Philly, Baby!

After an overnight train from Iminhell through Killmenow, I finally arrived in Philly around lunchtime on Friday.  Having gotten no sleep on the train (not an exaggeration in the least), I played the “stay awake” game that I know well from trips overseas.  Since I wasn’t there just to see the Philadelphia International Championships, I had a list of things that I insisted on seeing and doing so the rest of Friday and all of Saturday was filled with touristy things.

One of the things I noticed Friday evening was that I had chosen a pretty good hotel.  Not good as in nice (it was a dump!), but good in the sense that it was located in awesome proximity to the race route.  Enough so that four teams, Bissell, Jelly Belly, Team Type 1, and Pure Black Racing, were also staying in the same hotel.  In fact, I was hallmates with Bissell and rather horrified when they kept me up all night vacuuming every surface possible.

Saturday night, I finally got to meet Hélène, a tweep visiting from Canada for the race and covering it for a Canadian cycling website.  We go way back to my early days on Twitter and it was exciting finally to get to meet her.  We had a nice dinner at an Italian place (I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!) and met up briefly at the race the following day.

The Philadelphia International Championships is a race unlike any I’ve ever been to before.  Because of the set up, unless you’re a VIP, you’ll never have a good view of the riders signing in (or of the finish for that matter).  I was okay with that and headed over to Logan Square (which is actually a roundabout and not a square at all) to shoot the first laps of the race. 

Juraj Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale), Tom Zirbel (Jamis-Sutter Home), and Eric Young (Bissell)

It was there that I met Scott, another tweep that I’ve acquired in the last couple of weeks (or months?).  Scott was also photographing the race so we hung out and he showed me some great places to get shots.

One such place was the feedzone where we ended up being given access to an area that was off limits to spectators.  While I’d love to think we looked official, especially since I was wearing Ted King’s socks, I think this was simply an oversight by race security, so I’m not going to complain.  While in the feedzone, we received the unfortunate news that Ted, sporting lucky #13 that day, had crashed out.  Stupid storm grate!  Boo!

My feedzone view for part of the race, sporting Ted King's socks!

United Healthcare, HTC-Highroad, and Liquigas-Cannondale speed through the feedzone

We eventually made our way up to Lemon Hill (no Manuyunk since it was too far to walk) and I was shocked to find a party.  There were vendors, people having picnics, and just a lot of fun.  As the racers approached, everyone would get up, move to the barriers, cheer their hearts out, and then return to their blankets spread out on the grassy hill after the last of the peloton raced by.

Francisco Mancebo (Realcyclist.com) chases Frank Pipp (Bissell) up Lemon Hill while the crowd cheers

As the last of the large laps ended, I headed back down to the finish line hoping to catch some action.  I wasn’t lucky in the photo department, but I did find a location from which I could actually see the sprint finish.  The guys flew by in those last laps at a speed so great that you could feel it. 

I was fairly lucky to get a good spot for the podium presentations, although Peter Sagan was a little uncooperative by holding his Liberty Bell trophy right in front of his crotch. Oh, and in case you're wondering, Peter didn't throw me his flowers this time around, but that doesn't mean I didn't try to get his attention.  Where has all of the love gone, Peter?!

Not the best position for that bell, dear Peter!

Alex Rasmussen (HTC-Columbia) was all smiles after taking the win

I would like to thank the Bissell crew member who gifted me with a couple of water bottles upon my return to the hotel.  Yes, apparently I am that awesome of a hallmate after all.  Or maybe he was trying to thank me for not complaining to hotel staff about all of the noise the team made while demonstrating the prowess of the Bissell Healthy Home Vacuum in the hotel hallway in the middle of the night.

Overall, it was a great race to experience.  And no, I haven't forgotten all about the Liberty Classic... that's a blog post for another day!

Huge thanks to Scott for showing me around the course and advising me on where to find my Mennonite soft pretzels (although Beiler’s Bakery was closed!).  Much like Saul spoiling me for life in the coffee department, the fine folks at Miller’s Twist in Reading Terminal Market have spoiled me in regards to pretzels.  Aside from pretzels, if you ever find yourself in Philly, you may want to check out The Belgian Cafe (a few blocks from the Philadelphia Museum of Art) and enjoy a sandwich Merckx style.  No joke!  Unfortunately, they didn't have waffles and spekuloos on their dinner menu.

