Day 23, Stage 17
Bourg-Saint-Maurice - Le Grand-Bornand, 169.5km
My neurokinesiologist told me that “your subconscious will believe anything you tell it”. Ever since I saw the profile for today’s stage I have been trying to talk myself into thinking I am capable of completing a monster of a stage such as this.
Possibly the hardest stage of the tour, there are 5 categorised climbs including 4 x category 1 climbs and one category two climb.
The first climb dragged and seemed to take forever but the second wasn’t quite so bad. The descents were great and seemed longer than they should have been.
The second descent was the only one of the tour where I feel I have gone fast and not held back. While I was near my fastest an oncoming truck decided to overtake on a corner and didn’t quite have enough time so the car in front of me slammed on the brakes and I nearly left an imprint of my face in their back window. That was the closest I have come to a crash for the tour so far and scared me enough to stick to slow cautious descents from now on.
We got lost for hours between the second and third climb. I was really agitated at first because I knew we needed to make the most of our daylight on a big stage like this but as time wore on and it became clear we weren’t going to complete the stage it just became comical (I’m going to frame some of the text messages that we sent each other while the two support cars became separated – they were gold!).
While we were lost it started to pour with rain which didn’t help our cause. When we regrouped and arrived at the base of the third climb we got absolutely saturated in a giant downpour. I don’t mind riding in the rain when it is warm as I find I can usually get into nice rhythms in the rain but this rain was freezing.
I hadn’t pushed a pedal in anger for the entire tour until today. I was really annoyed that we weren’t going to have the daylight or the conditions to finish this stage before it got dark.
The rain didn’t let up for the descent which made it very slippery and scary and when we reached the bottom we decided that we should pack up and come back to complete the stage tomorrow afternoon (after we finished the 40.5km time trial in the morning). I’m sure we would have continued if there was no traffic but it was starting to get a bit dangerous for us.
So, instead of being a short sharp 40km tomorrow we have to come back and do two category 1 climbs which wasn’t the plan. But, like so many other times during the tour, we will adapt and just get on with it.
Crohn’s Fact
Approximately 74% of people with Crohn’s disease will eventually be hospitalized and ultimately require surgical intervention. However surgery may not eliminate symptoms from reoccurring. 65% of people with Crohn’s still had a recurrence of symptoms with many reporting serious complications after surgery.
Crohn’s Profile
Name: Melinda
Age: 41
Lives: Geelong, Victoria, Australia
Age of Diagnosis: 22
My Story:
It is very true in life that everyone has a story. Some stories are shared, others are not. Because Crohn’s disease is such a “shitty” illness many people are too embarrassed to discuss symptoms and stories with their peers. I have had Crohn’s for around 30 years and believe me, anything that could happen has happened. I have given up worrying about how many of the symptoms and procedures are truly unlady-like and have instead learnt how to deal with it and in some cases minimise them. You can still have it all (marriage/career/children/great life etc) you may just not have it all all of the time, but seriously who does ? Sure it is sometimes hard to be positive and leap out of bed in the morning when your joints are so inflamed you could swear you turned 80 overnight or you have a day when you seem to spend more time in the bathroom that achieving anything else but you just have to keep on going. As you get older and wiser and more familiar with your illness it becomes easier to manage and deal with. I say “keep smiling and get on with it” life doesn’t have to always smell of roses.
My message: Live, Love and Laugh. Live your life well, love your friends & family (and your gastroenterologist and your surgeon), laugh yourself silly whenever you can and learn to not eat foods that will make you poo your pants.
Note from Damian – I made contact with Melinda through a friend of mine. Melinda has just released a book about Crohn’s and her website can be viewed here.
Today’s images can be viewed here
Stage 17 Video Diary
Sponsor Profile:
Sponsor Name: Bergerac French Cuisine
Sponsor Level: Project Partner
Sponsor Website: www.bergeracrestaurant.com.au
Jean-Francois of Bergerac French Restaurant has provided 4 x $100 vouchers to be used as competition prizes for subscribers to the Crohn’s Crusaders e-newsletter.
Bergerac Restaurant is the best French Restaurant in Melbourne. Established in 1985 by Chef-owner Jean-Francois, Bergerac is an authentic French restaurant with classic cuisine from the south west of France, French décor and French waiters. Try our duck confit, escargots, steak au poivre and cassoulet in winter. Bergerac is a popular venue for business lunches. Look out for our specials on the blackboard and see our menu at www.bergeracrestaurant.com.au
Loading ...