We can safely say that I’m not a sporty girl. While I do ride my bicycle occasionally, I get winded after a couple of miles on a straight, flat surface.
That’s not to say I won’t get a vicarious thrill when I watch the Tour of California, which comes through Sonoma County on Sunday. Santa Rosa is hosting the finish line for Stage 1 of the race.
Last year, I was pressed up against a barrier as the pack neared the finish line. As riders whizzed by at what seemed like 50 mph, I had this urge to stick my arm out. That would have taken out the pack like a bunch of high-speed dominos. Luckily I refrained and all were safe to ride another day.
Sonoma County resident Levi Leipheimer, who captured the Tour’s overall win in both 2007 and 2008, convinced his Team Astana teammates to come here for their final few weeks of training. And the buzz and excitement is surrounding teammate Lance Armstrong’s return to professional cycling.
We’ve been following the team’s training around Sonoma County. (OK, so stalking may be a better word.) Cell phone photos zoom around the county and beyond as people happen upon the team and their training rides. It’s been enthralling.
It won’t be just hot action from the men on Sunday. The Amgen Tour of California Women’s Criterium will bring the excitement of women’s racing in the hours before the men’s finish in downtown Santa Rosa. Using portions of the men’s finish circuit — including the finish area — this race promises to be an exciting event for racers and fans alike.
So, you’re a bike fan and you haven’t made the leap to professional racing. You can still enjoy Sonoma County’s hot biking action. Bicycle.com sent a team to showcase the area. Take a look at the video at http://video.bicycling.com/video/GPS-Video-Ride-Guide-Tour-of-C-2.
The largest cycling event in America, the 2009 Amgen Tour of California is a Tour de France-style cycling road race presented by AEG that challenges the world’s top professional cycling teams to compete along a demanding, recently expanded, 750-mile course from Sacramento to Escondido from Feb. 14-22. For more information, visit www.amgentourofcalifornia.com.
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One CommentOther riders to watch at this year’s tour are Floyd Landis returning with a new team, Ouch-Maxxis, Christian Vande Velde and David Zabriskie (Garmin-Slipstream) Ivan Basso (Liquigas), Michael Rogers, Kim Kirchen, Mark Cavendish and George Hincapie (Team Columbia-High Road), Carlos Sastre, Thor Hushovd, and Dominique Rollin (Cervelo Test Team), Oscar Freire and Robert Gesink (Rabobank), Juan Jose Haedo (Saxo Bank), Tom Boonen (Quick Step), Frank and Andy Schleck, Jens Voigt and Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank), and Scott Nydam (BMC), who lives in Santa Rosa and often trains with Levi Leipheimer.
Read more about the Amgen Tour of California: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/section/topics05