Writer's note: I'm totally lying about Bissell being loud.  They were perfectly polite hallmates.

Where to Start?

I’m so overwhelmed by the last couple of weeks that I don’t even know where to begin.  Logic tells me to rehash the good stuff in chronological order, but even then, I know there’s enough material for a few blog entries.  Yes, my vacation was that exciting.

I started off in Greenville, SC.  Well, not really, I started at home, but my first real destination was Greenville for USPro.  I’ve never been and since they moved the event to the first weekend of vacation, it only seemed appropriate that I make the cross-country flight out to South Carolina to see the race.

Yes, completely reasonable to fly several thousand miles to watch a bike race.  Nothing strange about that at all.

I was greeted at the airport by D’Andrea and Anita.  I’d never met Anita before, but I’ve met D’Andrea a couple of times.  Despite this, I feel like I’ve known both them forever.  It’s amazing the bonds people can form over social media and a shared love of bike racing and argyle.  Upon arrival at the hotel, I was greeted by even more people, there was alcohol involved, laughter, fun, and then some much needed sleep.

Sunday started with the South Carolina State Road Race.  Actually, that’s not true, it really started with a somewhat awkward conversation with Davis and Taylor Phinney in the hotel restaurant about a butt pillow that was given to BMC’s Chris Butler by a Diva, but I digress.

During my first full day in the South, I was floored by good old fashioned Southern hospitality when the owner of the home in front of which we set up camp at the state road race, graciously offered us the use of his bathroom throughout the day.  Really… how cool is that?  And yes, we did take him up on his offer on numerous occasions.  

The real party started Sunday evening.  It involved chalk, a rather large group of cycling fans, and Paris Mountain.  I was there to cheer on my NorCal guys so some riders who normally wouldn’t find much support so far from home got some customized art up on the hill.  Of course, photos were taken, pics were tweeted, riders were thrilled, and lives were changed forever.  Okay, maybe that last part is a bit of a stretch, but you never know.

For Max Jenkins and Chris Jones of United Healthcare 

Paul Mach and Andy Jacques-Maynes of Bissell, but I couldn't forget Ted King even though he doesn't live in NorCal, he does occasionally train here

Monday, of course was the big day - my first national championship.  After properly meeting Davis Phinney that morning and gushing ever so subtly about how much I was enjoying his book (more on that in a later blog), we headed downtown to set up for the race.

Early on, my friend, Dan, directed me to where the riders would be signing in and I would be able to get some great photos, and if I do say so myself, there was mucho success.  I went out of my way to personally wish my NorCal guys luck, by name, and got quite a few bright smiles of surprise.  Or maybe it was fear when they realized they recognized me from local NorCal races and they worried that they were being stalked.  I may never know…

Taylor Phinney seemed relaxed after a less than pleasing time trial on Saturday

One of my favorite shots - Tejay van Garderen leading a group into a turn

(Long sentence alert!)  Toward the end of the race, after a long day screaming for Ted King who coincidentally made the late break to eventually finish third overall (which we all know is the best), thanks in part, I’m sure, to my screaming, Becky’s hand knit socks, and JTKatz’s jar of Spekuloos, I was handed a press pass and practically thrown onto the course with the legitimate photographers (deep breath!).  Again, it’s that Southern hospitality rearing it’s oh so pretty head.

Because of that borrowed press pass, I was able to get shots like these:

The sprint and photo finish between George Hincapie and Matthew Busche

Ted King was thrilled with finishing on the podium... very excited for him! 

Matthew Busche was interviewed on stage as Ted King and George Hincapie shared a few comments

Going to USPro was an incredible experience and I was constantly reminded about how cool it was that an American was guaranteed to win.  What I saw of Greenville and South Carolina was beautiful even though I nearly became a puddle in the heat, which wasn’t that bad until you factored in the humidity. 

My vacation had gotten off to a most excellent beginning.

The rest of my photos can be seen here: Sign in and call ups; race and podium.

And So it Begins…

Two states down and one race viewed.  This last week marked my third year of viewing the Amgen Tour of California and while stage 1 turned out to be a complete bust, I had a great time making the glacially paced trek up to South Lake Tahoe from my parents’ house outside of Sacramento by way of Donner Summit.

