Surely an understatement from the 1988 Tour winner, as Indurain faces tomorrow's vital time trial three and a half minutes behind his most dangerous opponents. Now the "Sun King" is forced on the offensive after a day which saw him over-reach himself. The pursuit of Bjarne Riis on the Madeleine tested his nerve, and the climb of the Roselend saw him working perhaps too hard, as the last of his teammates fell away, leaving him exposed to the attacks of his deadliest rivals for the day's final 30 kilometers.
While Mapei and Telekom had three riders in the lead group and ONCE and Festina two apiece, Indurain found himself hanging on alone as the pace got faster and faster. "He probably forgot to eat and drink before the last climb - the most important thing is that he recovers quickly," said Delgado. "I know him well and he's not finished yet."