184.1km, 2050m ascent. I had a bad day today from Aveiro. It was just one of those days where I just felt crap. I pushed through, did my work at the beginning, attacking, jumping across to break away and the like, but didn’t get away.
I nearly got lucky when I and Yelko Gomez from Caja Rural got a space, but that was reeled in by others trying to bridge across.
For the rest of the stage I’d occasionally go to get water, but that was it work wise.
Ironically my heart rate still rose to near maximum and the average heart rate was the lowest for any stage, it’s strange I felt so crummy.
Two of my team mates got in the break which was successful, but seemingly didn’t see eye to eye on how the stage could, or should be won and hence it was lost.
Alejandro Marque, one of the two would have been a fair bet to win the stage from that breakaway, he’s really quick, as a podium in the Spanish TT championships attests to.
The stage was won by Jason McCartney, someone I’ve race a few races with this season.
I remember strolling back to the finish of the first stage of the Tour de San Luis with him after I had that horrible crash.
All in all my moral is kind of low.
It’s late August and here I am, same old, same old. Same old attitudes; same old problems.
Anyway, I wont worry about it. Cycling is like being involved with a beautiful, but tricky, treacherous woman. The good times are great, but then…
Tomorrow is the rest day.
I’m going to ride to Linhares da Beira, a beautiful historic village, that feels like we’ve been transported 800 years into the past.
It’s 10km away more or less from where we are.
I can’t wait to be caught alone with the road.
