Stage 3: Don't break the elastic band !!

Stage 3: 125Km: Yesterday sitting next to the Bulk Pack team table, I overheard Jock Green (the team captain) pound the table firmly with his fist, emphasising the statement " tomorrow boys we put the hammer down!!". And that's exactly what they did for the first hour of today’s stage. Breaks where continuously trying to go off the front, and at the 25km KOM the field was strung out up the short climb. I was in danger of being spat out the back at this point but managed to dig deep in order to get over the top and hang onto the nearest wheel. My heart rate recovered from it's max of 178bpm on the run into Heidelberg but was back up there again as soon as we turned south towards the Vaal. Kicks where going off the front continuously and at the 45km mark four riders got off the front (one MTN, Bulk Pack and Mr Price). The yellow jersey, missing out on the move must have been threatened by the presence of Craig Harvey (Bulk Pack) in the move, and put the whole Mr Price team on the front. At the back, this strung the peleton out into a thin line, and it became a case of gritting my teeth and following the wheel in front as it twitched all over the road. (thankfully the wind was mostly from L to R so I did not spend to much time in the gutter )

There are certain time's I'm glad I don't have to work for a team leader, and this was one of those. MTN domestiques where dropping back to the convoy for drinks bottles (one bottle being dropped infront of my wheel and narrowly missed). The Mr Price team worked like trojans keeping the pace high, this kind of intensity would kill me, as it was I was barely hanging in, there was no way I could do that kind of work!! Occasionally shattered and broken team riders would drop off the front to recover at the back.

Things started to heat up at the 90km mark, when the yellow jersey called all his men forward (even the broken an buggered guys) in an attempt to bring the break back. Vicious attacks now started to go off the front and 5km later my psychological elastic band that had been keeping me in contact, snapped!!

The remaining 30km where agonising, the rolling hills had shattered the group and I picked up the littered remains of those riders who had also been spat out the back (some highly placed riders on the GC). Our small life boat of 5 riders disintegrated on the last climb and I ended up time trialling to the line by myself. I forfeited 13 minutes to the lead group, which was not ideal, but in my book finishing 27th was respectful and I moved up the GC.