Christian Vande Velde is an American cyclist who finished fourth in last year’s Tour de France. Riding this year for the Garmin-Slipstream team, Vande Velde will file periodic updates of his experiences at the Tour.

No one needs to be a professional bike racer, riding 200 kilomoters a day up and down mountains in searing heat and freezing rain. You do it because you love it.On days like Sunday, a brutal mountain stage at the Tour de France, you take inspiration wherever you can get it. I didn’t give up because I knew that my friends and family who are watching at home weren’t giving up on me.

As I came across the finish on Sunday, I found myself holding onto the guardrail (or should I say Gavin, my soigneur), unable to catch my breath. I was suffering the entire climb and had no idea what state I truly was in until I was forced to stop 10 feet past the finish.

Heaving, trying to get a hold of myself, I realized that I hadn’t held anything back and thus have no regrets — everyone’s worst enemy.

At the bottom of the final climb I was with my teammates David Millar and Bradley Wiggins. We moved toward the front of the bunch because we knew that there were switchbacks and that we needed to be out of trouble for the final kilometers.

Staying at the front, ahead of crashes and the larger group, is always the safest place to be. It went fast and I gave it my all. That’s all you can do on the road. I felt physically sick for hours after the race and even had a laugh or two at my own expense with Millar pointing out how miserable I looked.

Monday was our second and final rest day, and aside from taking a quick trip to check out the time trial course in Annecy, I rested, Skyped with the girls at home and took care of the little things.

As we began Tuesday’s stage, another epic day of climbing, I sit in 12th place over all. People keep asking me if it’s what I expected, what will happen next, if my role will change. What I can tell you is this: after my horrible crash the Giro and coming back for the Tour de Suisse — where I was still racing with broken bones — I consider what I’ve done here so far a success.

I feel a hundred times better than I did in Monaco, and every day my condition improves. I think it will continue to improve as we move into this last week. This Tour is different from last year, when I was alone for large parts of the mountains.

Having Bradley here on the climbs with me is physically and mentally reassuring. Being able to look across the group and see another jersey with our name on it — to have someone to yell to and say, “How’re you feeling?” has changed the experience dramatically.

Bradley and I will continue to support each other and work for each other in this last week, just as we have all along. The team is in a great position right now, with two of us in good standing. Anything can happen in the Tour, that is the beauty of this event. You just have to keep pushing yourself. It’s a dirty job, and I’m happy to do it. Plus my brother is smashing himself on his bike as you read this. One person inspired.