Because the stage was originally postponed, I had plenty of time to relax once I finally arrived at MontBleu around 9:30 AM (I left at 4:30 AM).  The lobby was abuzz with riders and staff taking advantage of the extra time they’d been gifted by the snowstorm dumping inches upon inches of the white stuff on the race route.  I’d just traveled along said route and it was obvious during my drive that if the race were to continue under those conditions, then they were all nuts.

At around noon, I was given word that unofficially the race would begin at 1:15 PM and rider sign in would begin shortly.  I headed out to the start, bundled up in many layers of warm winter clothing that have never seen the month of May, and waited in the storm for the excitement to begin.

Jonathan Vaughters of Garmin-Cervélo with rider Linus Gerdemann of Leopard Trek and Brian Nygaard making a case for rider safety to Andrew Messick.

Of course, we all know how that worked out.  After all of the riders were signed in and a local high school choir sang the national anthem, the race was officially cancelled at 1:15 PM.  At least that gave me a good hour of photographing the guys!

Will Dugan of Team Type 1 was muy frio at the starting line.

Turns out that cancelling was a brilliant idea, as this is what highway 89 looked like when I made my way home.

Hwy 89 when I stopped to put the cables on my tires.

Tuesday was another run of the mill day here in town for when there is a major international bike race hitting the local avenues.  As history would lead us to believe, we were in for another rainy day.  Modesto has hosted the Tour of California four times now and each day was a rainy one.  While the roads were dry for the circuit finish, the storm slowed the arrival and made for my wait downtown a long one. 

Eventually the guys arrived, whizzed by at a high speed, and the stage ended.  I immediately headed over to the team bus parking to track down Burke Swindlehurst so I could finally say “Hi” after missing Merco this year.  It was nice actually tracking him down this time around.

I also ran into this guy... some dude named Thor Hushovd who measures his own saddle position.

When the day was done, I headed home to my dry apartment in the ghetto.

Next weekend I’ll be hitting Greenville for USPros and hope to get many great shots of the race, but it’ll be a while before I get a chance to share them.  I’m very much looking forward to my first real vacation since 2000 and meeting up with some new friends.

The rest of my photos can be seen here:  Stage 1 - Lake Tahoe; Stage 3 - Modesto

Getting There

Friday marked five weeks since my accident. Alternatively, if you prefer, Monday, April 4, marked one month since the brain injury.

Over those five weeks, there were times when I honestly thought I’d reached my peak and would never feel like myself again. Interspersed were days when I felt pretty darn good. Most days I just dealt with whatever it was that happened to be bothering me that day, whether it was a headache, vertigo, virtually no concentration, or being excessively agitated. (Then there is the whole issue with numbers persistently tripping me up. I consistently invert numbers when I write them down, which isn’t great for work when trying to assign a page to students, but at least I’m aware that I do it now and my students are always more than elated to correct me.)

Perturbed by feeling so pissed off and sorry for myself all the time, I decided that at four weeks I was going to kick my brain injury’s butt. I also decided to give it a one-week grace period because late assignments should be accepted in a situation such as this. It was determined that at the five-week mark I’d get back onto the saddle. I stuck to this and showed my brain injury who was really in charge with a short ride on Dry Creek Trail. Of course, my road bike is still out of commission so my bike of choice was my Trek mountain bike, which saw dirt for the first time in nearly two years.

Having been advised to not ride alone when I was ready for my comeback (yeah, I’m calling it that), Chris was kind enough to meet me after work despite battling her own knee injury. I survived the ride and had only a couple of nervous moments.

Men's Pro/1/2 at the Turlock Lake Road Race

Saturday was a bit more unremarkable than Friday, but it was also my first day back behind the camera lens at a race. Thanks to Chris’s connections, we enjoyed full access to the course. We had a good time and snagged some good shots of the riders, but the day wasn’t all fun and games.

Unfortunately, a crash took out a couple of the women in the pro/1/2/3 group. They were taken by life flight to a nearby hospital with severe head injuries. I can’t help but worry about their condition even though I don’t know who they were. Five weeks ago, that was me, minus the helicopters, remote location, and actual element of racing. My thoughts go out to the women injured and hope they have a full and speedy recovery.

