Today was definitely in my top five worst days on a bike… ever; and that’s a big call considering the length of my career!
My first crash was a simple race incident where Christian, Julian and myself were well-positioned at the front, but someone in front of us lost control before the Stockeu. This didn’t bother me, I just lost some skin on my left side — but it made me more diligent to be at the front at the Stockeu.
Whitey kept reminding us to be at the front over the top to avoid crashes, and that’s where we were even after the chase of the previous crash. Within only 200 meters of cresting I could see Lance fall about ten places in front of me on a straight road. When I saw that happen I knew something wasn’t right — and that was immediately followed by my wheels disappearing from under me and my sliding across the ground.
As I came to a standstill, Christian passed and asked if I was all right, to which I replied yes and got right back on my bike. At this point there were guys everywhere on the ground all around me.
Only 200 meters after getting back on my bike I was faced with a Cofidis rider losing control in front of me. There was nothing I could do and I hit him and somersaulted over my handlebars, landing heavily on my ribs in a ditch thinking this time.
I wasn’t fine.
I got up and fixed my bike myself, and then I tip-toed down the descent surveying the absolute carnage that was the Tour de France peloton and wondering what was going on.
By this point I had no idea where Christian or anyone else was and had to concentrate on getting back to the front of the race. I got back, finished and waited in the bus to hear about the rest of my teammates.
I’m very proud of the fact that all of us finished considering the disparity of some of our injuries. It reflects why our team is what it is, and why I love it.
More photos from the Tour de France:
