Stage 6 ~ Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita
Santa Barbara, CA
Friday Feb. 22, 2008
This was another early morning for me. The alarm clock rattled me awake at 7:00am. I really wanted to get down to Santa Barbara in time to see the riders take off for Santa Clarita. I didn’t know my way around Santa Barbara so I pulled off on the first street I could find that went down to the coast. After pulling over a few more times to check the map, I finally found the start line.
Santa Barbara, CA
Friday Feb. 22, 2008
This was another early morning for me. The alarm clock rattled me awake at 7:00am. I really wanted to get down to Santa Barbara in time to see the riders take off for Santa Clarita. I didn’t know my way around Santa Barbara so I pulled off on the first street I could find that went down to the coast. After pulling over a few more times to check the map, I finally found the start line.
Lesson #1: Get a GPS
Unfortunately, I had no cash for the parking lot at the beach. I ended up parking down a few blocks in an industrial area. It was quite a schlep back to the event. I don’t know why I was in such a rush; I didn’t need to be. The day’s race didn’t start for another 2 hours. I guess I was anxious because I had never been to a start line before and I didn’t know what to expect.
Lesson #2: Always have cash on you.
The start line was not as full of people as I had expected. I guessed that I would see more of a crowd at the finish later in the day. I got up close to the area called “autograph alley,” and waited for the event to begin. This is the spot in front of the main stage where the guys line up to sign in before the race. It’s a great place to see the riders up close and get autographs.
I started talking to one of the volunteers who was guarding the entry to the team bus parking area. He said I had a good spot for sure. He then told me that he was going to open up the fence to allow us all to walk around and talk to the riders, take pictures, and get autographs! Right on!
This was awesome. All of the colorful buses, team cars, and bikes were right there to see up close. Most of the teams sat in beach chairs next to their team cars, chatting and eating breakfast. I wish I knew all of those guys like I know them now. I would have talked to a lot more of them. I recognized most of the old timers like Bjarne Riis (team CSC owner and manager) and Tyler Hamilton, and made sure that I got their autographs. Tyler Hamilton was soooooo nice. He really went out of his way to talk to fans and promote his new team, Rock Racing. Although he was not allowed to race the ATOC, he was at every start and finish, passing out autographed posters and taking photos with fans. Very cool!
A group of about 20 of us stood behind the Astana bus for 15-20 minutes waiting for the team to come out. I wanted to see Chechu Rubiera and Levi Leipheimer in particular. I totally missed Chechu; he snuck by when we all chased Levi around the bus. Damn! Levi made a b-line for the start with a look of determination on his face. I did get the chance to stop Chris Horner and get an autograph. I congratulated him on his ITT ride the day before and wished him a good day. Yet another nice guy!
Just before they all took off I ran to the end of the rows of people so I could get photos of the guys as they rode by. The peloton was very laid back with a lot of joking going on. They followed the lead car until they were safely out of the center of town.
I briskly trekked back to my car and headed for Santa Clarita; taking the back route through Fillmore. I got to the finish line very early and was able to get a good spot next to the stage and finish line. Just like the day before, some very nice people camped out next me along the railing. I bought a 2nd, larger, cowbell from a vendor.
Yet again, I was one of very few people who had a banner or flag to display. I attached mine to the front of the fence as I had the day before and made myself comfortable. I still had about 3 hours to wait.
The crowd swelled and the excitement grew as the day rolled on. The commentators at the main stage kept us up to date on the latest roadside news. We all roared as we heard the first hint of the Versus helicopters in the distance. With that sound, we knew that the peloton was near. The action played out on the jumbo-tron across the street. Here they come. We were going to see a criterium/circuit type finish. The peloton was going to pass through the finish line a few times before the final sprint. We all got to witness a gnarly crash involving Mario Cipollini, Mark Cavendish, and Freddie Rodriguez. Freddie got the worst of it. His back wheel taco’d completely when he got back on his bike and put weight on it. Mark Cavendish ended up winning the final sprint but was disqualified for getting a pull from a team car after the crash. Dork!
I learned my lesson from the day before and stayed close to the stage. I was able to see Levi and the rest of the guys up close during the award ceremony. Very cool.
I then moseyed over to the parking lot where the buses were parked. I ran into a woman I saw the night before in Solvang. Her name is Judi and she was the only other person I saw with a banner with her. It said "Astana Rocks" and it was hanging from her backpack. We had fun representin'.
