And so, another Tour de France comes to an end. A record number of riders make Paris, 170 to be exact, despite my best attempts to thwart the chances of some of the main GC contenders. It has been a blast and I’m almost emotional.

Team Radio Shack proudly stood on the podium today as the winner of the teams classification. It was Lance’s last major race after proving without a shadow of a doubt that his is indeed “too old for this shit”. Let’s be honest though, we all know why Lance made the comeback. His ability to party with the best of them throughout this year’s tour has been phenomenal.

I wish I could remember standing on the podium in Paris today, though I’m already so drunk I could hardly remember to do this diary entry for one last time (editors note: Pete dictated this to his assistant who typed it up and padded it out for him).

The drinking started shortly after the time trial yesterday and the beverages haven’t stopped flowing. The Astana boys posed for shots holding their champagne for a long time and ensured they had their glasses refreshed each time the cameras clicked. I counted 22 refills.

Everyone was wondering why Andy Schleck seemed so happy today despite the fact he lost the tour by the exact margin Contador made up when Andy dropped his chain. Well, despite being gutted about not winning, it wasn’t all doom and gloom for the Luxembourger. Like most of us, he had half his year’s salary bet on Contador for the win, so it turned out to be a rather profitable race anyway. My advice to him was simple, “Eat a f###ing big mac or something for crying out loud”. I mean, he looked like Kate Moss after the three week race. Skelator from He-Man would have been proud.

Now it’s an opportunity for all the riders to catch up with their families and return home. It’s really sad to be honest. The prospect of living reasonably sober in the one place and only sleeping with one woman is a very troublesome thought indeed.

For me, the top 20 result was all I could have asked for. I am in my racing prime and it’s something to tell my grandchildren about. Everyone keeps asking if I am going to retire, but I think not at this stage. These legs still have something special in them. Speculation has already begun as to whether I will still be with the same team next year as well, though I won’t be drawn into any comment at this stage. For now, give me a stiff cup of coffee, my own bed and a few good night’s sleep.

Viva la France, viva la tour!