2009 Tour of California - Stage 7

Of the many, many sports I follow, I think cycling is my second favorite (behind baseball - Go Giants!) But after 10+ years following this sport on TV I finally went to my first professional cycling race today in Pasadena as the 7th stage of the Amgen Tour of California rolled through.

For those of you who don't follow the sport, the Tour of California is pretty much the only time you get to see the top tier cycling teams compete outside of Europe. And there were some real A-listers in this race:

Team Columbia-High Road, with American favorite George Hincapie and UK sprinting sensation Mark Cavendish

Team Liquigas, with sprinter Daniele Bennati and the comeback of Ivan Basso

Team Quickstep, home of the Boomin' Belgian (and all around hottie) Tom Boonen

Team Rabobank, which includes three-time World Champion Oscar Freire and two-time Vuelta a España winner Denis Menchov

Team Saxo-bank, formly Team CSC, sports one of the highest profile rosters including Jens Voigt and the Schleck brothers, Andy and Frank

and last but best, Team Astana, formerly Team Discovery Channel, formerly Team US Postal, the team of Levi Leipheimer, Chris Horner, and the comeback of the amazing Lance Armstrong.

Can you telling I'm geeking out yet?

The finish was at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena and it was a circus, in a good way. There were vendors everywhere, lots of free stuff, a band stage, a whole kids play area, and lots of lots of cyclists. There was a great display of Team Astana's bikes


(here's my friend White Steve ogling Lance Armstrong's back-up bike) and just about any company that had anything to do with cycling had a tent there.

The finale was a 5 lap circuit, 4.7 mile laps, and White Steve and I managed to snag a spot on the rails just around the 75m to go mark. So we (and about 25,000 other people) got to see it all pass us by five times.


It was a day made of awesome.

There was a breakaway with a 3:00 minute lead who managed to hold off the sprinting peloton. This blurring picture is Addy Engels, one of the breakaway riders from Team Quickstep, and here are the boys from Astana (Lance is in there SOMEWHERE and you can see Levi whering the leaders yellow jersey in there).



It was just exhilarating. I can't describe it any other way. Some day, I'll see a stage of the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta de Espana. But for now? I'll savor the Tour of California and my souvenir - a mini cowbell. More cowbell!