Your husband has a point. It may have beem more an act of desparation than courage. That does nothing to minimize what he did, however. That was simply one of the great Tour rides of all time. It took determination, skill, and willpower. It took guts, in that had he failed, he would have failed spectacularly, and humiliated himself, in his eyes, to his team mates.
So I would say it did take some courage too, but it was more a test of grit and will.
I should have known that you would ALL TAKE HIS SIDE! ;-D
Oh well, after 26 years I'm used to it!
Let's get ready to RUMBLE! (cue music...) tomorrow! I am already nervous!