Done

One of the perhaps worst days on a bike ever is now done, and so is my Tour. That is the short of it. Started off all right (yet very hot) sitting at the front as the pack slowly meandered along. The first GPM came and then the pack went. I knew better than to try and climb with the little Mexicans around me at the front so rode my own pace up the climb slowly losing ground. Apparently a lot of people lost a lot of ground. Things went a little worse as after the GPM sprint as the climbing kept going in the gutter on this wicked false false riser. Now of the back, took a deep breathe and got myself behind a car in the caravan. Of course things slowed up a bit and I worked my way back through a couple of cars with some hand slings back into the pack, where I promptly threw up. Not that the effort to get back was that much, but the heat was crushing me. Tried to drink and eat (which also caused me to throw up) and tried to get closer to the front to make it easier on myself, the second GPM promised to be much harder and longer. Made a quick trip back to the car to get some more water, and got back just in time for another gutter climb. Too much. Settled into my own pace again, into the caravan, but it wasn't too be. Tried another bar, threw up again. Settled into a rythym with a "special needs" gruppetto. By special needs I mean I pulled with one other rider until one of the other 3 riders behind us felt the need to accelerate ahead on a climb. I don't think he spoke english, french or dutch but I'm also pretty sure I got my point across a few times. Another member of team special needs then decided after picking up a musette full of bottles from his soigneur, that he needed one more to give him a round 4 bidons. So he swooped in front of me and grabbed mine. He didn't keep that one long. I opened up a gap on them on the next GPM and basically rode home solo. No food, 38 degrees and 165km. Though the broom wagon did finally catch me with a few kms to go and informed me that the race was over and I was to be hors delai. Thats the long. Motivation is low right now, and I think I need a brief respite. We'll see now what to do in terms of hanging around doing nothing, or making it home.