Now, back to me, since this is about me anyhow, I’m happy to report that I’m definitely feeling better even though my symptoms haven’t completely disappeared. I’m feeling confident enough to ride despite some pretty major skull discomfort wearing a helmet and look forward to hitting the road more often in the coming weeks.

See you out there! (Or some of you at least!)

Greetings from Belgium!

Well, not really. I’m still in Northern California, but with the rain we’ve been getting, it might as well be Belgium. As a result, very little riding has taken place since Levi’s GranFondo in October. The weather isn’t the only reason, but it would qualify as the main reason.

Fortunately, it’s also cyclocross season. Rain would normally put a damper on riding, but if you race cyclocross or enjoying watching it, rain increases the enjoyment (maybe just from a spectator’s viewpoint). Since Levi’s GranFondo, I’ve photographed four cyclocross races (three were part of the Sacramento Cyclocross series and the Halloween Surf City Cyclocross in Santa Cruz). Some of the work resulted in photos that I’m quite pleased with, but keep in mind that I can easily take 800 shots at one race over the course of a couple of hours. You’ll find a few of my favorites below.

Sacramento Cyclocross in Ione on October 24, 2010

Cody Kaiser of Cal Giant tackles the barriers at Surf City Cyclocross #1 on October 31, 2010.

Alex Candelario of Kelly Benefit/World Bicycle Relief powers up a levee at Sacramento Cyclocross in Acampo on November 21, 2010

Max Jenkins of United Healthcare got a little muddy at Sacramento Cyclocross #6 in Acampo on December 18, 2010.

Aside from photography and not riding, life has been consumed with work and dealing with the loss of a dear family member after a long battle with cancer. She was one of my first supporters for the LIVESTRONG Challenge in 2009 and I rode in her honor in 2010. I’ll be riding in her memory in 2011 when the LIVESTRONG Challenge moves to Davis, California. I’m looking forward to challenging myself with my first metric century (65 miles). However, I know that this challenge is nothing compared to what those fighting cancer are going through, like my friend Connie and her husband James who are both fighting for their lives and inspiring me every single day to try to make a difference, one pedal stroke at a time.

As the year comes to an end and I’m forced to look back at the goals I set for myself I have a crashing sense of failure because I feel like I’ve made very little progress. Then I tell myself that everything I listed in this blog as a goal for 2010 actually happened, with the exception of riding the Delta Century, which I forgot about due to very little training time in April and May.

So what have I accomplished?
• I photographed something around 12 difference races including, but not limited to, two stages of the Amgen Tour of California, the Merco Cycling Classic, Copperopolis Road Race, and the Nevada City Classic.
• I photographed George Hincapie at the Breakaway Ride and had the photos used on Bike Radar.
• I had a photo of Burke Swindlehurst from the Nevada City Classic published in the Bend Bulletin.
• I photographed and rode with Chris Horner… I also found out that he lives up to his reputation of being a really nice guy.
• I commuted by bike to a summer job, 9 miles one way. I commuted once to my full time teaching job during a teacher prep day, 17 miles one way. Yes, it was only once, but at least I tried it.
• I completed my longest ride ever, just over 50 miles at the LIVESTRONG Challenge.
• I had another go at Levi’s GranFondo and didn’t die, though Levi told me I looked like crap afterward and once again, Dylan Casey dropped me.
• And the best of my accomplishments… I made new friends, including a riding buddy that lives close enough for frequent rides.

Maybe 2010 wasn’t so bad after all, even if I am going out with a fizzle.

Now I’m looking forward to 2011 and starting to set new goals. I’m reminded of an interview about weight loss that I recently caught on TV. The expert being interviewed suggested that a person train for something. Don’t just decide to start jogging, but actually train for an event because it gives you a sense of purpose. I like to consider myself as being a fairly intelligent woman, but it was still good to hear that I’m already doing what the experts suggest. Last year my main goal was to train for the LIVESTRONG Challenge and Levi’s GranFondo. Those are still part of my goals for next year, but I’m upping the stakes a little bit.

Riding goals:
• July – LIVESTRONG Challenge, Davis, 65-mile route.
• August – Ride for a Reason, Folsom, ride until I’m tired. (For the Davis Phinney Foundation)
• October – Levi’s GranFondo… MEDIO route. Yes, that’s right, I’m upping the ante a bit and attempting to double my distance and get over my fear of Coleman Valley Road.

