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Photo: Joe Hell
Looking around for some words on Paris-Roubaix that hadn't already been written by the other riders, I looked back in my diary to the Friday we left. On the top of the page, there's a pencil list which says:
· Painkillers
· Superglue
· Tape
· Charge batteries.
I don't know what the batteries were for, but it kind of sums it up really.
Looking back, it all seems a bit surreal, and I wish I'd taken some of the painkillers. The enduring memory for me was how much my fingers hurt at the end of each section. The cobbles affected everyone in different ways, some in the knees, some in the arms, but for some reason, the joints in my fingers felt like they were being rattled apart. Each sector seemed to make the bones looser and looser, and it felt like they were knocking together harder and harder. The relentless juddering was having the same effect on the bikes, with previously tight components being slowly dislocated, until loose and knocking, threatening to damage surrounding parts and take the whole bike to pieces.
Watch Hors Course, a film by Ben Ingham.
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- How good is this shot ! “@TourdeKorea2013: @mike_cuming looking good in yellow! #TdK2013 @johnherety @raphacondor http://t.co/CrCV1zkCUB”
- RT @TourdeKorea2013: @mike_cuming looking good in yellow! #TdK2013 @johnherety @raphacondor http://t.co/oCjdyhvSue
- Reality check we also lost teammates @AaronBuggle and @carthy94 today. Going to be tough to defend.
- @mike_cuming in yellow with just over a minutes lead going into the final 2 stages of @TourdeKorea2013 couldn't of happened to a nicer guy
- RT @TourdeKorea2013: 25km to go in Stage 6. @mike_cuming is the virtual leader for @raphacondor. #TdK2013
- RT @TourdeKorea2013: 102 riders will sign on today after eight were dropped by their teams in the TTT and failed to make the time cut. #TdK…
- RT @London_phill: @raphacondor @MiBsponsor @james_fairbank_ Rapha team in Tour De Korea 2013 TTT http://t.co/SW09x70Zs0
- RT @182Jay: @raphacondor please share my @JustGiving page @thomwilson88, @DavidMetherell1 and I are fundraising for @MyelomaUK http://t.co…
- Great ride by the boys in Korea. 3rd by only 3 seconds in the 25km TTT today. Mike Cuming now up to 5th overall.
- Some nice pics of the boys and report on the great Mr Cancy's ride last night: http://t.co/ctoHu37ixb
Comments
Rijnen Rik
8th April 2011 03:30pm
Did the course from Cambronne to Roubiax last year (+/-260km, parcours professionnal). First it was very dry, later it was raining cats and dogs. Worst of all were my biceps but the hands were full of cramps. Couldn't get them from my handlebars after the cobbles. I also did crash on one of the sections with cobbles. It was an heroic day. Riders, remember, after effort and pain comes glory.