Day 7 continued

Wow, finally getting some time to post more. By now, everyone knows how the race ended, so I will skip the obvious and continue on from the last post where we were setting up.

Our riders were spread out for start times by over an hour, due to their overall standings in the GC. The truck and RV got there early on order to set up, which means hurry up and wait for the riders to arrive and get ready. My biggest challenge was trying to keep the RV cool... as you may recall we blew up the generator a few days back, so I was on the hunt for shore power. I was trying to sponge off of a box close by, but every time that I plugged in and started the AC, I would pop the main breaker and take out about 6 merchants' power, which they really didn't appreciate. We finally had them run us a separate line, which did the trick.

Levi flew in his personal coach whose name I can't remember to prep him and ride in the car during the time trial. They wanted me to be at the first timing station and get splits for the riders that we were most concerned about - Kloden, Teejay and Christian. They also wanted Finney's split time, because he had already gone and completely torn up the track.

Of course, they only knew where the timing station was from the perspective of driving around the track, so they decided that I should jump in the chase car with them and follow Peter Velits as he raced... they would stop quickly at the timing station and drop me off. So, I got to ride in the chase car while Peter raced, which was pretty darn cool.

For the record, Phinney's split time was 8:38, Teejay 9:00 and Christian 9:00. Levi went through at 9:09, so we pretty well knew right then that he wasn't going to be able to retain the overall yellow jersey as he only had 9 seconds to work with. The final time showed Levi losing 33 seconds to Christian, which of course knocked him down to 3rd in the GC. The good news was Peter finished 4th overall, very respectable for a young and upcoming rider.

Lot's of work to do after the race. Bernard C acted as Levi's escort for the next couple of hours while he dit the podium and press tour, while the rest of us packed up and headed for the hotel. One hiccup was that the truck left before me, with my keys, so they had to come back and that cost us an hour which sucked.

Back at the hotel, it was time to dismantle and pack everything, and give back the RV and the cars. We also had over a dozen bikes to dismantle and pack, along with probably 40 wheels, tools, helmets, and on and on.

When Levi got back to the hotel, he made a point of coming back to the pit and shaking all of our hands and thanking us for the hard work. He was truly disappointed in his final standing, and felt like he had let us all down. I did get him to sign a jersey for me, which will go on my wall at home.

He also insisted that we all go out for dinner. By the time we were packed and grabbed showers, we ended up eating at 9:00 at a burger joint downtown. Levi and the whole team finally let their hair down a little, wolfing down burgers and fries and washing it down with a few beers and wine. It was fun.

We then made our way to The Tavern for the wrap-up party. It seemed like all the riders were there and having a great time - especially the Phinney/Teejay gang, 'nuff said. My highlight was getting a chance to talk to Tyler Farrar a bit - truly a nice guy and I think he has a huge future ahead of him. I am not the photo/autograph type too Canadian I guess, so nothing to share there.

Monday was the drive back to Durango with the rest of the local crew, have dinner with Alison on the boat and SLEEP.

From the eye of the storm

We are parked right in front of the Denver courthouse, in the middle of the craziness.  The bandstand is beside us, and the place is rocking.  The 'big 5' got front row parking this morning, and we are next to Specialized (our bike sponsor) and they are really helping us out. We are going to set up the trainers under their awning, so the world can watch Levi warm up.

First rider goes off at 1, and Levi goes last at 3:15. The beauty of the yellow jersey is that you get to see everyones time before your own. You can follow along live on the tur tracker app, or on the website. Going to be an exciting day!!!!

Thoughts on Lance

I just read this excellent article by someone named Stratton that kind of summed up my feelings on Lance's announcement.

It also made me realize that if it wasn't for Lance, I wouldn't be doing what I am doing this week. Lance was the reason that almost all current American cycling fans started watching The Tour, and getting excited about it. I was living in Texas when he first started winning, and Lance Fever was rampant, as you can imagine. I loved watching the Blue Train drive the peloton, 'The Look', the crazy duels up Alp d'Huez, and so much more.

Did they dope? I am sure they all did. It was an era where doping was rampant in this and many other sports. Is it right? No, and it never will be. The fact that 'everybody did it' is no excuse. But you can't take away how amazing it was to watch the race unfold over 3 weeks in the beautiful countryside, with drama, intensity, and a sense of awe at what they could do on the bike.

Americans knew very little about pro cycling before Lance. Sure, we had 7-11 as well as Lemond, but coverage was spotty and you really had to be a wonk and read Velo News or buy a foreign newspaper at the store to know what was going on. The increased coverage that Motorola and then USPS generated with their success drew legions of fans, who then went out and bought bikes and jerseys and rode those bikes while reliving those moments in their heads. Cycling went from a fringe sport to something that a large part of the country at least did occasionally, and certainly watched a lot of in July.

Lance was also instrumental in starting the USA Pro Challenge. He worked with Governor Bill Ritter to get it off the ground, and his connections and influence were a key reason that Quizno's signed on as the anchor sponsor.

So - fast forward to this week - I volunteered to help out at the Durango stage because I have truly become a cycling wonk, and I have had no problem bantering about bike racing with my crew mates. Thanks to a steady diet of Phil and Paul, I understand the strategies and the races within the race. And thanks to the motivation that watching the pro's has given me to ride hard and push myself, I have at least a tiny understanding of the dedication and the pain that goes into being a successful pro rider. These guys are tough as nails.

So thank you Lance, for igniting the cycling passion in me and so many others. I am truly sorry that it ended this way for you. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go back to busting my ass to support this great race in this great sport.

YELLOW BABY

It was now or never. Now was good.

