Today is a special day for Swiss sport. I would like to congratulate Mirka and Roger Federer on the birth of their twin girls. Healthy children are the greatest joy for young parents. My best wishes also go to Ferdy Kübler who celebrates his 90th birthday today.

Along with Bernhard Russi, he is Switzerland's greatest sporting legend in my opinion. I really admire him, especially his fitness at such an advanced age. How can I motivate myself for the final stages' That is the big question hanging over the head of Fabian Cancellara at the moment.

I have a very difficult day behind me. The long wait after my time trial was very tough, being beaten by just three seconds also! My sports coaches normally motivate me with the words: ''Try and overtake the motorbike in front.'' That was impossible yesterday as it was 300 metres ahead of me. When the result came in, I didn't say much and simply retreated to my hotel room.

It's been a long time since I had so much trouble digesting a result. Even though I didn't spend too much time going through things before the start. In retrospect, I don't know where I could have squeezed out those extra three seconds.

Despite the disappointment of being beaten by three seconds in an important race, I am still very satisfied with this year's Tour de France. I wore the leader's jersey for six days and experienced a unique atmosphere during the whole tour, especially during the excursion into Switzerland with the stage finish in Verbier. We worked really well as a team during the three weeks.

And if one of our riders is on the podium on Sunday in Paris, we have definitely achieved our goal. After that, I will be looking forward to enjoying a few summer days with my family. See you soon, Yours, Fabian.