days to go, and we still have a lot of work to do if we want to maintain our first place position on the team GC. And if the "flat" days ahead are anything like the flat roads today, that means we still have our work cut out for us. So send the energy vibes. They'll be welcome.
Thanks for reading.
http://www.tylerhamilton.com
July 23 Stage 16
BAYONNE: What a day today turned out to be. With Paris on the horizon and a day off from racing yesterday, I started letting myself feel a little disappointed about this year's Tour. I had really centered my entire season around my objectives for July. With five stages to go, I knew my initial hopes of finishing on the podium by the end of the race were not going to be realized. I was trying to convince myself that 7th overall with my injuries was still respectable. But part of me was having a little trouble justifying all the suffering I had put myself through since the first stage.
Last night Bjarne pulled everyone together to remind us that the Tour was not over. He told us to maintain our focus on the race, and to avoid thinking about Paris. He said there was a stage similar to today's in the '96 Tour. It was one of the last of the most difficult days of that year's race. He noted that some of the guys had started to relax a bit, and on that day missed an opportunity when an important break went up the road. He shared this story with us to remind us that the race was still in full swing, and there were still opportunities to be made or missed. And that none of us should be asleep at the wheel.
The ironic thing was, that I almost fell into the trap Bjarne was telling us to avoid. I started today's stage riding at the back. Suddenly a gap opened up in front of me and I was in the second group. Four of my teammates dropped back to where I was and hauled me back up to the front of the first group. There was already a break up the road that included my teammate Nicki Sorensen. When we hit the first climb of the day I radioed Bjarne and asked him what I should do. He told me if I felt good, I should try to go across. So I attacked and bridged up to the group that was away. Nicki and I worked together for the next 30 kilometers until we hit the base of the steepest climb in this year's Tour de France. That's when I decided it was time to make a go of things. And then, with a 120 kilometers to go, I was off the front and on my own.
The profile made it look as though there were two hard climbs and then flat roads leading into the finish. Unless you previewed the stage, you had no way of knowing how steep the two climbs were. Or how technical the decent was coming off the first climb. And that flat stretch wasn't so flat. It was up and down all the way home. The last twenty kilometers seemed to go on forever. I think my tongue was hanging out the entire time. I don't know if I've ever worked so hard for anything in my entire life. This stage win was not only special for me personally, but also for everyone who has helped me stay in this race, and supported my decision to keep going. If you told me two weeks ago that this day was possible, I would have offered to sell you some swamp land. But that's bike racing. Extreme lows can easily be matched for extreme highs. And there's no telling where or when you will find either experience.
My wife has been at the race since my accident. She has been on the longest unplanned road trip of her life. Today our team's sponsor CSC offered her the opportunity to see the stage from one of the race's helicopters. Ole offered to take Tugboat to the team hotel, so she could go. She boarded the helicopter at the base of the second descent with our friends Richard, Sharon and Ty from Speedplay and followed the race for about 30 kilometers from the air. Most people take in a little of the scenery while they are in the air but Haven just wanted the pilot to follow me. I guess you could say she had the cycling equivalent of a courtside seat this afternoon. Today was a day neither one of us will ever forget.
I have to send a special thanks out to my teammates who towed me back up to the front today. And to Nicki who broke out his Liege legs to shred the break away group on my behalf. The team rode really well together today and that made all the difference.
Behind the Scenes: In case you ever wondered what cyclists eat for breakfast, I'll give you a little insight. Here's what's in our team's "breakfast box" which is a clear plastic crate that not only makes its way to breakfast, but every meal. Inside you will find no fewer than four kinds of cereal, a large jar of Nutella, soy milk, sugar free jam, ketchup and mustard (for our eggs, rice and pasta), instant decaf coffee, honey, parmesan cheese, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, nuts, low sugar cookies, rice cakes, water and fruit.
Four days to go, and we still have a lot of work to do if we want to maintain our first place position on the team GC. And if the "flat" days ahead are anything like the flat roads today, that means we still have our work cut out for us. So send the energy vibes. They'll be welcome.
Thanks for reading.
http://www.tylerhamilton.com