79.73km – 9H55’
Altitude : 55m
4:00 a.m., the alarm rings. Serge, you can sleep some more. I leave and calmly take my shower and go out with the GPS to fine tune the itinerary on the GPS of the van. Breakfast is planned at 4:45. 4:15 at the reception desk the crew’s bags are ready and waiting. David and Frank (JD of St Omer) are there, as promised. I look at my watch again, it is 4:21. And all of a sudden all of my “warning lights” go on. I realize it is 5:21. We have to leave in 10 minutes. I race back upstairs to wake Serge as gently as possible. I fold up our bags; go back down as fast as I went up. I rage against myself and everyone (for no reason) and as fast as I can, finish the itinerary, which I was unable to complete yesterday. I’m offside, out of action. I know I am unable to guarantee anything. I’m no longer competent, but like Serge I keep my morale and, above all, my sights on our goal. I’m not very proud of no longer providing optimum service and I hope I will be able to get back on my feet because I could not be more “useless”. No need to contradict me, I’m tired but clear headed: zero efficiency!
Never mind, Serge leaves in the company of Frank, David and Jérome Lefèvre (JD), who surprised us by being here (he organized the first stage in Pontoise). Jérome gives me a new 3G key, which I will use with pleasure and which will give me a roaming connection to the itinerary while on the road. Claude, Jean and Luc are also present and run the entire stage. Catherine, Jean-Francois and Christian arrive a bit later.
Serge is running really well and I wonder what fuel he is using (I know that Luc brought us a coconut custard pie to equal Brigitte’s but I don’t think that’s the reason). He runs 10 km in less than 90 minutes, where recently it took him one hour to run his first 5 km!
I tell him « you are going too fast » and he replies “I know “. End of subject. Serge is beaming and happy on his road and we can feel it, which is the most important thing!
Our « Boss Runner » is managing his race and his feelings. He knows better than anyone what he has to do every day and in spite of his recent apprehension, for the past two days he has been happy to have company on the road.
Lille. The effervescence increases at the beginning of the afternoon because of the demonstrations on this general strike day. We have a small detour around the Porte de Paris; otherwise there are no hitches along our route.
From Lomme, Serge is accompanied on the last 10 km by some 20 runners, then, at the last kilometers the group is reinforced by young participants (small-business) at the exhibition « Creation, » which is being held in Lille from 6 to 8 September.
What a crowd, what enthusiasm, what positive energy for the 24,000 km which Serge clocks 3 km before the finish. Serge waves his banner, smiling to the applause, which surely will give him the energy necessary to start another day.
Thanks to all the kingpins of this fantastic finish, which testifies to the positive energy of the organizers: Cédric and Pascal. And a wink at the UFF, never far away either.
The warm welcome by the « C’htis » makes Galabru’s speech in Danny Boon’s famous film melt like snow in the sunshine.
Town : Lille (Nord)