This is not the end, it's the end of the beginning

-Le Mondovélo!? You mean your son?

-No, my husband.

-Him!?

We've only been at her house for 5 minutes and Mme Gaye, our host and owner of the Hotel Le Vieux Logis, is already eyeing me suspiciously. We've just arrived at the cottage and it's getting dark so before anything else I am readying my bike for the morning.

-So, you are going up the Tourmalet tomorrow?

-Yes that's right, I say from behind my bike.

-Get a good night's sleep, you are going to need it. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.

And she was dead right. A long day indeed. She was very impressed though when she found out I had finished and sent my kids down with an Etape pullout from the local newspaper she had kept for me. My best memories of the Etape are all related to people:

• The relationship we built with hard working Mme Gaye: how she treated us like royalty when we dined up at the hotel. The perfect evening. The hugs and kisses she gave us when we said our farewells says it all about this irrepressible woman.
• The people cheering, clapping and shouting Allez, Allez!! At one point I zipped quickly through a tiny hamlet and there was a huge cheer. I looked behind me thinking there must be a big group of us but no for a few seconds it was just me on my own and loving all the attention!
• The guy who I watched give someone a push when they had nearly ground to a halt on a steep bend. He turned round as I was coming, smiled and gestured with his hand on his chest that the effort of pushing had got his heart pounding. Still he took pity on me and launched me up the slope giving my poor feet a few seconds respite.
• Those who doused me with cool water. I am wondering if without this in that heat if I would have keeled over and not finished.
• Those I met on the ride - Karen, the Dulwich club members and the lady who I should apologise to: on the Tourmalet she recognised my club kit and said hi but I was in no fit state to chat. You were going strong and I am sure you finished.
• The 2 French couples who gave my family and I a lift down from the Col du Soulor on stage 16. We had walked 13km up the summit in the heat because the police had stopped us driving any closer. We were dreading having to walk all the way back down again but we cheekily stuck out a thumb and you stopped and kindly ferried these strangers all the way back to our car. Thank you so much!
• Sean Yates: I spotted the Team Sky bus outside a hotel on the Wednesday Tour rest day in Pau. I stopped and had a wander round and Sean was there chatting to someone. So I interrupted and asked if I could take a photo and he was very nice about it.
• Lance Armstrong: This all really started after watching the Tour last year. I said I had to be there in what I guessed would be your last Tour. We walked a long way to see you on stage 16 and you didn't disappoint. It was just a great moment when you accelerated up that final section right in front of our eyes as the pic below shows...

We stood right by your bike lent up against the Radioshack bus at the beginning of stage 17 knowing that unless someone moved it you'd have to come by. I shouted, "the Tour's going to miss you Lance" and I'm pretty sure you heard me and smiled (although I think the smile said 'to be honest I've just about had enough of all this'). You clearly did smile at my youngest who is a rather cute 9 year old and you signed an autograph for him before getting your bike and heading off to make mincemeat of the same stage I had ridden soooo slowly.

And so to my fellow bloggers and readers. Thank you and chapeau if you finished the Etape. I'm sorry if you didn't and there is always next year.

Would I do it again? I feel it is likely and I am guessing it will be in the Alps which I won't be able to resist. I would do some things differently though i.e. not drive for 2 days and arrive at 6pm the night before to register; if I get any foot pain don't confuse being well 'ard with being well fick (I could have got some bandage/medical help, moved my cleats position etc. which would have been more intelligent).

Anyway I will still be around in the blogging world. I've got the London Duathlon in early September so I need to get training....