I’m saving the best for last. This is something that I’ve put a lot of thought into over the last few weeks. I’ve never thought it was something I was interested in trying, but as I’m starting to conquer longer distance riding, I think I might be ready to conquer higher intensity riding. Is my logic sound here or am I just dreaming?
• By January of 2012… join the LBS club, purchase a USA Cycling license and be ready to race… first up, Snelling Road Race (assuming it’s still around in 2012).

Photography goals:
• Continue photographing local races with hopes of being published.
• Photograph several stages of the Amgen Tour of California.
• Photograph USPros in Greenville, South Carolina in May.

I think I’m looking forward to 2011.

Cows and More Cows

Lately, I’ve been feeling a bit desperate for a new route to ride. The options are quite limited here if I expect to have decent pavement and a safe road. I’m not normally one to drive to a new location to ride, but since my summer break is coming to an end, I seized the day and drove out to Knight’s Ferry.

Mistake 1: I wasn’t feeling well that morning. It was a little breezy and my asthma was acting up. While Orange Blossom road doesn’t offer any real climbs, there are rolling hills and any type of hill can cause an issue when you can’t breathe and you left your inhaler at home.

Mistake 2: I could have parked on the Oakdale side of Orange Blossom and ridden the other direction into Knight’s Ferry, shaving off driving time and therefore reducing my irritation level by the time I arrived.

While the ride was more or less a bust, I’m looking at it as yet another learning experience. I’ll be back when I have improved my riding abilities and I’m feeling better.

Mooooo!

On my return from Knight’s Ferry, I took East River Road back into Modesto from Oakdale. This turned out to be a brilliant idea. Not because anything spectacular happened, but I realized that this road is perfect for riding. There are few cars on the road, most of it is wide with bike lanes, and cyclists frequent the route. Yes, I ride it all of the time. I just don’t usually ride this section of the road. That is, until last weekend.

It was a typically beautiful Saturday morning and I hit the road early to beat the heat. I didn’t really have any idea how far I would ride, but that’s the brilliance of an out and back ride. I ride until I’m tired, but not so tired I can’t continue, and then turn around. Before I knew it, I was in Oakdale, 25 km from home. After a brief stop for a snack (and to talk to cows), I turned around and headed home.

Looking out over the Stanislaus River

This guy came over and sniffed my saddle when I leaned my bike against the fence

Weee!

I saw many other cyclists out (only one other woman this time), most of which were friendly enough to wave. Once I was back into the city, a rider pulled up next to me at a stop light and we actually had a conversation about our rides for the day as we rode the next kilometer or so. That’s the kind of behavior that fosters a community of like-minded people. It’s funny how the little things can make or break your day.

In completely unrelated ride news... look what photo was in the Bend Bulletin a couple of weeks ago!
Cyclist is a Cascade veteran

In the Mother Lode with a "T-Bird" and an "Arrogant Bastard"

There are very few times where my photography hobby has left me with a product that I feel truly proud of. Sure, there have been shots I love and others have said they liked, but honestly, nothing that stands out as that special, once in a lifetime, shot.

A week ago, when trying to take a picture of a knitting project, I realized that one of my camera lenses wasn’t working properly. It appeared to be jammed and wouldn’t focus. Against my better judgment, I forced it to move and it started working, although the function was limited. Heartbroken and near tears, I began researching replacement lenses online. The Nevada City Bicycle Classic was fast approaching and my favorite lens, the one I had every intention of using for nearly every shot, wasn’t performing up to standard. There was no possible way of replacing the lens in time for the race. Of course, this wasn’t going to prevent me from going and enjoying myself.

Without the “Lance Armstrong Economic Stimulus Package” hitting the tiny mother lode town of Nevada City for a second year in a row, I was able to take my time getting up there and not worry about crowds. I enjoyed a nice 30 mile bike ride with a friend on the American River Bike Trail in the morning before cleaning up at my parents’ house and making the drive deep into the foothills.

I wasn’t expecting much from the day being that my camera was being obstinate. The initial plan was simply to cheer my little heart out for Burke Swindlehurst and enjoy the day with my parents. We arrived with plenty of time to spare and plenty of time for me to play with my camera at different locations to decide where I could get the best shots and if my camera was going to be cooperative.

