Hi there, we’re just at the half-way point of the Tour, 11 stages done, 10 stages to go, and I
can start handing out the ‘exam marks’ for the first half of the race.
For myself I’d get 6.8 out of ten. I’ve done well, but not brilliantly so far.
I got into a good early break the day after Andorra, but with guys like Luis Leon Sanchez (Caisse
D’Epargne) and Thor Hushovd (Cervélo) in it, we were never going to get much time.
Since then I’ve not had any problems, no crashes, or sickness, but no highpoints either.
It’s not been a great Tour for me in other ways, either - very late finishes, no time to do
anything in the evenings except get your massage and sleep. I’ve got nowhere near finishing
that book I started in Monaco...
It’s been a strange second week, much flatter than usual. Lots of sprints, lots of crashes. It’s
like they swapped around the first and the second weeks of the Tour. Personally, I’ve found it a
bit strange and not really how I like it.
Tomorrow [Friday] the mountains are back, and that’s good. The last time the Tour was here in
the Vosges, one of our riders, Peter Weening, won and that’s always good for the team’s
morale.
I’m sure there are going to be ambushes and big changes overall. The Vosges are much more
complicated than people think - narrow, tricky roads and tough descents. We’ll see what
happens.
Off for some food now, bye!