Two days after the Med we raced a single day-race, Nice-Alassio. I was knackered after the Med, and asked Thevenet for a day off, but he told me to start and to abandon if I felt too tired. I met Jean de Gribaldy before the start and he told me again that I was overweight and explained what a terrible handicap this was. I nodded in acceptance, but inwardly I was puzzled. These pros were so skinny and bony, almost sick-looking, yet they managed to pedal at unbelievable speeds.
I was confused. The race was a disaster for us and the whole team abandoned. Thevenet was angry, but accepted the excuses given to him from the experienced campaigners Gauthier and Le Bigaut that the Med had been especially hard and we were all a little tired. But next day, some smart-arse journalist from L'Equipe wrote that not a single rider from the RMO team had made it to Alassio, and that Bernard Thevenet was still out looking for us. This brought an angry response from the team sponsors, who sent a telegram from head office: 'We are not in this business to be laughed at.
This annoyed us greatly, for the opening races were viewed by all as preparation races, and to be criticised by the sponsor after not even three weeks' competition was unfair. I rode well in the Haut Var, finishing about twenty-fifth, but was really tired after it. That night Emile called me for massage, and as I entered he was giving an injection to the Brazilian rider Ribeiro. He said it was just vitamins and suggested I take one to help me recover.
I declined, explaining that I never took injections. He seemed surprised but did not insist. The following day we raced the Grand Prix of Cannes and I was totally shagged.
I stopped after a hundred kilometres and climbed into the soigneurs' car at the feed. They did not say anything, but had 'I told you so' written all over their faces. I sat in the back and thought about it.
