The first week of the Tour was very intense for me. In particular the stay in Monaco and the large crowds that gathered to spectate. I noticed that a remarkable number of Swiss fans supported me at the roadside. Apart from riding in the leader's jersey, I will take away special memories of my encounters with Prince Albert of Monaco and Ben Stiller, the American actor.

Those are personalities that are much more well-known than I am but are still completely normal. I could sense Prince Albert's enthusiasm for sports during our short small talk.

He was visibly delighted that the principality was host to the Tour de France. Despite their special status I wouldn't want to trade places with either Prince Albert or Ben Stiller.

Prince Albert will probably never be able to go out, have a relaxed meal with colleagues and switch off from work without being accompanied by bodyguards. I am very grateful that us athletes can still move freely in Switzerland.

At the moment I feel very physically tired. That's why you probably won't see an awful lot of me in the next few days.

But as soon as I have recovered I will try to set my sights on the future again. So long, Fabian.