Although I was suffering from a week of intense office latenights, working also late the night before, having had crap food for dinner and subsequently diarrhoea whole raceday from the morning AND on top of that riding the race with a broken bottombracket, I did not give up and finished the race on place 29. More than half of the 70+ starters did not finish.
As you can imagine, it is always surprising to see oneself as other people see you, especially in such situation. The photographer Tony Smith got me old git right there in the moment of pain, heartrate 100%, every lap the same struggle up this incline, every lap the same self-daubts "can I stay on or will this be it?". As it later turned out I had a defective bottom bracket, cracking like it would be breaking apart any moment, amplifying the dramatic struggle, costing me an extra 50-100W every turn of the pedal.
I am grateful to Tony for this photo, it will tell my son (7) and future grandchildren that giving up is not an option, there is always a route leading beyond the struggle...