Tour of Virginia

[IFjane]

Did anyone see the first two stages today?

Bat - surely you saw the crit in Lynchburg??? Tell us all about it!

Alas, I was planning to follow the tour the last three days but won't be able to now because of surgery tomorrow. If anyone goes, please post!

[Batbike]

Saw stage 2, Lynchburg Crit ... awesome! There was 175 riders pedaling a fast and very technical 0.9 mile crit (circle) that included both a steep uphill climb, quick descent, and cobblestone patches on every lap. The riders did a 2 minute lap, completing 50 laps or 23 miles in less than an hour! The sound of the peloton was amazing -- think of a hundred fans or a large hive of bees passing ... it was something else!! When standing at a a corner, the riders seem to "ride right into you" because they cut the corner so tight, almost onto the sidewalk (or so it seemed) ... you could really see the intensity and technical savy of the riders when standing at a corner!

Stage 3 was a 110 mile climb through the parkway yesterday -- did not see it but read about it in newspaper. It seems the Lynchburg paper is following the Tour of VA well, so if anyone is interested they may be able to read about it via web link. The Lynchburg paper is News and Advance.

[Batbike]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/road.php?...07/virginia072

[IFjane]

Thanks for the updates, Bat! I wish I could have been there - and at Reed's Gap yesterday to see them climb the climb that Lance said was "too steep to be in a bike race".

[KayTee]

Alejandro Borrajo of Rite Aid won Stage 2. Remember we saw him on Libby Hill and he got 3rd at the US Open Pro a couple of weeks ago.

Reed's Gap is part of the Blue Ridge Extreme every August -- should be on your list of Fun Rides in VA. Lance was right!!

[T of V_dave]

Hi, this is Dave LaMay, co-promotor for the Tour, just wanted to let you know we appreciate you coming out and keeping tabs on the race! If anyone would like to help out for next year, we would welcome it! Glad you enjoyed the show!
dave@tourofvirginia.com