I have no idea how to embed code so I'm going to have to just include the URL for this video. It's freakin' awesome! Levi, you ROCK!
http://blip.tv/file/1806944
ps. I am so damn excited about my time at the ATOC. I have lots of pictures and stories to come!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
2008 Amgen Tour of California ~ Stage 7
Stage 7 ~ Santa Clarita to Pasadena
Pasadena, CA
Saturday Feb. 23, 2008
I woke up surprisingly refreshed after sleeping in the back of my car for the third night in a row. It had rained throughout the night so the windows were all fogged up. I hurried over to the Rose Bowl so I could get a good spot in front of the finish line stage. My attempt to park in the designated area was fruitless; again, I had no cash to pay for parking. I ended up parking in the neighborhood across the grass field from the event area. It was still raining so I suited up in my Gortex, grabbed my backpack and chair, and headed across the field. I found just about every mud puddle along the way, and by the time I got across the field my shoes and socks were soaked.
I set up camp directly across from the stage at the finish line. I couldn't believe that I was going to have such an awesome spot! I sat, and sat, and sat, and watched all of the volunteers work. They attached sponsor banners to the orange barriers, set up canopies, and slowly but surely asked me to move further and further down the line until I was 30 yards from the stage. CRAP!
At one point a couple walked up and asked me some questions about where to sit. They thought I was part of the event staff. I should have just rolled with it (the lesson regarding acting like I am supposed to be there had not sunk in yet). Instead I informed them that I had no idea what was going on. We all sat together and got to know one another as the morning warmed up. This couple was from Washington State. They had been to all of the stages; following the Tour as it came south. They both loved cycling and enjoy riding and watching the races on TV together. I was envious as hell that they shared that passion with one another. I can’t remember their names and I didn’t get their email addresses. I would have liked to stay in touch with them throughout the year. I’ll post a picture here of them. If you two are out there and you’d like to say hello, post a comment here.
Next, we met a fellow named Alfredo. Nice guy. He lived nearby and didn’t know the race was coming through. He happened over by chance I think. Nice fellow and like me, he was just getting back into cycling after an injury. I think he had back problems too. I think it was fate to meet and talk with him. It helped to motivate me to ride.
We all sat for hours, through drizzle, sun, and passing clouds. We ended up being pushed down the line until we were the first people along the barrier just beyond the big TV camera boom. All of the hospitality tents had filled in the area across from the stage. Damn it! I knew I should have paid the $250 to be in there.
The Jumbo-tron went up right on top of us. It was so close it was kind of hard to make out who we were watching. The images were made up of huge three colored pixels. We watched as the peloton rode past familiar places and up and over the nearby Angeles Crest.
One good thing about being so far down from the finish line was that we ended up sitting adjacent to the commentator’s trailer. We all got up some nerve and walked over to see who we could find. We called out to Paul Sherwin and he came over to say hi. We also caught Bob “Bobke” Roll as he walked in. Totally nice guy and funny. He’s a lot taller and thinner than I thought he was. He was wearing a big honkin’ skull ring and a leather jacket. A kind of tame outfit from what I’ve seen. I had Alfredo take some pictures of me with Paul and Bob, very cool.
Pasadena, CA
Saturday Feb. 23, 2008
I woke up surprisingly refreshed after sleeping in the back of my car for the third night in a row. It had rained throughout the night so the windows were all fogged up. I hurried over to the Rose Bowl so I could get a good spot in front of the finish line stage. My attempt to park in the designated area was fruitless; again, I had no cash to pay for parking. I ended up parking in the neighborhood across the grass field from the event area. It was still raining so I suited up in my Gortex, grabbed my backpack and chair, and headed across the field. I found just about every mud puddle along the way, and by the time I got across the field my shoes and socks were soaked.
I set up camp directly across from the stage at the finish line. I couldn't believe that I was going to have such an awesome spot! I sat, and sat, and sat, and watched all of the volunteers work. They attached sponsor banners to the orange barriers, set up canopies, and slowly but surely asked me to move further and further down the line until I was 30 yards from the stage. CRAP!
At one point a couple walked up and asked me some questions about where to sit. They thought I was part of the event staff. I should have just rolled with it (the lesson regarding acting like I am supposed to be there had not sunk in yet). Instead I informed them that I had no idea what was going on. We all sat together and got to know one another as the morning warmed up. This couple was from Washington State. They had been to all of the stages; following the Tour as it came south. They both loved cycling and enjoy riding and watching the races on TV together. I was envious as hell that they shared that passion with one another. I can’t remember their names and I didn’t get their email addresses. I would have liked to stay in touch with them throughout the year. I’ll post a picture here of them. If you two are out there and you’d like to say hello, post a comment here.Next, we met a fellow named Alfredo. Nice guy. He lived nearby and didn’t know the race was coming through. He happened over by chance I think. Nice fellow and like me, he was just getting back into cycling after an injury. I think he had back problems too. I think it was fate to meet and talk with him. It helped to motivate me to ride.
