One of the gals I ride/race with (Charlotte Hart) has been picked up by Vanderkitten this year, so I "might" go up to Santa Rosa to watch the ladies' race for Stage 1. She won't be racing, as the team, like the whole nation, is feeling the economic downturn, and they're only sending their "top dawgs" to the start line. But she'll be going to support her team, and it might be fun to tag along & hang out with another couple going up there.

I'm planning to make a family day of Stage 3 (San Jose to Modesto) -- drive the family to SJ, watch the start, maybe grab some eats, then drive to Mo-town for the finish, home for dinner in Atwater. Should be a fun day and an education for the rest of the Nutt clan.

Stage 4 on Wednesday starts in Merced -- my doorstep. As I work for the City, I've been heavily involved in organizing, especially regarding the volunteers. The rest of the committee knows, however, that at 9:30am when the teams start arriving, I turn into a fan and I'm no longer an employee (kindof the opposite of Cinderella) -- I'm outta there. After the start from Merced, a group of us plan to hop into cars to take the back roads to beat the race to Guadalupe Grade for the chance to be crazed mountain-top fans (we're threatening to run in bikinis with full bike tan blaring -- no devil suits or thongs, however). Those are our weekend hill ride stompin' grounds, after all. Our hope is to beat the race to Clovis to catch the finish, but we're still not sure we can. We may get stuck behind the race caravan, and then it would have to be a speed contest on beating the race to Clovis from a side road. A team/club member lives in Clovis, so it's there for dinner, then a late night drive home.

I have the day off for Stage 5 to watch the start in Visalia, but I may be sortof tired of it by then with all the driving & all, so I might just kick back at home -- or go for my own ride -- or go to work, depending on my workload next week.

So, at least two, possibly even four, days of TofC bliss in store.
~BikeMomma