It has been one week since my “lap” around France finished
and I think I’m finally starting to fully recover from the trauma! Many people
have asked me whether the race lived up to my expectations. The short answer is
that going in, I wasn't really sure what to expect. It was definitely the
hardest race I’ve ever competed in and I don’t think I could have done anything
to prepare myself 100%. The worst part of the race for me was probably dealing
with 6 crashes on top of the most physically demanding race I had ever done.
Crashing has several negative effects. In addition to the obvious physical pain
it makes you more nervous and hesitant so you have to work harder to keep your
confidence on the bike, road rash and aches and pains can disrupt recovery and
sleep, and it just takes an emotional toll to keep hitting the pavement. All
that said, I was really lucky in some ways to go down so many times without
incurring any race-ending injuries and be able to push through to Paris, which
was a big goal for me from the start.
The Tour wasn't all suffering though. It is also something I
will never forget and will have in my back pocket so to speak for the rest of
my career. Battling my way through was not easy, but I am definitely going to
be stronger for it. There were lots of moments of fun and laughter in the bus
or around the dinner table. There were numerous stories from the Tour veteran
Jens Voigt (this being Tour #17 in his career) that always captivated the
entire group. There were a couple stages in the breakaway. There was that
spectator in stage two who ran across the road completely naked! There was
suffering my way to the finish through the mist and fog on stage 8, and all the
sudden hearing “Go Flip” from the crowd and seeing a Luther Norse flag.
(Evidently the Norse nation travels well!) Probably the best memory I have
though is the first moments of entering Paris and rolling onto the
Champs-Elysees. I remember descending onto the road by the river, seeing the
Eiffel Tower for the first time, and realizing I was really close to completing
my first Tour de France and reuniting with Lisa. As the race entered the Champs
it seemed just like I’d always seen on TV with the final bend in the circuit
before the finish and the backdrop of the Arc de Triomph. The real kicker for
me was the fighter jets that flew over the first time we crossed the finish
line. It sent a chill down my spine. It’s these memories that will always mark
the bright side of my first Tour de France.
I can't recap the Tour without mentioning that I was shocked by the outpouring of support. I never knew so many people followed what I do. I had my hometown newspapers doing articles, I did interviews with the various cycling websites, but above all I think it was the number of emails, Twitter mentions, blog comments, etc. that I received that really amazed me. I heard from friends, family, old teammates, classmates, and tons of folks who I had never even met. It was an incredible experience and I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who was rooting me on.
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Happy to celebrate with my best friend :) |
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Fun to have some family at the finish! |
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I got photo-sniped while trying to recover on the metro the next day in Paris! |
So I guess that brings us to tomorrow... Tour of Utah
starts. Hard to believe I'm already back to racing again. Although to be
honest, I think I'm ready. Prior to coming here I definitely was not in the
frame of mind to race, but once I arrived and went training with the guys
today, I felt more back in the game. We have three stagiaires racing with us
this week, so it'll be fun to have a few new faces around the team. I guess
that's all from here! Good night.
5 comments:
good to see the Savre family in Paris. must have been fun. thanks for the update. daveR
Great photos, especially the one on the Champs in front of the Arc. You certainly earned that moment. Not sure how you guys do it, but it is awesome to hear you are in good form ahead of the Tour of Utah. Best of luck in getting the result you desire! I will be cheering you on from afar!
Fantastic post. The pictures are worth 1,000 words. So thankful and proud that you made it through. Onward!
Thank you for taking the time to post updates from Le Tour midst all of the stress and exhaustion. I appreciate the honest view of the hardships of being a professional cyclist. God bless!
Love reading your blog and seeing all of your fabulous pictures!
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