Much to my joy, my camera behaved appropriately, which is more than I can say for some of the spectators. More on that later.

As I was photographing the men’s Cat 3 race, a man rode by me on his bike. I looked up and noticed immediately that he was on a Cannondale (yes, I often notice the bike first and I know I’m not the only one!) and bared a striking resemblance to a certain cyclist known as a liar, cheat, and fraud. I wondered why Floyd Landis would show up at the Nevada City Classic given the current situation and the fact that he’s more or less ostracized by the cycling community. I shook it off and thought it was unfortunate that this guy looked a bit like him then went back to shooting photos.

Before the men’s Pro/1/2 group lined up at the start/finish line, I made my way to the area so I could photograph the call ups.

As the men lined up, I started shooting, first photos of Burke, moving on to Paul Mach, and each racer as they were introduced. I was astonished when they started introducing a certain rider from Murieta, California, and I knew immediately when the announcer said the rider was originally from Pennsylvania that it was indeed Mr. Floyd Landis. Because he is no longer associated with a team, Landis demonstrated his somewhat ironic sense of humor by sporting a jersey for Arrogant Bastard Ale. Unfortunately, the crowd didn’t care for the fact that Landis was there to race and he was greeted by a raucous round of boos and jeers from the spectators. I don’t care what he did, that’s just rude. The rudeness carried over to the race as people were shouting things at him that I don’t care to repeat.

Floyd Landis and his Arrogant Bastard Ale jersey

As the race started and continued on for the next 90 minutes, I moved to various locations and attempted to capture a few good shots. I changed camera lenses, stood up, laid on the ground – anything that would result in an interesting perspective or a special photo.

I guess I got lucky – I managed to score that once in a lifetime shot.

Burke Swindlehurst of Team Give p/b Blackbottoms

Unfortunately, Burke wasn’t as lucky. He attacked several times during the race, a break got away, he attacked again, and then finally made it off solo.

Nobody came along for the ride this time

Racing hard, he held on until the last few laps when he was caught at first by Paul Mach, then by Ian Boswell, Zachary Davies, and Floyd Landis.  All of these men were part of the original break.

Paul Mach joins Burke Swindlehurst with Floyd Landis, Ian Boswell, and Zachary Davies in hot pursuit

Now personally, I’ve never ridden this course, but I can say with absolute certainty that it’s hard. Brutally hard (or perhaps Giro-hard if you're Ted King... okay, maybe not that hard). It’s not a traditional crit and includes a lot of steep climbing over the 1.1 mile course. If you put in as much effort as it appeared Burke did, while riding solo at the front, eventually the chase group will catch up if they can work together, which they did. Ian Boswell took the win followed by Paul Mach, Zachary Davies, Floyd Landis, and then Burke.

Winner, Winner!! Ian Boswell and Paul Mach of Bissell

Regardless of the outcome of the race, it turned out to be an amazing day and I finally had the chance to meet Burke who was courteous even though I really had no idea what to say to him. Yeah, I’m awkward in social situations with strangers, but I’m also a woman of my word. I’d said I would introduce myself to him at the race if the opportunity presented itself. Besides, I knew I’d never hear the end of it from D’Andrea if I didn’t at least say hi to him.

More photos from the 50th edition of the Nevada City Classic can be found here.

Tour of California Week, Part IV: Memorable Modesto

Tour of California Week, Part I
Tour of California Week, Part II
Tour of California Week, Part III

I can’t remember the last time I received flowers from a man. Oh wait, yes I can… it was 1995.  Not that this qualifies as the same thing, but I'll take these as a gift anyhow.

Hope I don't have to wait another fifteen years...

The day started out gorgeous and I found myself thinking at one point that with the move to May the riders would complain about the heat. My opinions on this matter quickly changed as a high cloud cover began to roll in. Over a couple of hours, the cover became thicker. By the time the race was showing on the screen, the temperature had dropped noticeably and a few drops of rain had started to fall. I’d spent all day in the sun, sitting on a corner in direct sight of the finish line, to be rained on. Obviously not ideal, especially if you’re trying to get pictures. Luckily, the rain stopped and the roads started to dry before the peloton reached downtown.

As the riders flew by, I snapped photo after photo just as I did for the first stage. However, the lens I was using wasn’t as cooperative when the riders came around the corner. Life isn’t Burger King; I can’t have it my way, but this didn’t stop me from trying and cheering my heart out.

