Stage 2 of the Tour de Bretagne was the individual time trial. Full TT gear was allowed and there was some seriously nice bike kit on show! The team had individual plans on how to ride the TT, be it full gas or saving the legs for the remaining stages. I had decided to give it a good go (gie it laldy as they say back home) and made my road bike as aero as possible with deep section wheels (big thank you to Mark for the loan of such sweet wheels) and clip on bars, every little helps I guess!

Another first for me, rolling down the start ramp and as I did so I could hear cheers of "go Julie"! Never did I expect to see a familiar face in the crowd so far from home, but here was George Findlater and his grandson , definitely a much needed boost and great surprise - thanks George! I concentrated on staying nice and compact on the bars and focused on finding a nice rhythm to tap away on the pedals. I was fairly happy with the way I'd ridden it and then made the most of the extra few hours of recovery before Stage 3 the next day.

I had been contemplating whether to write anything at all about Stage 3, mainly because there's not much to say as my memory of it is pretty hazy to say the least! No, I hadn't got a temporary bout of amnesia, but such hot temperatures and adrenaline aren't really a good combo for a 124km race!!  Peter (my coach) had taken a day out of his hols to come and support the team (another big thank you) and he was in the team car with Stew for the race, after watching (and laughing) at Stew's creative moment that involved me recreating a photo that a certain Mr Cavendish had once posed for.



So this is where my memory gets a bit fuzzy and other than a few sections of the course, I don't remember much of how the race unfolded other than having to dig very deep to stay with the bunch.  At times there was some sharp braking, at one point causing my neck to click and leave me unable to put my head back.  I guess this served as a distraction from the pain in my legs but made it a very uncomfy ride. I lasted with the bunch up until we hit the finishing circuit, when I dropped back to try and get a bottle from the team car. Little did I know that poor Mary was having a total nightmare of a race, having punctured and then a brutal chase to get back on, only to hit the back of a car after it braked right in front of her. When asked what this was like, Mary's response was "it was just like a bird hitting a window". Thankfully Miss Mary was able to get back on her bike and chase back on to the bunch, albeit a wee bit dazed!  Mary then joined Bricey, who was also having a pretty tough time of it, suffering from multiple cramps and delirium!! Meanwhile I was riding in TT mode round the circuit, receiving updates from Amanda about how far Mary and Amy were up the road.  My ultimate yet misguided wisdom made me think it would be a good idea to chase to join their group, I think delirium had also started to set in and all advice of saving the legs and cruising home forgotten. Eventually I made it up to Mary and Amy, all of 3 miles from the finish. They were greeted with a "hi guys" as I moved through to take a turn on the front, just wanting the race to be over...

Adrenaline is a weird thing. It's great during a race to help push into the red and dig deep, but almost immediately after crossing the finish line its gone, leaving me unable to do much other than roll down towards Stew and pitifully attempt to turn the pedals.  The next wee while is a blur, but apparently the finish area resembled a crash scene with bodies everywhere, me included.  It's safe to say that the whole team put in a monumental effort on that stage !!!  So three stages down, one to go...