We chatted for a while then we both headed into the hotel to see what we could find. My Mom was very good at getting into places she wasn’t supposed be. I guess if you act like you are supposed to be there no one will bother you. I’m not very good at it. I guess I look too much like a kid in a candy store. Judi traipsed right into the hotel restaurant and started looking around. I stood out in the foyer like an idiot. Everyone in the restaurant looked to see what the hell I was doing and paid Judi no mind. As you will read later in Stage 7, Judi used the same technique to get something I desired very much.
Lesson #3: If you act like you know what you are doing, people will ignore you.
The start line was not as full of people as I had expected. I guessed that I would see more of a crowd at the finish later in the day. I got up close to the area called “autograph alley,” and waited for the event to begin. This is the spot in front of the main stage where the guys line up to sign in before the race. It’s a great place to see the riders up close and get autographs.
I started talking to one of the volunteers who was guarding the entry to the team bus parking area. He said I had a good spot for sure. He then told me that he was going to open up the fence to allow us all to walk around and talk to the riders, take pictures, and get autographs! Right on!
This was awesome. All of the colorful buses, team cars, and bikes were right there to see up close. Most of the teams sat in beach chairs next to their team cars, chatting and eating breakfast. I wish I knew all of those guys like I know them now. I would have talked to a lot more of them. I recognized most of the old timers like Bjarne Riis (team CSC owner and manager) and Tyler Hamilton, and made sure that I got their autographs. Tyler Hamilton was soooooo nice. He really went out of his way to talk to fans and promote his new team, Rock Racing. Although he was not allowed to race the ATOC, he was at every start and finish, passing out autographed posters and taking photos with fans. Very cool!
A group of about 20 of us stood behind the Astana bus for 15-20 minutes waiting for the team to come out. I wanted to see Chechu Rubiera and Levi Leipheimer in particular. I totally missed Chechu; he snuck by when we all chased Levi around the bus. Damn! Levi made a b-line for the start with a look of determination on his face. I did get the chance to stop Chris Horner and get an autograph. I congratulated him on his ITT ride the day before and wished him a good day. Yet another nice guy!
Just before they all took off I ran to the end of the rows of people so I could get photos of the guys as they rode by. The peloton was very laid back with a lot of joking going on. They followed the lead car until they were safely out of the center of town.I briskly trekked back to my car and headed for Santa Clarita; taking the back route through Fillmore. I got to the finish line very early and was able to get a good spot next to the stage and finish line. Just like the day before, some very nice people camped out next me along the railing. I bought a 2nd, larger, cowbell from a vendor.
Yet again, I was one of very few people who had a banner or flag to display. I attached mine to the front of the fence as I had the day before and made myself comfortable. I still had about 3 hours to wait.
The crowd swelled and the excitement grew as the day rolled on. The commentators at the main stage kept us up to date on the latest roadside news. We all roared as we heard the first hint of the Versus helicopters in the distance. With that sound, we knew that the peloton was near. The action played out on the jumbo-tron across the street. Here they come. We were going to see a criterium/circuit type finish. The peloton was going to pass through the finish line a few times before the final sprint. We all got to witness a gnarly crash involving Mario Cipollini, Mark Cavendish, and Freddie Rodriguez. Freddie got the worst of it. His back wheel taco’d completely when he got back on his bike and put weight on it. Mark Cavendish ended up winning the final sprint but was disqualified for getting a pull from a team car after the crash. Dork!
I learned my lesson from the day before and stayed close to the stage. I was able to see Levi and the rest of the guys up close during the award ceremony. Very cool.
I then moseyed over to the parking lot where the buses were parked. I ran into a woman I saw the night before in Solvang. Her name is Judi and she was the only other person I saw with a banner with her. It said "Astana Rocks" and it was hanging from her backpack. We had fun representin'.We chatted for a while then we both headed into the hotel to see what we could find. My Mom was very good at getting into places she wasn’t supposed be. I guess if you act like you are supposed to be there no one will bother you. I’m not very good at it. I guess I look too much like a kid in a candy store. Judi traipsed right into the hotel restaurant and started looking around. I stood out in the foyer like an idiot. Everyone in the restaurant looked to see what the hell I was doing and paid Judi no mind. As you will read later in Stage 7, Judi used the same technique to get something I desired very much.
Lesson #3: If you act like you know what you are doing, people will ignore you.
I watched Dominique Rollin (Toyota United) give an interview, then I managed to get his autograph. On my way back to my car I found Tyler Hamilton in the Rock Racing booth still signing autographs. Most of the other booths were already taken down and packed away. Amazing! I got a signed poster and went on my way. Yet another great end to a great day.