Day 2

After an almost sleepless night, I tried to boost my spirits by appreciating everything what I had to get through the last day. This self motivation did not last long, especially when I recoiled in horor by finding out that my last strenous effort in the evening just moved me the opposite direction and I had to bike all the way back. Furthermore, as I woke up, I could not move my knee – it felt like a nasty inflamation. Immediately I grasped after my medicaments for joints with the sincere hope that it would help. My riding was truly thorugh the pain – after getting through the worst moments at the beginning, the knee became a little bit less sensitive to pain. It is like if you injure your hand – it hurts mostly at the beginning and the pain gradually eases away. In my case it eased only to the point when I got back from always more frequent breaks when I had to warm my knee up. The hellish pain is truly difficult to describe. Well, my first days definitely did not live to my expectations.

I stopped for a lunch break at a busstop where I later on fell asleep. After waking up and jumping on my bike I realized that it cannot go on like this. I was unable to continue due to unbearable pain and tried to figure out what the problem could be. Interestingly, I found out that somebody was playing with my saddle and the high difference was so subtil that I did not realize that. However, my knee did and in that position it was utmost wrong from the physiological point of view. I set up my saddle properly and it was much, much better. My knee still hurt, but I could bike and that was the most important. I was happy beyond belief that this was not the bitter end of my Tour de Europe. The other night I could enjoy a good night sleep.  I was exhausted, but happy that form now own, everything will be just alright