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California Girls, Thank you all sooooo much for letting us share your experiences at the Tour. The pictures are wonderful and the descriptions and anecdotes are just terrific. Since the coverage is not very long every night, it really helps fuel our cycling addictions!
Well.
I just found out an unexpected impact of the Tour of California here in Maryland.
Our LBS is CLOSED all week as the owner works out there at the race - he does support work every year there. This year, since they are down a manager, he gave everyone a vacation during this slow period. Since the shop is closed, my DH's Seven cannot be delivered or built up.
So...the ToC is keeping my DH from his new bike! :eek:
BTW..found out that they are broadcasting the race at 11 p.m. here on the right coast, so DH will be taping....
p.s. Yes...Thanks for the awesome pix! Love it (love my Levi, too!). Keep 'em comin' if you can!
Have you guys seen this site: http://www.steephill.tv/grassyknoll/
people can upload their photos and video from the tour of CA, there are lots of good photos for all the stages.
Also, about 24 hours after the broadcast Versus.com puts up some video highlights for those of you who missed it, or don't get versus with your cable/sattelite provider.
Enjoy!
You guys in California, thank you! Your posts are great.
Elizabeth (my 5 year old) and I went down to the finish at around 12:30 and then hooked up with hubby around 1:30. We walked around the booths, got some swag, and then went to watch the Calaveras and Sierra Road climbs on the big screen at the finish line while staking out our place at the boards.
Right next to me was the director of marketing for Blue Competition Cycles, who provide bikes for the Colavita team and right behind him was a guy who worked for Predictor Lotto. They were talking industry and the PL dude was telling us all kinds of interesting dirt about Chris Horner's bike and other stuff. Very cool!
The guys came blazing past at the finish and it was very exciting! I got a few photos, but they were moving pretty fast. Then I realized that we could go down the street where the team busses were so I ran over there and started looking for my favorites!
I was standing outside the CSC bus when Bjarne Riis walked out... I didn't get a good photo, though. Then someone said that Lance was outside the Disco bus, so I ran over there. He was mobbed, but I got about 3 feet away from him and got a decent photo. He was doing an interview and it was near the end by the time I got over there.
Then Johan Bruyneel walked out and I got a photo of him. Tom Danielson rode up, but he turned away just as I was about to click the shutter! Darn!
I got a good photo of a T Mobile rider who I thought was Michael Rogers, but I think it might be Aaron Olson. Not sure.
As we were making our way to the podium, Elizabeth almost collided with Jens Voight as he was riding back for his jersey. Blaine whisked her out of the way, averting disaster which we surely would have chalked up to the Jobob KOD. Just kidding, Jo! Then Michael Rasmussen rode past me. This day was amazing!
We went to the podium and they weren't letting people close to it because they weren't sure the course was clear, but then they let us over just as Levi was coming up, so we got quite close to the stage and I got some nice photos of him and the other jersey winners. I will try to post a few here, but I'm patently bad at uploading photos to the site, so I may just post a link to my Snapfish album.
It was a very cool day for me... my first pro road race. I was disappointed not to see Ivan and George, but it was cool to see Lance and some of the other guys that I've only seen on the tube so far! Unfortunately, I lack amazing camera skills or equipment, so my photos aren't great, but it's fun to have them. I'll work on some posting today.
Attachment 2670
Lance giving an interview to VeloNews
Attachment 2671
Levi puts on yellow again!
Attachment 2672
Jens and Levi... check out that height difference! Sorry for the blur.
Nice slinke! I walked from 2nd and Tayor back to the finish, but got so sensory overwhelmed I didn't stay long. I haven't even looks at the pix I took - nothing as up close and personal as yours!
Later in the evening jobob, leebob and I went to a fundraiser for Fairness for Floyd. Way cool! We met Floyd! :D
Tell all, Snap!
Attachment 2676
Johan Bruyneel
Attachment 2677
Aaron Olsen or Michael Rogers
Attachment 2678
Jerseys
Attachment 2679
Ivan Basso at the finish
Slinke... those are FABULOUS pictures!!! Oh my gosh... no camera skills huh? :D I think they're great... love the Lance one... and the one of Levi is really, really great... I'd probably frame that one... glad you had so much fun...
tomorrow is the big day for me... I will post some pix when I get home Sunday as well... I'm hoping to get pics of Lance and Ivan... and of course Hincape and Levi again! I'd also like to get a shot of Bobke if he's around... :) Ah heck... I want pics of 'em all...:D :D :D
BC68, can't WAIT to hear your report and see your photos! I am VERY envious of you!
I was on Specialized's site and was looking at jobs (their corporate headquarters is near where I live) and the Executive Assistant to the President of the company position is available!!!! If I could work right now, I'd be all over that job! Can you imagine the cool people you'd get to meet? Oh well, the little ones need Mommy right now. ;)
Have fun tomorrow!
