Tour de France/Death Ride

[maillotpois]

Yesterday was the Death Ride, which I had helped a group of Team in Training coaches to train for, and also planned to ride myself, until I got sick - or, rather, realized I was actually sick.

Trek posted a good link about the Death Ride:
http://www.chainreaction.com/markleeville.htm


Amazing ride! Anyway, it was very interesting to watch a cycling event that I would ordinarily do. It was also quite stressful because most of the road is closed, so I didn't know what was going on with my charges for a good part of the day (one of whom was my husband!). The end result was great, though - 6 of my 6 riders finished all 5 passes. They were all first time Death Riders so that was terrific!

The Death Ride leaves out of Markleeville, a very small town in the middle of the Sierras. It is a fly fishing, motorcycle rider sort of place, and there's a bar on one corner of town. The whole town is about two blocks long, so there's really just one corner. While we were waiting for the riders to come back through town on their way to the final pass, my friend Zach and I decided to go to the corner bar. (Zach and I had done the Death Ride together last year, and his dad had supported us and cheered us on. This year, his dad was doing it, so we got to cheer for him which was fantastic.)

So we go to the bar and they have OLN on, the bar was slightly full and they are showing the TdF time trial. Now, when has this EVER happened? You're in a biker bar (as in motorcycles, not our bikes), in the middle of NOWHERE in California, drinking beer at noon and arguing with five other guys (only one of whom you know) about who is going to win the Tour de France?!?! It was absolutely amazing.

I felt as if I were in France.