Today the stage ends with a double ascent of Mont Ventoux, and a tricky ride down to the finish.
Marcel is glad that today he is being a clown.
He is standing with Saint Arnoc and Saint Ténénan, not even watching.
I can't watch, says Marcel. This will be so taxing, and did you know that the riders sometimes get nose bleeds because of the difficult breathing conditions, and they have to be handed a tissue by someone in the team car, and dab their own noses while continuing to ride up the hill?
No, says Saint Arnoc. What is a tissue?
It sounds like a sneeze, says Saint Ténénan.
It is a thin piece of paper, says Marcel. Didn't they have them in your day?
Of course not, says Saint Arnoc. We didn't even have hankies.
In that case, how do you know about hankies? asks Marcel.
We try to keep up, says Saint Arnoc. But we have not encountered the tissue.
Don't waste your time, says Marcel. The tissues in last box of tissues I bought were so thin that when I tried to wipe my nose my finger made a hole in the tissue which resulted in a most unpleasant sensation.
What might that have been? asks Saint Ténénan.
I imagine he got mucus on his finger, or fingers, says Saint Arnoc.
Correct, says Marcel But it was only one finger. One should never poke more than one finger into one's nose.
Fascinating as this exchange is, however, we must leave them.
And watch the riders.
It's been a hard day.
Someone got a nose bleed.
But it wasn't Wout van Aert.
Look at him, powering up the steep side of Mont Ventoux.
Woop! and over.
And down the twisty path to the finish.
Wout van Aert is the winner!
Kenny Ellisonde and Bauke Mollema come second and third.
Cavendish stays in green and Pogacar in yellow.
Quintana keeps the polka dot jersey.
So not much has altered.
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