The stage started with 4 climbs in a row with Parquetout being the 2nd and once over that I needed to be in a group to share some of the work on the flattish 70km, it was vital not to be left isolated or it would be tough to make the cut off!
As soon as I hit the first climb I knew my legs were good! It was probably down to having been to the pharmacy the day before and got some herbal sleeping pills, I'd had a good nights sleep!
The Parquetout was a slog but with good legs I just kept churning and was able to spend long sections out of the saddle to add some power on the steepest parts, I passed a lot of riders going up there and I know a few bailed out before even reaching the summit.
After the descent of the 4th climb I had my main refuelling stop then hooked up with a group of 8 riders and we set off on the flat, the pace was pretty high too high for me but I knew if I got dropped it could add another 30 mins to my time so I dug in, after 20 km we were down to five but we were still working well, I was really feeling it and the demons were saying "just drop off it doesn't matter you will still make the cut off" but I knew it was vital to stay in this bunch, I nearly got dropped 4 or 5 times but somehow always just managed to find the strength to cling on as well as do my turn on the front. The last 20km seemed to take forever and the last 10km were up a slight incline all the way to the finish line but finally we rolled in ........... I had managed 188km with over 3000m of climbing in over 25kph average speed! It was my best stage yet, it was the first time I felt like I belonged in this company and I even dared to think about finishing this damn race for the first time!
It was a good day.
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