On Thursday, I couldn't just sit and watch

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When the T-Mobile team made its first big attack with about 51.5 kilometers to go in Thursday's Stage 11, there was a lot of excitement on the road, and here at home. I couldn't sit on the couch and just watch. I had to get on my bike.

For the first time since I crashed out of the Tour de France during last Saturday's time trial, I broke out the turbo trainer and tested it out. My wife Angela helped me set up the trainer, and then, I was up and running.

The hardest part, given my wrist and hip, was literally getting on and off the bike. Remember, I had the wrist surgery and some major road rash on my hip, plus, I think I might have tweaked my adductor muscle a bit. So, when you have to press down and kick your leg over to mount the bike, it's something that's impossible for me not to feel. Those pressure points are still giving me some trouble. Still, I was able to ride for about an hour and it was so therapeutic to get some of the pent-up energy out of my body. I sat in the saddle with my arms at my sides since I can't grip the handlebars yet. But every day, I'll build up my strength and get more movement in my wrist.

My other "test" Thursday wasn't as difficult, but it was still tempting. My family and I went to the store to stock up on food, a task that can take a while, as you could imagine, with a 6½-month pregnant woman, a 4-year-old and a man with a limp! So, I was pretty hungry by time we left. But on the way out, we spotted a McDonald's (yes, we're in Nice!). My wife asked if I wanted anything. Sometimes, you can turn to comfort food like that to help boost morale, but I declined. Of course, I am not an angel. We plan to dine at my favorite Mexican restaurant in town, Texas City (the one I told you about earlier in the Tour). So, I passed another test -- turning down the Big Mac for the burrito. I can say that the latter has gotten me where I am today!

While I can't definitely yet say what my plans are for the rest of this season, I still have some goals. I have to at this point. So my goal is still to shoot for the Tour of Germany, which starts at the beginning of August. I mentioned my goal to Team CSC director Bjarne Riis just after my crash, but I don't want to press the issue right now since he has some other things on his mind, to say the least! But I don't need Riis to push me or motivate me. I have my goal and I am pushing for it!

Back to that T-Mobile push ...

I didn't think it was a bad move. They saw some of the favorites starting to suffer during the climbs and they saw Discovery start to struggle. But I think the T-Mobile riders underestimated their strength at that point. They paid the price by the end of the stage.

I thought Cyril Dessel and his Ag2R team director have to be kicking themselves after Thursday. Dessel missed keeping the yellow jersey by less than 10 seconds. Did he spend too much energy a day earlier on the sprints?

I was happy to see such strong racing out of my Team CSC teammates Carlos Sastre and Frank Schleck. Our team did the best they could with the situation we're in.

And when Thursday's monstrous mountain stage came to a close, there were no real big surprises. I fully expected fellow Americans Floyd Landis and Levi Leipheimer to be among the leading pack and they did not disappoint.

It's was another example of how, in the sport of cycling, you just never know what can happen.

Bobby Julich, a member of Team CSC, will be providing an exclusive diary for ESPN.com throughout the Tour de France. The American has been a professional cyclist since 1992. He finished third overall in the 1998 Tour de France and won last year's Paris-Nice race. For more information on Bobby, check out http://www.bobbyjulich.com.

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