The Marion Clignet Diary 2000

Individual pursuit
Photo: © AFP

Leadup to the World Road Titles

This has been one of those days that I'm sure every bike rider has lived and or survived at some point in their lives. Had a high fever on Friday so took the day off, and my doctor put me under a horses dose of clamoxyl, an antibiotic which has had me glued to my bed every morning, although it could be jetlag as well.

In any case I finally got my arse in gear around 9 and only because the driver of the moto I'm supposed to ride behind wanted to know if I'd be riding in the morning or the afternoon. I told him the afternoon as I couldnt see myself hopping into my chammies straight away.

I've rented my house in order pay my travel expenses this season so im staying with a pal in Brittany who was still nursing the whiskey he drank last night this morning. There was another body on the couch downstairs but he didnt look up for a bike ride either so...I finally made it out the door at 1 pm with rdvz back at the house at 3 to motopace. 20km down the road I flatted. Thankfully I'd grabbed a box with a tube on my way out the door. I didn't however have a pump so I stopped at the first farm I came too. After the doberman, on a leash and 2 sheperds in a pen barked for 10 mintues someone finally came out the door with 2 small raggy type yapping dogs at her side. I asked if by any chance she had a bike pump and she said no but she did have a compressor which unfortunately didn't have a valve.

On my way out of her garage one of the little raggety yaps sunk its teeth into my shin so I did the only natural thing - I screamed fuck and kicked the dog. Poor lady sort of laughed though she was happy to see me out and I walked my bike to the next farm. More dogs and no pump. I finally stuck out my thumb on the road and got a ride back to base camp where I discovered that the box I had grabbed had an already used and unfixed tube in it anyway. Finally got my ride in - couldn't get out of my own way I might add, got rained on, and still feel like I'm in another time zone. Good thing I'm not racing road world's TT tomorrow huh?