Cervelo leading into the first turn of the circuit, Levi Leipheimer and Dave Zabriskie staying up front

The real action came after the race.

See, the corner I situated myself on turned out to be golden. Once the riders plowed through the finish, they came down to the corner and stopped to turn around and return to either the podium or their team buses. I caught interactions between soigneurs and their riders, teammates, and even riders from different teams.

Jens Voigt (Saxo Bank) congratulates Francesco Chicchi (Liquigas) on his win

My favorite moment came when I noticed Mark Cavendish pedaling slowly back towards me with a soigneur’s arm around his shoulder. The soigneur was leaning in closely, speaking to Cav in a very intimate manner. Neither of them was smiling and I realized that Cav was being consoled.

Mark Cavendish and his look of pain, suffering, and extreme disappointment

I was able to capture a few choice moments of congratulations and comfort from my vantage point and I honestly didn’t think things would get any better. After a few minutes, a course marshal approached and removed the barrier that was keeping spectators off the course. I asked if I could go through and pointed down the street to the finish line and was allowed to do so.

As I made my way down the street, I started getting the distinct feeling that I didn’t belong there. Trying to look as confident as possible with my camera in hand and Garmin-Transitions inspired messenger bag over my shoulder, I briskly approached the podium area. I was the only fan there, but nobody stopped me so I made myself comfortable.

Again, I struck gold. Dave Zabriskie was already on stage waiting to be presented with the leader’s jersey, something I missed in Sacramento. By the time the presentation began, many fans had filled in the gaping hole behind me. I just did my thing and enjoyed the moment. As each rider was presented with his jersey, he tossed his bouquet into the crowd. My first thought was, “I want DZ’s flowers!” Guess I missed the boat on that one. Each rider was throwing his flowers about five feet to my left. Oh well.

Dave Zabriskie (Garmin-Transitions) is golden

Eventually, Peter Sagan of Liquigas was brought on stage and presented with the jersey for Best Young Rider. After he received his kisses from the podium hostesses, he did a quick scan of the crowd. I don’t know what made me do it, but I raised my hand and waved. Imagine my surprise when he actually threw his flowers to me. The woman next to me reached in front of me to make a grab for them and we had a little scuffle, laughing. “We’re like bridesmaids at a wedding!” We ended up splitting the flowers, which was nice of her since he threw them to me in the first place.

Peter Sagan (Liquigas) receives the Best Young Rider jersey

I immediately tweeted, “I just got Liquigas Best Young Rider’s flowers.” (I was too excited to try to type an exclamation point, possibly kinda maybe shaking a little bit.  In fact, I don't recall using an apostrophe either.)

Totally gratuitous photo of Lars Boom because he's beautiful and has a cool name

When the presentation was over, I turned to leave and was stopped by a woman who asked, “Are you Michelle?” She held up her Blackberry and showed me the tweet I’d made about Sagan’s flowers. Turns out she was one of my tweeps, Jen (@jenfairfax), who was working as a course marshal for the Tour and is every bit as awesome in person. We got to talking and ended up sending D’Andrea a text to meet in the hotel bar for drinks.  D'Andrea brought me a Tour of California shirt... thanks!

Of course, the excitement didn’t stop there because Jen let me hold Jens Voigt’s water bottle that she picked up the previous day. The thing still had liquid in it!

My street cred went up about 17.38% because I held Jens Voigt's bottle

Yeah, I’d say it was a pretty exciting tour and I most certainly have fond memories and connections now.  I can't wait until next year!

Tour of California Week, Part III: Let the Race Begin!

Tour of California Week, Part I
Tour of California Week, Part II

Having found a comfortable spot on the corner to watch the race, I waited patiently for the coverage to begin on the screen that was across the street. When 2:00 PM rolled around, we had no video and there was no sound. Desperately wanting to know what was going on, I called my parents to ask. My mom wasn’t much help. Luckily, a man sharing the corner used his fancy phone to look up what was going on in the race. (I could have done that had Verizon gotten my fancy new Palm Pre Plus working, but no such luck after a week of trying.) I was excited to hear that Paul Mach was in the break.

Shortly before 3:00, we still had no video and little idea what was going on, but I did get to watch Kathleen King (@bikechik) create one of her fabulous bike scribbles.