We all sat for hours, through drizzle, sun, and passing clouds. We ended up being pushed down the line until we were the first people along the barrier just beyond the big TV camera boom. All of the hospitality tents had filled in the area across from the stage. Damn it! I knew I should have paid the $250 to be in there.
The Jumbo-tron went up right on top of us. It was so close it was kind of hard to make out who we were watching. The images were made up of huge three colored pixels. We watched as the peloton rode past familiar places and up and over the nearby Angeles Crest.
One good thing about being so far down from the finish line was that we ended up sitting adjacent to the commentator’s trailer. We all got up some nerve and walked over to see who we could find. We called out to Paul Sherwin and he came over to say hi. We also caught Bob “Bobke” Roll as he walked in. Totally nice guy and funny. He’s a lot taller and thinner than I thought he was. He was wearing a big honkin’ skull ring and a leather jacket. A kind of tame outfit from what I’ve seen. I had Alfredo take some pictures of me with Paul and Bob, very cool.
I walked over to check out all of the booths at the Lifestyle Fair. There were a lot of great booths, since this was the last day. I got a ton of swag; free stickers, jelly bellies Sport Beans, posters, sport drinks etc. I’m looking forward to displaying some of this stuff in my workout room/bike maintenance area in the garage. I’ll call it my girl cave. Does that sound raunchy? Haaa.I ran into Phil and Paul on my way back from the vendor area. They found a spot in the parking lot with the Rose Bowl in the background and did their commentary for the day. I followed them back to the trailer and got Phil to sign my book. I also got a photo of him signing a jersey for Alfredo. All of this helped to make up for the disappointment of having to move away from the stage all morning.
As the time came for the peloton to crest the mountain the clouds unleashed the most rain they had all day. The guys looked like they were freezing as they came down into Pasadena. Again, the peloton was to ride a circuit around the finish line as they had the day before. It was great to see them whizz past, with a rooster tail of muddy water coming off their back wheels. I managed to get a few shots and videos as they passed. George Hincapie was part of a group that broke away from the pack earlier. They were trying to catch one lone rider out front. It was great to see him out there. The crowd ROARED as he went past, and again when Levi and the peloton followed. Levi had the overall win clinched as long as he stayed upright on his bike. He rode conservatively in the safety of the peloton with his team around him.
We all stood in anticipation for the riders to finish the last lap. By this time I was completely soaked and smiling from ear to ear. I could see on the Jumbo-tron that the breakaway group caught the lone rider and the main peloton did not have enough time to catch any of them. As the lead group headed for the finish, George Hincapie sprinted for the win. I was so excited I shed a tear or two. George looked like he was in disbelief. I have no idea why, he’s an awesome rider. And if anyone deserves to win more races, it’s him.
All of the riders filtered through the finish and congratulated one another. Those of us standing next to the barrier could see that the area adjacent to us was not being used at all. So a couple of us moved the barriers and filled in the space. This got us a bit closer to the stage. I allowed a guy and his kid to move in front of me in exchange for letting me use his shoulder to help me climb on top of my chair. This was great. I had a clear view of the stage and all of the fans.
In the 20 minutes it took to get the award ceremony together the sky opened up and the clouds parted. As Levi Leipheimer stood on the stage with his trophy, a complete rainbow appeared before him. He made an arching gesture with his hand and we all turned to witness Mother Nature’s gift. From my vantage point I could see it originate on one side of the Rose Bowl and terminate on the other side. One could not ask for a better ending to the race.
I had the opportunity to meet Antler man before I wandered over to the team buses as I had every other night. Later, I found Judi hot on the trail of Robert Gesink as he walked across to the Rose Bowl. I finally caught up to her. She had spent the entire day in a Hospitality tent in front of the stage! Haa, she just acted like she was supposed to be there. Lesson learned!! We waited outside of the Rose Bowl entrance for an hour or so, looking like two wet dogs. George Hincapie finally emerged, so we congratulated him and both got autographs. We then saw team Rock Racing take off in their Rolls Royce; the one decked out with green skulls all over it. They stopped as they exited the gate and opened the window. Tyler Hamilton signed autographs for everyone. Very nice guy.
I trekked back to my car with Judi and drove her to her hotel. Looks like it was the hotel where most of the teams were staying (I think she must have connections!?), then drove back to my sister’s for the night. The plan was to get up early and drive part of the stage seven route on my way back to the high desert. I knew that there would be tossed water bottles to be found. 
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