85km – 1645m up – 1543m down – 4155kcal – 6:58h
It was a cold morning out of Antigua – just about 6°C. I am still fighting a cold and cycled with fever, several layers of cloth and a secret mix of anti cold and fever pills. I bet I would have failed any UCI drug test today 
I kept a slow pace as most of us did on such an easy day, when 
it is obvious that nobody needs the ‘sweep’. Although we had to climb a lot, it wasn’t as steep as in the past days and the rest day is only hours away. The first 30km were horrible. All along the noisy and polluted highway, with trucks and busses passing. Once we left the main road it become much better and more scenic. Just a day to enjoy, if I weren’t still feeling cold, although the temperatures were moderately climbing to almost reach the 20th. We had lunch in a cemetery. 
Thereafter followed our first real decent. What a drop to the river crossing; the bridge was washed away. However ‘river crossing’ usually means ‘dive into a valley and climb out again’. And so it happened. Back again up into 2200m, we should soon see the lake with the 3 volcanoes around. What unfolded in front of us was stunning. We came around the last corner at about 800m above the lake and it laid there as if painted. It was ‘Photo time’ and everyone stopped to capture the scene on a memory card.
I finished the day with a large portion of pasta and a sundowner at the lake and a pot of hot tea on my room.
Hopefully the rest day will help me and my bike to half way cure from our problems …
