I was in a group led by none other than Mr Freddie Flintoff, together with tweet buddies and training partners El Tel, Andy, Paul, Simon, Jolyon & a whole host others, and the boss, aka core rider David Butler. The first hour was slightly downhill & we made good progress, something we kept up until the first snack stop, 66km in. The rain had kept away, and the wind wasn't bad, so we were hopeful that the forecast was wrong. A quick stop, a little work from the physio on the left knee, and soon we were back on the road, only for Terry's puncture curse to strike again. Well, he's getting good at changing them, and we were soon back in our stride in the 50km middle section. Terry set his stall out very clearly in that section; he wants the polka dot jersey, as every time he saw a hill he was off.
A quick stop at 112km, and a final section of 55km. Easy it was not, as the wind had whipped up (yes, it was a headwind), the rain had started to come down, and the pace had started to drop. Freddie broke a spoke, and as his wheel buckled, the support car was summoned for a replacement (very TdF), but after 7.25 in the saddle & 167km, we arrived in Chalons-en-Champagne.
A quick bit of work from the physios (thanks guys), a little rest, and then it is off to Les Caves Bollinger for a little bit of sampling. Should be fun.
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