Tour of California Week, Part I

Like many other cycling fans, I’ve waited well over a year for the Tour of California to roll around again. The waiting was brutal. Now that it’s here, like any other fun event in a person’s life, it is passing us by much too quickly.

My experience this year with the race has been one of great anticipation and excitement. Although it all started weeks ago, the most memorable moments began when I decided to head up to the parental unit’s home outside of Sacramento to visit before catching the finish of stage 1 in Sacramento. I hauled Zippy along with me and we hit the American River Bike Trail (ARBT) for a relaxing afternoon spin.

When I ride in the city in which I currently reside (more or less against my will), I seldom see cyclists out. Even on really nice days, I can ride 40 km and not see a single rider. On the rare occasion that I do see someone else out on his or her trusty steed, I find that I get incredibly (well, stupidly) excited. However, when I ride the ARBT, the path is absolutely teeming with cyclists (and squirrels). Oddly enough, I think that even though I ride solo, seeing others out on the road/trail inspires me. It makes me a better rider. I have more endurance, drive, passion… I even smile when I ride, but nothing really prepared me for that day’s experience.

I’ve been having a tough time with my riding. Illnesses, poor weather conditions, and a busy work schedule have cut my riding time drastically. Optimism wasn’t part of my emotional range that day when I headed out. Thinking that perhaps I would get in about 15 km, I hit the trail at what wasn’t exactly a leisurely effort for me.

Soon I found out that I felt great, mind and body, despite putting in extra effort. The other riders out on the path, the beautiful weather, and the excitement of the Tour energized me. I could feel it in the air. About a third of the way into my ride, I looked down to check my computer. When I looked back up, I got an eyeful of argyle in time trial position coming at me from the opposite direction.

Yep, a Garmin-Transitions rider. More excitement to feed off… *pedal pedal*

At 20 km, I decided to turn around and head back as not to worry the parental unit. I stopped briefly and heard a noise in the brush on the side of the trail. Turning to look, I saw two deer grazing in the grass. While preparing to snap a shot with my phone, I was distracted once again by Mr. Argyle Armada heading back in the opposite direction. He had picked up a bit of an entourage at this point.

Yep, once again an exciting day, but I’m not sure it could compare to what was coming.

Oh, and I never did get a picture of those deer.

(And yes, as the title suggests, there are more parts to this story...)