That's it! I've decided that next year I'm taking the week off and going to California! I asked DH last night if he would like to take a vacation and follow the Tour. He didn't say no, which is as good as a yes for me. :D So, all you people in the know, where do I find information about next years tour? And please don't say google, I have trouble with that. :o bikerHen
BH -- click on this link to sign up for Amgen's race newsletter: Amgen Tour of California. They'll send you summary recaps of the race every day and will soon start sending info about next year's TofC. It's a good way to stay on top of the planning aspect of it. When things start happening in terms of dates, cities, and team commitments, they'll send out an update. Pretty informative.Quote:
Originally Posted by bikerHen
:)
~BikeMomma
Thanks for all the reports. Great pictures! I have been following on the internet at work :eek: and watching the updates on VS. Enjoy the rest of the tour!
But I'm riding most of yesterday's stage as a Brevet tomorrow. It's real windy and brisk here (i'm in Morro Bay right now, but It was the same in Cucamonga). and I forgot my tights:o. Did see plenty of folks with bikes and bikes on cars around Slovang. Didn't stop, since I wanted to know where I'm going in the morning.
Sure, Meaux. PM me and I can email you the actual file copy.Quote:
Originally Posted by Meaux
We have a lot more from Coleman and from the TT - but we've been out of town.
I was on Trinity Grade on Tuesday and it was AMAZING. Like being on Plateau de Beille at the TdF. It was a tunnel of trees and a wall of riders came up. The first rider, Christophe Laurent, had a significant gap over everyone else. As he rode up to the KOM line, he wasn't even breathing hard and blew a kiss to the Specialized angel who was standing on her car.
Then the wall of riders in the peloton - led by Ivan Bass. SO cool.
I got a lot of pictures, but the camera ate them. :mad:
Thanks for the link BikeMomma.:D Great site! I got all signed up. DH asked last night if they will know next years dates by December when he picks vacation time for next year. Sounds like we may really get to GO! :eek: :D :D bikerHenQuote:
Originally Posted by BikeMomma
I just got back from the Solvang Time Trial stage and had a blast! Not only did I get to see some great racing, but I made some friends with the SRAM neutral support crew. The friendly guys let me take one of their team issue Orbeas for a little spin... 15 lbs. of carbon fiber beauty with Zipp wheels and all the trimmings! Here's a few pics... (I think the kleenex in Cancellara is especially attractive!)
I just got back from Solvang as well !
I have a ton of photos to wade through, but I had to post this one right away... :cool:
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k1...b2007/Jens.jpg
-jo "still giddy as a little schoolgirl" bob
I've been hearing the bubbles wafting all on the breeze all day! :pQuote:
Originally Posted by jobob
Please tell your funny story!
BTW, I also like the kleenex. I can empathize.:rolleyes:
Wow, Jo! I'm very excited to hear your report from the day!! What a wonderful picture!
Bluetree... great photos and thanks for posting them!
Slinke, your photos are wonderful ! How on earth did you manage to get up so close? My podium photos are mostly a sea of backs of heads :p
And Bluetree, were you tempted to just keep going down the road with that Orbea? If you got a good head start ... ;)
Dumb q..Jobob..who's the gent on the left you're picured with??? Really..no clue :o
Another question, why did that gent have kleenex in his nose?? :o
I'm not up on the roadie racing scene & have no idea....(names yes, faces..no)
Thank you..
Lost C
CC, go back to post #77. You have a 50% chance of guessing who that is.
CC - My photos are of Ivan Basso, Paolo Bettini (world champion) and Fabian Cancellera (Time Trial World Champion).
It was extremely windy and the latter had kleenex up his nose because of either a cold or allergies. During his warm-up he was practically gushing, which made his fast time even more remarkable. I have some more pics of Hincapie, O'Grady, Danielson, etc, but right now there are just too many photos I have to go through.
Jobob - Yup, I was tempted ;) The head mechanic showed me their "vault", which was a huge, security-locked conference room in the hotel basement... stocked with about 40-50 racing bikes... racing, TT, you name it. Next thing you know, he's slapping pedals on a bike and pushing me out the door. I thought I died and went to heaven!!! (P.S. Did I tell you he was cute, too? Sometimes, it's great to be a girl!!!)
I don't remember which one, either Phil or Paul, made a comment about Levi having cotton in his nose. They said it was to help him breath better. Levi was warming up for the TT at the time. I thougt it odd...how could cotton in your nostril help you breath. Then I thought maybe they put something on it to help him breath later on...like some sort of decongestant or something. Anybody have any insight on this? Or did they misspeak and it's just there to catch the ...well you know what.
Oooh I would love to see a pic of Stuey pleeeeaaaase.:)Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluetree
http://www.photoshow.com/view/SI4Ud9VZ
wow, what an amazing experience... having had this opportunity last year as well, I knew better what I could expect, what I could do and not do and felt more comfortable all around...
