Giro diary STAGE 17 A BREAK TOO FAR

The Corratec rider on rest-day lurgy and Grand Tour finisher’s pride

REST DAY BITTEN BY THE BUG

On the first rest day, although I didn’t dare say it, I was wondering why we needed them. I really got myself into the rhythm and wasn’t really getting more tired. It was a rather different story this time! Yesterday, I finally got the symptoms of a stomach bug that’s afflicted a few other guys in the peloton and it was horrible. Last night I hardly moved or talked, no more than necessary for massage and saying “sì” for pasta. Luckily, I had today to recover before the big-mountain days and it seems to have done the trick! I also managed to sneak in a little bit of economics revision and help organise for my girlfriend Louise to come to Rome on Sunday.

STAGE 16 LONG AND GRINDING ROAD

That was horrible. It just seemed like it was never-ending. It was pure will-power that kept the pedals turning on the final climb. When it was over, I had to pull myself up the steps to the bus with my arms as I had no more power in my calves.

“The tiredness I rack up today will be for future-me to deal with.” This is my favourite quote from myself, if I can have a favourite quote of mine. Attacking from the off felt like cafe legs but 10 times worse. A really nice day in the breakaway. Unfortunately, we had such a big headwind that we didn’t have a great atmosphere in the group. The others never believed we had a chance, even if we accelerated in the final hour, and they were right. The peloton kept us on a very tight leash, which was really annoying. We tried to go harder for the last 50km but it’s also not easy after so many hard days on the bike.

STAGE 18 CLOSE TO CRACKING

Well, I was right in that I did indeed feel yesterday’s work in the legs today. It was horrible, actually. The problem was more the painful stomach but it was a stage that was full-gas from the gun with a big, nasty climb after 30km. A climb at the start really is a nightmare for all the bigger riders and it couldn’t have been worse. I spent all but 30km in the gruppetto today but I was also hardly able to eat and the stomach’s panic-setting made me lose a whole load of salt, making me even worse by the end, especially given I crashed on a descent after halfway. If I wasn’t so motivated to get around this prestigious race, I’m not sure I would’ve finished here.

STAGE 20 GRUELLING BUT GLORIOUS

Yesterday, it was hard again to get over the 5,200m of climbing but I magically felt better and managed to survive until 50km to go, which isn’t quite as depressing to ride when you’re in the gruppetto. Today I felt in the warm-up just how tired my body is so I didn’t go 100% today but still needed to produce 400W+ for a lot of the final 30-minute climb to get up these ridiculous slopes. Taking it ‘easy’ allowed me to appreciate the crowds here and it was unforgettable – what a way to end this adventure. This race has been so hard but at the same time it’s been the most amazing experience ever. I don’t think I’m the same person coming out of it. But thank you for following me on this journey!