Sylvain Chavanel (Cofidis) may have lost polka dot, but after some rest he is eager to go for a stage win. (Image credit: Isabelle Duchesne)
Sylvain Chavanel (Cofidis) writes a diary for Cyclingnews from the Tour de France. The Frenchman recapped his rest day, which he took literally.
Hello again... I'm calling in just after waking up, but it's already 4.30pm! In fact I took a three-hours siesta this afternoon. That feels so good! Rest days always fly by so quickly. This morning, I got up at about 9am, and we rode out for an hour and a half at 11am. Then, I had lunch, and then I slept... now, I'll get a good massage, followed by dinner, and then, it's bed time again! A pretty relaxed day, isn't it?
Other riders had their families coming for the day, but mine is too far away. They were with me at the beginning of the Tour, but couldn't come so far South.
The race here in the Pyrenees has become quite hard. I try to manage my efforts as best as I can. But with the pure climbers centre-stage, I'm bound to stick to leftover groups that ride my pace. Compared to the pure climbers, it's been practically impossible to continue competing for the maillot à pois, so I've stopped thinking about that. I finished the stages within the time limit and tried to focus on the days to come, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
The next stages correspond more to my profile as a rider; they will suit me better than the high mountains. I'll try to get into the right breakaway again and hopefully get the best possible result, i.e. a stage victory. We'll see how my body will react after a day's break.
