On Stage 1, Mark raced like a mad man and finished 8th overall with a time of 5:35:46.
On Stage 2 the next day, he was able to conserve and dominate in the last two hours of the stage to finish 6th overall. The result of this stage was over 6 min faster than he had ridden the previous year!
On Stage 3 is where disaster struck. His race bike was damaged by neutral support during the transfer of equipment. Due to this, he was unable to start with the main group. Mark persevered, borrowed a bike, and started the stage ten minutes after the main peloton. Even with the late start, he was able to pick off fellow riders. He was on track to catch the peloton; however, by mile 30, he had a flat. After fixing the flat, he finished as hard as he could to solidify his 4th place finish overall!!
When it was all said and done, Mark set new PRs, finished in the top five, and showed true tenacity to finish at any cost. Great job Mark!
PS:
The picture is of him on the borrowed bike at the end of the 3rd stage.
Additionally, here is a link to the interview he gave afterwards
Additionally, here is a link to the interview he gave afterwards
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