Tam started the day with a meltdown – not surprising given
what she has been put through so far. Joy. I was then evil and left her in the
room watching a DVD while I ran round the hills for half an hour. That’s
definitely not in the parenting handbook. I am weirdly finding that I like
running up hills – and it was especially nice in the cool of the morning. To be
fair, it was especially nice to get away from all the people here – yes, I’ve
got to that point. Tam was safe in front of Bob the Builder when I returned.
So people don’t half talk vacuous shit. I do too of course, and
more than most, but this is my blog so they’re the rubbish ones for my purposes.
I ended up totally ignoring everyone yesterday and today and now Tam and I are
almost lone cowgirls. Most of the group are way off my radar. The scary woman
is just horrendous – won’t even look at Tam when she (Tam) asks her a direct
(and polite) question (and also has brought a giant US flag with her and a
Lance banner that she keeps poking me in the nose with). Tam keeps insulting
Americans by correcting their French accent, and I can’t stop laughing about
it, which is not making me any friends.
The Australian man has given up on flirting but I can at
least get a smile out of him now and wade through more than one minute of
conversation without wanting to kill myself. He’s also pretty responsive to
Tam, who seems to like him, and the fact that he prefers silence is completely
fine with me. I’m still holding on to Jo and Alison, one of the couples, and
the family with the small boy, as they are very useful for Tam. But apart from
that I want to be alone or with Lynn, a 72-year-old Canadian woman who stomps
everywhere on her own and can’t be doing with the group at all and
instinctively understands when to talk and when not because she’s a lone
cowgirl too. I like her.
It was a pretty rough travelling today: around three hours
on the bus, and winding. In the end, only Tam and I didn’t throw up. At Gap, we
bust a move – amazing how me with a heavy rucksack and a child on my shoulders
can get to a destination in quarter the time a silly tour group can. Grrr. At
lunch, Tam and me had mussels, which was of course too much for the rest of
them. Are you getting the theme here? I am skill, everyone else is rubbish.
Perhaps I need a night’s sleep.
The VIP enclosure by the finish was fantastic. Another great,
great day. Tam ploughed her way through about seven slush puppies, nine ice
creams, eighteen pastries and a random pork pie. I managed nothing – I forgot,
I was so excited. The caravan came through again but I’m over that already.
Luckily, the other family took Tam for that so she got loads of free crap that
I am taking off her with one hand and silently funnelling straight into the bin
with the other.
I didn’t get much of the stage – at least, I did see it on
the big screen but missed the nuances of the Froome/Contador semi-debacle – I’ve
read it online but post hoc, so have little to say from my own point of view.
The end was wonderful – seeing Rui Costa come in overjoyed and at a slow pace
having sealed the race in time, and then watching the pack come in too. Another
big shout out to the super domestiques of Sky – nothing but admiration for
Geraint Thomas pacing for hours out front with a fractured pelvis, and for
Richie, as ever (don’t get me started). And also for Peter Kennagh for nearly
dying on Ventoux the other day to get Froome his victory.
Finally, another Tam-on-shoulders hike back to the bus. My
shoulders are starting to take on a different shape, and I pulled a minor
muscle in my groin. But I DON’T CARE! We met Richie Porte, me and Tam! YEAH
YEAH YEAH! Now we are stalking him, as we are in the riders’ enclosure tomorrow
and I’m on a rollll.
I’m also bloody shattered again. I don’t think I’m at my
best writing-wise. I’ve just had my first cigarette in three days and received
a lecture from a tour member about “not feeding the bears”. These approaches
tend to make me light up seven packs in one go and ram them in all my orifices
in front of the lecture donor.
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