Alejandro Valverde: I have a good feeling today that a Colombian will win.
Nairo Quintana: Hold that thought, Alejandro, and stick faithfully to our plan.
Rafal Majka: Careful what you wish for, you Movistars guys. There is more than one Colombian.
Alejandro Valverde: And I have a bad feeling for you, Rafal Majka.
Rafal Majka: Up yours, Alejandro.
A few metres away, Belle is talking to Terence.
Belle: Today Terence, you're sticking with me.
Terence: Will you tell me a story?
Belle: No, we have a job to do. We're on feedbags. Here are three feed bags for Team Philosophe. I'll take two, you can take the other.
Terence: This one can be for grandpa.
Belle: Okay.
Terence (sniffing the feed bag): What's in it? Pooh!
Belle: Bresse chicken quenelles. And a lovely cream pie. Here comes Sweezie. Let's go
Sweezus rides up on a motor bike, his broken collar bone almost mended.
Belle and Terence get on the back.
Brrrm!
They head off to the first feeding station.
Belle: Have you forgotten something, Sweezie?
Sweezus: Dunno. Have I?
Belle: Feedbags for Team Condor?
Sweezus: Shit. I was talking to Richie.
Belle: How's he doing?
Sweezus: He's hopeful of outgunning Tee Jay.
Belle: But they're on the same team.
Sweezus: Yeah, well. Anyway, fuck, What'm I supposed to do now? No feed bags.
Belle: Drop me off here. I see a pâtisserie. You wait with Terence.
She hops off and goes to the pâtisserie.
(You can see what a great deal of organisation the Tour takes).
Terence: I saw the devil.
Sweezus: There's no such thing.
Terence: Is that what people believe when they're older?
Sweezus: Yeah.
Terence: Ha ha! He was older!
Sweezus: That's not the same thing. What you saw was an old man dressed up as the devil.
Terence: That IS the same thing.
Sweezus: No it isn't. What's in the feed bag?
Terence: Chicken quarrels. And a lovely cream pie.
Swezus: Let's see the pie. Belle won't mind if we have a.....
Belle (returning): Hands off the cream pie, boys!
.........
But, to return to the racing:
The riders must climb the Grand Colombier not once but one and a half times.
Rafal Majka is first at the top of the Grand Colombier.
But who was second?
Jarlinson Pantano, of Team IAM, a Colombian.
Now for the second climb up the Lacets du Grand Columbier, on another versant.
Majka tries to drop Pantano, and comes first on the Lacets.
If the race would stop here! But it doesn't.
Majka is rejoined in the descent by the Colombian, who outsprints him at the finish line in Culoz.
So Majka wins the polka dot jersey, but only comes second.
The wash up:
Alejandro Valverde was right.
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