Stage 13: Tour De France

There are moments in life that make you question your decisions. And then there are other moments when you discover what you are made of. Well, today had plenty of both those moments.

I knew we would be in trouble when I saw the profile of the stage and there were only two climbs to speak of. And majority of the 7,000ft of climbing was in the last 11 miles. That’s to say, the first 60/70 miles were relatively flat.

Physically I felt okey but was low on motivation. Flat sections tend to do that to Javo and myself. Today I resort to low food portions at lunch. Trying to avoid the 2pm feeling.

By the time we hit the climb, I was still low on motivation but was motivated by the passing DDEAV team. I was able to get into a rhythm with them and slowly start to take a bite of the 11 mile climb. Along the way, we hit gradients that challenge your stamina and resolve. 5 miles in, I and another cyclists stayed together- which was great motivation. We kept joking while in pain that 4-6% gradient was our flat sections. 10-12% sections literally made my legs cry. But in the end we were successful.

The views from the top are breathtaking and once in a while, I glanced over to appreciate it.