Stage Sixteen: Le Puy-en-Velay to Romans - Focus

The teams ride out of Le Puy-en-Velay.

The clowns stand at the side of the road.

Grimaldi sees a shimmering image, in the roadway.

Santa Maria! His dead mother!

He runs forward in his giant clown shoes and is nearly run over by a team car.

He steps back and falls in a faint at the feet of Pickelherring, who falls in a faint beside him.

They lie with their shoes pointing skywards, until an ambulance comes for them.

Team Condor rides past, unseeing.

Today they have planned to attack.

But ...there's a problem.

Just don't think about it, says Arthur.

Yeah, I'm not, says Sweezus. But.... it's kind of like kidnapping.

Not if you think about it, says Arthur.

It IS kidnapping, says Gaius. Baldy should have been returned to the Virgin.

Yeah, but he's still vomiting his guts up, says Sweezus

Funny, says Arthur. He's meant to be made of metal.

Indeed, says Gaius. Melted-down cannons. A fine thing to use for a statue of the Virgin Mary.

I didn't know that, says Sweezus. Cannons. No wonder she's aggressive.

I wonder if she's bumped off the clowns yet, says Arthur.

......

Belle is unaware that Baldy was meant to go back to the Virgin this morning, Arthur having failed to mention the agreement.

And Baldy is recovering nicely.

He LOVES Terence.

Belle waits at the feeding zone with musettes full of ravioles, lunettes de Romans, and protein gels.

Terence and Baldy wait beside her.

See that one, says Terence.

Yolly, says Baldy.

That's Froomey, says Terence. We don't want him to win. Who do we want?

Molly, says Baldy.

Learn to TALK! says Terence.

Tolly! says Baldy.

That's better, says Terence. Copy me.

Copy, says Baldy.

And from then on, there's some improvement.

Are you feeling better, sweetheart? asks Belle. Would you like to try a lunette?

Copy! says Baldy. Grolly drolly.

He means a green drink, says Terence.

He's certainly not having any more of that green drink, says Belle.

NO MORE GREEN DRINK! says Terence. It made you throw up. Do you know why?

Baldy doesn't know why. Nor does Terence.

.....

It's a nervous stage for the riders.

The top four riders are all within twenty eight seconds.

Seven are within two minutes of one another.

There are other mathematical things one could say to expand it even further.

But time is like water.

.....

Let's just cut to the finish.

It looks close.

Here comes Michael Matthews! Edvald Boassen Hagen! John Degenkolb!

Zoom. Zoom. Zoom.

None of these riders have kidnapped a baby.

Nor have they made a pact with the Virgin to pop off two clowns.

It just shows what you have to do to be in their position.

( Focus ).