J222 – 7/27/2006

Departure was from near the station of Kuga, it was almost daylight.  For the first 10 kilometers, Serge couldn’t control the situation.  He was nauseated and felt as if he had no legs.  He had never felt so bad, except perhaps in Bolivia, when he had a serious case of diarrhea and dehydration.  His steps led him to the five arch bridge of Iwakuni: built in the XVII century and destroyed in 1953.  It has been rebuilt in the age old technique, not one single nail.

We were back on highway #2, which runs along the inland sea and which gave us a good view of the many islands there.

At the entrance to Hiroshima, the Mizuno employees were waiting for Serge.  It was a warm welcome and after some 15 minutes, he continued on his way toward the center of the city, which he entered through the Memorial Peace Park.  There one finds the Dome of the Atomic Bomb: a sad historic reminder of August 6, 1945, when an American bomber dropped a devastating weapon at 8H15 in the morning, with terrible consequences and nearly 200,000 deaths.

On this hot, sunny day, surrounded by greenery, we are far from that tragic picture and Serge has decided to finish the stage here.  The hotel is two steps away so no time will be lost getting back to it.  Serge’s morale is low because he feels the end of the race will be difficult.  The bad vibes he has been getting from his body aren’t reassuring.

As for me, I wonder if he will get his second wind.