A Tour finisher

This is the day after Alpe d'Huez, the stage started in Bourg d'Oisans, with 50km of climbing straight from the gun, Col du Lautaret onto Col du Galibier, with Roche's team attacking from km zero. We then climbed Col de la Madeleine, with the finish at La Plagne. This image defines who I am, it is the only day I thought I might not make it to Paris, i sat up within km's of the start on the Lautaret, but Paul Kimmage shouted at me that it was too early to sit up because of the time limit, somehow i managed to get back in the line and wait for the autobus to form. The autobus did form, but because it was so early in the stage and the pace was so high at the front of the race we couldn't ease off on the climbs or valley roads because of making the time limit. Looking back this is the day I became a Tour finisher because it was the day I had to dig deep both physically and mentally just to get to the finish in La Plagne.

I'm 2nd from the left, this was taken a few bends from the top of the Galibier.