Not everyone can have a Tour de France debut like Isaac Del Toro and Paul Seixas who are locked in a tight battle for the probable third and final spot on the podium.
Most of the other 50 debutants have had a far more typical first experience of the race: some good days, some bad days. Some, like Alex Molenaar, have crashed and abandoned. All are knackered, counting down the days until home. But three days, and two ascents of Alpe d’Huez, still have to be tackled.
“I thought I’d be in a body bag by now, and I am in a way, but not as much as I thought I would be,” laughed EF Education-EasyPost’s Max Walker ahead of stage 18. “I’ve been recovering and sleeping well, and feel surprisingly better than I expected I would.”
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Speaking before the race, Walker’s approach to his first ever Tour – and first ever race longer than eight days – was not to think too much about it. No point stressing over the unknowns; embrace the experience.
“I’ve got to think back to when I was a kid and dreaming about doing this race, and then realise that now I’m actually here,” he said. “It’s going to be really hard, but it’s a privilege to do it, and I’m lucky to do it.
“I’m probably a bit naive to it all and I’ve not spoken to many people about it. I’m just trying to block it all out and it’ll be nice when it happens. I’ll try not to get overwhelmed by it all. I’m quite a relaxed person so I think I’ll be able to zone everything out and just take it as it comes.”
Three weeks on, Walker has definitely done that. His relaxed demeanour remains the same, as does his cheeky smile laugh. He also enjoyed his 25th birthday, turning a year older on stage nine. “We’re almost there [at the finish] and it’s getting tougher the further we get into it, but the feeling is pretty good and I’ve actually really enjoyed it,” he said
“I didn’t think the crowds would be as big as they have been – that’s been a bit of a shock – but it’s been really nice.”
(Image credit: Getty Images)
His main takeaway from his debut Tour is the intensity of the race. “It’s been raced a bit harder than I thought it would be,” adds Walker, who is the latest rider from the tiny island of the Isle of Man to race the Tour. “I’m doing nearly my peak numbers in the third week and still getting my head kicked in. It’s what you’d expect, really.
“I’m hoping that every other race feels a bit easier than this. I’ve been told it will, so I’m hoping that I take a step up in level and the rest of the races don’t feel as hard.”
Walker has been one of EF’s small army of domestiques for his team’s leaders, stage 18 winner Richard Carapaz and Ben Healy. He has also, like the rest of his teammates, been attempting to infiltrate many a breakaway.
“I’ve been trying to get in the break a few days but I’ve not been able to,” he said. “I’ve also been covering moves when other riders haven’t, and that’s been helping my teammates get in the break. If I don’t make it into the break then I turn my attention to keeping the boys fed and hydrated so they can either the stage easy to rest for the next day, or to keep their energy levels topped up for the end of the stage.”
The end is now in sight for the other debutants who remain in the race. Del Toro has a 20 seconds advantage over Seixas in the fight for third, and Alpe d’Huez, both on Friday and Saturday, will determine which of the two will come out on top.
For Walker, he’s just focused on making the Alpe memorable – for a very different reason. “I think it’s going to be another level up – even crazier,” he said of the hundreds of thousands of fans lining the 21 hairpins.
“We were saying among ourselves that we should try to do a challenge of who can ride non-handed the longest without being pushed off. I don’t think we’d last very long. It depends on what corner you’re on. If you’re on Dutch corner, I think it’d be impossible.”
Now that’s how to bring the curtain down on a debut Tour.
