Tour Blog
Follow the 2008 Amgen Tour of California with a local Santa Clarita cycling enthusiast, Ryan Rietzel, as he follows the Tour of California from the Prologue in Palo Alto to Stages 6 & 7 in Santa Clarita and Pasadena.
Stage 2 Start - Santa Rosa to Sacramento
(no photos of this, raining)
The starts are a totally different animal from the furry of the finishing of a stage. Racers just hang around relaxing before the day gets under way. The fans can get up close to many of the riders or check out their bikes as they are always leaning against the team busses. For the casual observer it must be noted that there are two attractions at a Pro tour bike race. The riders are the obvious one the other attraction is the technological wonders that they ride. For every two pictures taken of Tom Boonen there is at least one photo taken of his bike.
The bikes are truly amazing machines as they are built of the same materials and are machined to the same tolerances of a Formula One race car. Many if not all of the bikes weigh less then the UCI allows so weight is added to meet the minimum requirements which is under 17 pounds. If allowed the manufacturers can and do build bikes weighing under 13 pounds that can take the beating given it by a pro racer. There is always a crowd around the bikes as fans check out the latest in bike technology.
It should also noted that all of the major bike manufactures test their in-development/prototype equipment by giving it to a pro team to let them hammer it into the ground. If these guys cannot break it no one can.
The start ceremonies were also unique as the Tour introduces the growing number of top riders from around the world that ride in the race. All of the world champions, Olympic champions, and the current Tour jersey holders were brought to the front and introduced one at a time. Then they all line up, listen to the National Anthem and the race is on!
Who will win in Santa Clairta? My pick – Tom Boonen, winner of the stage to Sacramento. One of the, if not the, best rider in the world. Check out his legs when you see him, they are tree trunks.
-Ryan
Stage 1 Finish - Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa has hosted the Tour of California three years now and they know how to do it. After all, the Santa Rosa City Manager used to be the City of Santa Clarita’s Parks & Recreation Director and Deputy City Manager, so he was well trained and has done an awesome job in Santa Rosa. 
Santa Rosa is where Levi Leipheimer lives and trains and the community comes out and supports him. There were so many people in the Life Festival that it took effort to walk from one end to the other. Before the men's Pros finished the City put on a Professional woman's critierimum race which used the same finish line as the men's race. After the race the winner of the women’s race said in an interview that she was blown away by the size of the crowds watching the race. It was so loud during the race that some of the women said their ears hurt during the race. Future Tour racers also got a chance to feel the energy of the crowd as boys and girls ages 4 and up took to the streets and raced up and down the finish line cheered on by the official Tour announcers. Once again the crowd was very supportive and the kids had a great time.
As the Tour peleton got closer to town the finish line became a buzz of activity as officials readied themselves for the race, the fans found their spots along the barricades, and watched the race activities on the big screen televisions. It is always exciting to watch as the Highway Patrol motorcycles and support vehicles come into town in front of the race officials’ cars.
The crowd pushes and shoves each other to get a good viewing position – nicely of course - knowing that the riders are only seconds way. You can also tell that the riders are approaching as the three helicopters that have been following the peleton approach the city and pull away at the last minute to avoid crashing into the buildings at the finish line. When the peleton races past it is a flash of colors and sound. It is the distinctive sound of more than one hundred chains whirling over the gears of the bikes, and an amazing amount of wind that is generated by the speed and size of the group.
The crowd went crazy on each of the three laps and as the racers came around the last time the crowd and the racers gave it all they had, the sound generated by the crowd was amazing and the riders did not let them down. It was four riders wide as the pro sprinters tried to win the stage. JJ Hondo won the stage which made it 2-for-2 for team CSC and Fabian Cancellara kept his leaders gold jersey.
A note for the autograph seeker - after the race many of the riders look to get changed and some food and a rub down so it is difficult to get autographs. However, The Rock Racing team had all their riders come over to their booth (complete with rock music, video cameras and professional movie lighting) in the Life Festival area to sign autographs. They just hung around, signed posters, and talked to the crowd which was a few hundred people for at least an hour after the race ended. Some of the local cycling enthusiasts were nearly in tears as cycling greats (Tyler Hamilton, Santiago Botero, Mario Cippolini, “Fast Freddie” Rodriguez, and others) signed their jackets and other items. Good times.
-Ryan
Prologue time trial - Palo Alto / Stanford
2.1 miles
Here is a taste of what it is like to follow the Tour of California bike race. Trying to find a hotel room is a harrowing experience, finding a parking place is another, but it is all worth while as the weather is gorgeous, the fans are relaxed and fun, and the event 
shows how great life would be if more people rode bikes instead of cars to get around. We brought 3 scooters with us to help us get around – which worked great. For the cycling enthusiast jealousy would be a tough issue to fight as $10,000 bikes were just casually thrown up against a fence as the owners threw themselves into watching the race.
The bike riders in town looked different than usual as there were many pairs of “ripped legs” and colorful jerseys checking out the sights of Palo Alto. The night before the race all of the riders were in the hotel lobby hanging out, listening to their iPods, emailing friends around the world, and getting some free standup from Robin Williams. All in all, very much like the Tour de France without the big airline ticket price! Priceless!!
The Tour of California got off to a great start as the 2-time World Champion Fabian Cancellara won in convincing style the 2.1 mile opening prologue. His time of 2 minutes 51 seconds was almost 4 seconds faster than the second place rider. Because the Prologue is so short, to get a fast time requires a maximum effort which was evident as the riders went past you at more than 30 miles an hour (remember this is a bike not a motorcycle…). The entire 2.1 mile course was lined with people who rang bells, screamed and clapped as all 133 riders individually raced through the streets of Palo Alto and on the campus Stanford University.
For the hard core bike fan, this is utopia on two wheels, as the Tour of California is truly a who’s who of professional bike racing. There are 8 world champions, four Olympic Champions and too many national champions to count racing in the Tour this year. This showing of the best of the best shows the status that the Tour of California has gained. It is now considered a major Stage Race being watched worldwide.
Who needs to travel to France to watch the Tour when the best riders in the world are racing in California and coming to our own back yard. The buzz in the crowd really centered around two riders. The first is the great Italian Mario Cipollini, who has come out of retirement to race for The Rock Racing team. As a forty something the ex-World Champion and winner of around 200 races is as fast as ever. The second rider, last year’s winner, Levi Leipheimer received the loudest cheers as he raced to fourth place overall.
For the less hard core bike fan there is still plenty to see, do and eat. The Life Festival was packed with thousands of people just wondering around checking out everything from $10K bikes to some very tasty granola and everything in between. The kids (which there were thousands) have their own area to do art, test out their fitness with stationary bikes and climb a tough rock wall. The large television screens located all over the place allowed everyone to follow the racing action.
The race continues throughout the State for the rest of the week and comes to Santa Clarita, Feb. 23 and 24. It is going to be a very exciting race as the favorites try to find a way to take advantage of the tough course to steal a few seconds. So come on out and see for yourself the truly great sport of professional cycling. See you in Santa Rosa later today!
-Ryan
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