Happily, shortly after 3:00, the video started working, but we still had no sound. No use worrying about it. The boys rolled in at about 3:45 to complete a few laps of the circuit before the big finish. On the ground with my camera poised, they flew passed. Kelly Benefit leading the charge followed closely by the HTC-Columbia train.

HTC-Columbia setting up Mark Cavendish for the win

With my finger pressed to the shutter release, my camera fired off photo after photo, working exactly as it should have been.

Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner of Team RadioShack

After Cavendish took the stage win, most of the riders made there way by again. I was able to get some additional shots at this time when the action slowed down. Turns out some of my favorites were in that group.

Chris Butler of BMC Racing... one of my favorite shots for the day

A hairier than usual Andy Jacques-Maynes of Bissell

When the riders had cleared the course, I headed down the block and a half to the podium to try to get a few shots of the presentations. This was the first time I ever bothered to do this. While I missed the presentation of the “gold” jersey to Cavendish, I did catch the King of the Mountains presentation to Paul Mach. He had many supporters in the crowd that day and it seemed to be a truly proud moment.

Paul Mach would start stage 2 in Davis (where he calls home) sporting a fancy red jersey

At the conclusion of the podium presentations, it was time to hunt down D’Andrea (@deedee315) who would be the first of several “tweeps” I’d meet during the course of the week ahead. We joined up with Martha Van (@marthavan of Action Wipes fame), whom I’d actually met briefly before at Levi’s GranFondo and headed to get some drinks. They are both absolute sweethearts and I enjoyed a relaxing evening with the ladies before being forced to head back to the parental unit’s home to pick up my car and bike and make the long drive home.

Additional stage 1 photos from Sacramento here and here (Lifestyle Festival, including some serious bike porn).
 
Hmm... I think I might finally be getting the hang of this photography thing.
 
Next up: Tour of California Week, Part IV: Memorable Modesto

Tour of California Week, Part II: Sacramento Grand Prix

Tour of California Week, Part I

Last Sunday morning started just like any other morning when I wake up at the parent unit’s home – with an achy body from the air mattress deflating overnight. That wasn’t going to stop me from taking care of what I was there to do. Photograph and enjoy the stage 1 finish of the 2010 Amgen Tour of California.  First, there was the matter of the first ever Sacramento Grand Prix that needed to be addressed.

The morning got off to a chilly start when I arrived downtown at about 10:30 AM. The crowd was already buzzing and the Lifestyle Festival was more or less already set up. I spent some time checking out a few of the booths, photographed some of the bikes, and although I had already chosen a location for photographing the race, I checked out my options.

The Sacramento Grand Prix was also being held that morning so I was able to walk around the course and actually get some photos before the big guns flew into the city.

The men’s race was fun to watch with quite a large field of some stellar regional talent. Yahoo! Cycling, Webcor, Metromint, Adageo Energy, and Cal Giant were all well represented. The start list also included a small handful of riders from Ouch-Bahati, but as far as I’m aware, they didn’t show up. Floyd Landis wasn’t one of those scheduled to race, but I can’t help thinking that their absence was due to the shitstorm that was about to hit midweek.

I furiously tweeted the race and tried to get the best shots possible in preparation for the afternoon.

Tim Farnham (@NorCalBikerBoy) of Adageo Energy

I believe each team took a turn pulling at the front. In the end, Justin Williams of Trek-LIVESTRONG took the win. I’m cool with that. Justin seems like a good kid and I was happy to see him race well after witnessing the difficult time he had at the Merco Road Race.

Justin Williams of Trek-LIVESTRONG (center)

The women’s race didn’t boast of as large of a field, but there was some extraordinary talent racing. Tibco, Team Type 1, Peanut Butter & Co/TWENTY 12, Vanderkitten, Vera Bradley Foundation, and even HTC-Columbia were represented.

Women's field flying down 9th St. with the capitol building in the background

In the end, 17 year old Coryn Rivera of Peanut Butter & Co/TWENTY 12 (and a Bike Pure rider!) won the women’s event. A huge score for such a young rider.

Women's podium

Once the Sacramento Grand Prix wrapped up, it was time to take one last break before planting my butt on my corner and wait.

Up next: Tour of California Week, Part III: Let the Race Begin!