The beginning of my problems...

Before arriving at Aiguines, I started to feel nauseous. It became difficult to eat solid foods though I continued to drink regularly my bottles of Isotonic drinks which contains plenty of calories and it?s the next 350 km in front of us that really counts ! The nausea got worse, it's a classic symptom of long distance efforts : I now know that it's best not to eat and drink too much, especially sweet sugary things, as the stomach digests foods more slowly as the blood is needed else where, ie in your muscles ! Once you get ill, you have to forgot all thoughts of a good finishing position. In my case, for more than half the race, I was just in "survival" mode !

Between control 3 and control 4 at La Palud, I was passed by 3 riders. At 9.30 pm, I stopped a few minutes to put on more warm clothing and the lights on the bike. The summit of the Belvedere du Verdon, which is just before control 4 was in the cloud and it was now completely dark. As we entered into the clouds, the car headlight projected my silhouette revealing in front of me a "giant" cyclist, maybe 10 meters tall ! I signed in at control 4 at 11.28 pm, we've covered 327 km.

We're all in good spirits as we head off on the next stage, 70 km away and mostly flat. At 2.07 am, we arrive at Oraison , control 5. At this control is Alex Lesca, the race doctor, qualified masseur who is following the race. I ask to sit down a few minutes in one of the controler?s folding chairs and Alex asks me if I'd liked a massage. Yes, great, I reply. He starts on my neck and shoulders and Claudie and Marine also join in massaging a leg each. This makes us all laugh as I say that I'll never forget control 5 !

A few minutes later, we set off again towards control 6 which is on the summit of the Montagne de Lure. This is one of the hardest parts of the race as we climb from 200 m to the summit at 1826 m in 58 km. We arrive at Saint Etienne des Orgues, which is at the foot of the long climb to the summit, at about 4:30 am. I'm still feeling nauseeus and very weak. Claudie and Marine need to sleep a few minutes so they park up, and I start climbing, the road lit up by my bicycle lamp. After a few kilometers, they passed me to park up again and sleep another 20 minutes or so. The forest is alive with the sound of various animals and birds as around 5 am dawn breaks, a truly magic moment. The road which is wet is covered with snails moving only marginally slower than me. I unfortunately am now in a bit of a mess, very weak from not eating enough and still feeling sick. As it gets light enough to read my heart monitor, I see that it's down to 104 and that I?m at 8 km/h, then a little further on 95 bpm and 6 km/h ! I can't go any faster. I'm so weak but I feel in a calm and dreamy state but with no thoughts of stopping.

Claudie and Marine pass again. Claudie gets out of the car and run (jogs!) along side me offering encouragement whilst Marine continues to drive slowly next to us willing me on. A memorable moment for all three of us. After a 100 m or so, Claudie and Marine drive further up the mountain to wait for me.

Ever so slowly I continue to climb. Coming round a bend, I see our car parked up and I?m aware of an approaching car and cyclist behind me. It's Elisabeth, Anne's teammate, with Anne and Pascal in the car. "ça va, Mark, comment vas-tu " Elisabeth asks as she passes me. "Pas bien" I reply. I look at the monitor : 94 bpm and my speed is down to 5.8 km/h (is it possible to go any slower and not fall over ?). Anne and Pascal pass in the car and park up next to Claudie and Marine and they ask me to stop. I'm completely exhausted and Anne and Pascal help me off my bike and I sit down on the passenger seat. I see that Anne and Pascal are both shocked by the state I'm in. Anne tells me not to descend the Montagne de Lure in my present condition as it's too dangerous. They leave to follow Elisabeth. They have their own race to ride. Claudie and Marine make space for me to lie down in the car and try to contact the race doctors but both are on answering machine. So Claudie convinces me I have only one choice which is to induce vomiting, empty my stomach than build myself up again. It works and half an hour later, after being passed by 2 solo riders, I head off again to completed the 4 kilometers to the summit. It's raining quite hard as we arrive at the top. I've taken over 3:30 hours to climb a mountain that last year I rode up in 55 minutes !!

At least, this year, the descent of Lure can be done in daylight. I?m drinking Coca Cola and water mixed 50/50 and eating a few cereal bars, just enough to keep ticking over.

Claudie tells me that Anne has phoned to say that they have decided to wait at Valbelle, the village at the bottom of the mountain de Lure to offer help and encouragement.

At Valbelle, they're visibly relieved to see me in better health and we all head off to control 7 at Sault.

In her team, it's Anne's turn to ride, she respects the non drafting rule but she is must stronger than me and I ask her to ride her own race, I know I'll finish now, it'll just take a while ! One after the other, I pass first the col de la Pigière, col de Macuègne and col de l'Homme Mort, there are event moments where I feel quite strong. I catch sight of Anne just before the summit of the Homme Mort, but she descends very fast and I don't see her again until control 7 at Sault, which is at 530 km, where we arrive just before midday. The return climb of Mont Ventoux had been cancelled as the temperatures had plummeted this morning with the passage of a cold front. Snow is falling above 1800 m and the Ventoux is at nearly 2000 m. Instead we have to pass the lower and easier col des Abeilles before riding the last 50 km to the finish at Saint Rémy. I have to stop several times in the last two hours of my race because of exhaustion. At 3:07 exactly, I pass the finish line. It's a very emotional moment for myself, Claudie, Marine, Anne and friends and the organisator who were there.

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