It was awesome seeing my friends Mark and Hector again. Mark is in charge of the Mavic crew and Hector is on Moto 1... Mavic provides neutral support to ALL the teams. It is very cool how fast they can change a wheel or a give a rider an entire bike! Yesterday they gave 2 people new bikes, assisted George Hincapie and Tony Cruz when they crashed and did numerous wheel changes... I have to say, the driving skills required are astounding and my friend Mark ROCKS at this! You have the riders averaging 30 mph, the entire caravan of cars around you and riders coming THRU the caravan (after pulling off for a "nature break" or a mechanical issue) all within a foot to inches, literally. Then you have slow climbs where everyone is bunched up, and FAST descents down windy roads with everyone bunched up still. We descended Grimes Canyon at 60mph with tight turns and riders flying by... whew! Not a job for the faint of heart, let me assure you... In between all that, Mark has to man the radios, instruct his crew where to be at any given time, AND watch what's happening on the course. I would have been overwhelmed. I can't say enough how amazing it is to see it all happen from there in the front seat by him. Another Mavic crewmember rides in the back seat and helps "spot" riders coming up, as well as passing wheels, tools and food out the window to the Moto WHILE we're doing 30-40mph! Incredible really.
The race started at 11AM... I got there at 8AM. I got to see the Mavic contingent arrive, get a ton of close ups of the pros and get numerous signatures!!! I got signatures of Levi Leipheimer, Jens Voigt, Thor Hushovd, Bobby Julich, Paolo Bettini, Chris Horner, Danny Pate, Brian Dziewa, and Tom Danielson... it was pretty cool.
I hope you enjoy the photo show... :)
Amazing!!!
Thanks so much! It was like being there!!! Your writeup and photo show were excellent, exceptional, exquisite, first-class, great, magnificent, outstanding, priceless, prime, superb, supreme, tiptop, top-notch, wonderful!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by bikerchick68
http://www.futurelooks.com/forums/im...es/thewave.gifhttp://www.futurelooks.com/forums/im...es/thewave.gifhttp://www.futurelooks.com/forums/im...es/thewave.gif
What AG said !
http://www.millan.net/minimations/smileys/clap.gif
Fantastic!!!!
I'm a tad jealous.....
thanks ladies! glad you enjoyed it... ya know, when I saw Hincapie and Tony Cruz crash I had NO IDEA he'd BROKEN his wrist :eek: I heard them on the radio say he was getting the wrist checked by the medic... and I was told Levi tried to hold up the peleton to wait for him, but they went. Hincapie was not happy about that apparently and worked hard to get to the front and then spent the rest of the day making them pay for not waiting. I have to say even Mark and Nate were saying it was a fast pace and they were really racing... apparently George has a wee bit to do with that!
I caught the Show in Long Beach. Had a great time just walking around and seeing hte circus that was. The race was secondary since I had no clue what ws going on (watching it on TV is so much better). I stood around the team trailers before the race and watch the riders come out. It was like ants leaving thrie home going in every which direction. Some of the better photos I got:
Ivan Basso
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...vanBassosm.jpg
Rasmussen and Rabobankhttp://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...Rabobanksm.jpg
Were I sat from the finish - I can't remember ever being so cold!!!!
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...hereIsatsm.jpg
A few more. Not the greatest but gives you an idea of what went on.
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...discosmall.jpg
Bobby Julich signing autographs
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...ulichsmall.jpg
Brian Vandborg - the riders were everywhere. At one point a rider came up to me stopped and used my shoulder to balance. He was very attractive but too close for a photo. As he rode away I realized it was Thor Horsvold!!!
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...Vandborgsm.jpg
BC68, thanks for the amazing write up and slide show! I can't wait to show my husband all your amazing photos!
Pam, that's way too exciting about Thor! Sigh. I like Thor. ;)
That was awesome. You really get a new perspective on all the stuff that goes on to put on a bike race!Quote:
Originally Posted by bikerchick68
BTW, What kind of frames were those bikes on top? I noticed the components were SRAM Rival.
bcipam... cool pics! The one of Bobby J is really good. He's HOT! :D How cool that Thor used you for support... he's a big guy compared to a lot of the other riders... impressive how fast he can go considering his comparative size...
Slinke thanks! I had fun putting the show together... good thing they only allow 100 pics or you'd all still be watching... LOL!
Bluetree... those are the new Cannondale frames. Cannondale custom paints them for Mavic and then they add their badges. The Cannondale logo is still there but painted the same color as the bike... it's a pretty cool setup. They have custom gearing that can be used quickly for any rider... campy or shimano makes no dif... and they have setups for climbing, sprinting etc. Fascinating to listen to the guys explain it to people asking. Wish I understood it all better. If you ever see the Mavic group out, stop and talk to them. They like answering questions for people... it's good for them and good for the fans of racing...:)
One more question, albeit a silly one...
How do you pronounce Mavic? I've heard people say Mah-vic, May-vic... etc.
Boy, did I get grief when I pronounced SRAM "S-RAM", which was the way everyone I knew pronounced it. It is simply... "Sram'
:rolleyes:
We always say, "mah-VEEK." Don't know if it's right or not. :)