Where it goes wrong ...

Start from Valence again for the "étape commune". The first RT of the day is a well-known one: le Col de l'Echarasson, a forest road opened only for us. Going up to the top is usually, I said usually, not a problem at all. But this time it was ... At a certain moment, in a straight line the car starting gliding towards the ditch and nothing to do, it gently went into it! Fortunately, no harm, we are ok, the car is ok. We are just out of the car and we hear a "bang". 200m higher a Volvo is also out. We run all ways to try and see whether someone could get us out but we have to wait for a truck. It takes time because they are quite busy, or at lunch ... In the meanwhile, we improvise a little pick-nique with the Austrians, putting together our reserves: chocolat, apples, snaps, ... And all together, the photo shows we looked quite "a happy bunch". We also have help from Belgian fans who came and helped out. Even the truck had problems to get the car out, it had to be fixed on a tree and finally we can go. But too late to do the other regularity stages of the day and we go immediately to the CH of Serre-Chevalier where we arrive in time. We go in and out the ice-track and to Briançon, the parc fermé, to check the car and prepare for the next day.