The stage today was a horrible sufferfest for all the teams. I stood at the finish line and shot their faces - the guys were just half dead from heat, fatigue and dehydration. Some of the teams did not have any soigneurs there with water bottles, and the guys were begging for water from the crowd. One guy from Ofoto just slid off his bike and to the ground, another guy had to be helped off from his bike - his legs would not hold him up. It was hurtful just to see them.. It was 91 degrees down the hill, and I swear that was the most brutal climb ever. Pavel came in with a slight smile again - he was one of the few who did not look fried, neither did Eki. Super Mario came in way back, and he stopped to sign autographs and grin at the fans. Getting on their bikes and riding again tomorrow makes them all heros in my book...

After waiting a half hour for the shuttle to never show up, I raced back to the hotel and ran into a couple of folks from the Chicago Tribune, who graciously invited me to ride up to the top of Brasstown Bald - they had a coveted parking pass for the top. We drove madly over to Athens to drop off the photographer to ride in the Caravan, and then Bonnie and I flew on up the hill. The crowds at the top looked like the Tour de France - the guy who has the "Allez, Y'All" sign was up there, too. Bonnie wondered if we would see the Devil guy anywhere, but the Devil did not come down to Georgia - if you know Country/Bluegrass music, you will get my feeble pun...