Another Crisis Averted

The plan was to send Colin with Bernard up Flagstaff with the warmup jackets for the boys to wear on the descent back to the RV after the race. Bernard ran the feed station (and was on TV yet again today - we are calling him the meia whore) and was to stop at the Team area and pick up Colin and jackets.

Unbeknownst to him, the convoy back from the Feed zone came out 14 blocks above us. And by above, I mean a nasty climb up to Chautauqua. Luckily, we scrambled and bummed a ride wiht the TT1 guys who found themselves in the same situation. Colin jumped in with Bernard, and I did the run back down the hill (much easier) and am now watching the end on the Tour Tracker in the RV.

Pretty exciting stage! The whole peloton fell apart on Left Hand/Lee Hill. BMC fell off the front, and Garmin is starting to shape up. This bodes well for Levi - he just has to stay in the largest lead group he can hang onto, then KICK IT up Flagstaff!

Big names are big businessmen

One thing that I find interesting is how much time the big names spend on their phones. At first I thought they were just hitting Twitter, texting, or playing games. While this is true for the younger and less know riders, the big guys are doing business.

I have overheard phone calls from Levi, Cadel, Hincapie and others where they are talking with their managers and handlers, arranging sponsorships, organizing charity events, talking contracts, and working on their other business such as clothing, shoes, and more.

Cadel just dropped out. He has looked tired all week, especially last night and this morning. My guess is he is beat up after a long season, combined with his new adopted child and, of course, his extra-curricular business that keeps him on his phone.

Race Day 6 - Boulder finish

Howdy from the bottom of Flagstaff. We are about 3 blocks from University of Colorado, the greatest University in the world - where my kids both go. In fact I just had a vist at the RV from my son, which was great of course. I took a picture of him in the RV which I can't share here...

We left a very windy Colorado Springs this morning for the commute to the start in Golden. Lots of crowds in town, and it was fun to drive the closed rode from Golden to Boulder, honking at the crowds and throwing them a few used water bottles. My apologies to the State Trooper who tried to flag me to a stop at a red light a little too late. I am sure I will hear about it later.

Skies are finally clear, and the boys look sharp. I am sitting in the RV in the Team zone, waiting for Bernard who will come through here after he does the Feed in Nederland, then head up the hill. We can't take the buses or trucks up there due to the limited space at the top, which is a bit of a bummer for me as I chill here at the bottom.

Think I will jump on my bike and cruise downtown real quick. Later.

Race Day 5`

Howdy from Colorado Springs! The home of over 100 evangelical religious organizations, and the finish of Stage 6 which started in Breckenridge.

An early start this morning due to the fact that the hotel was at the top of Beaver Creek, and the Team area was at the bottom. Numerous shuttles to get the mechanics to the bottom to prep the bikes and load the cars, get the team to breakfast, load the luggage, and hit the road.

I had to run the team from Beaver to the start in Breck. It felt like there was a gloom over the team due to the Lance thing, which I will post about later. I had some fun with Levi today - we were following the Radio Shack entourage down I-70, and I decided to take the first exit to Breck, while the Radio Shack crew went on to the second. Levi was a little concerned that they went a different way - I went through the downtown area and then pulled out onto Highway 9 about 3 blocks ahead of them. I told Levi that it was just like the race - follow Radio Shack for a while, keeping a low profile, and then pop out in front of them when the time was right! I got a laugh.

Then of course we had a hiccup - pulled into the Team area and fired up the RV generator, which immediately started spewing spoke and felt like it was going to blow up, so had to shut that down.

All worked out - team got to the line, I scooted ahead of the pack and pulled into CO Springs in time, set up, and met Bernard at the finish so that we could meet the team as they came across, give them drinks, and direct them back tot he RV. Levi was randomly picked for a doping test today, so we dealt with that and then hit the road to the hotel.

More to come - tomorrow will be an amazing day, is my guess :-)

Tired...

Wow, a long day today. Up early to get everything ready and move the stuff and the riders to the Team Area near the start. One small problem - someone locked the keys inside the RV! Here we have Levi and the guys milling around outside with 30 minutes until go time.

So, I broke into the RV. Pushed a side window until it popped. It was great to see the surprised look on the guys' faces when I opened the side door from the inside.

Long drive from Aspen to Beaver Creek. I had to beat the road closure deadline and get the RV up the hill to drop off luggage, then get back down the hill to the Team Area. Then grab my mountain bike and pedal back up the (closed) road that you all saw the guys climb at the end of the race today. Our feed zone car was about 10 minutes ahead of the race in a convoy with a police escort. We had to prepare the post race recovery drinks and hustle to the finish line.

The good news? I happened to be shooting along on my bike behind the Press area when this SUV pulls up and out pops Lindsey Vonn! I have always been a fan, and couldn't resist the chance to stick out my hand and introduce myself. I think I took her by surprise - her response was 'nice to meet you too', then off she went to meet the riders as they were brought up for the awards.

And who was the man today? My man JENS - love this guy, and so happy to see him win a stage - it has been a while. The word amongst the crews was that the peloton intentionally paced themselves to let him have the win, once he was by himself int he breakaway and since he is not threat to the GC. It is out of RESPECT, which we see a lot of.

Speaking of, we were in a bar with the crew when ESPN announce the Lance news. Wow. Not sure what to think. More on this tomorrow I am sure.

Another long day tomorrow - but more on that tomorrow. G'night.

A typical day on the tour

OK, a lot of you have been asking what a typical day looks like. While they are different depending on the time of the start, the distance of the hotel from the start or finish etc, they have a lot in common.

First, the support team for this race is: 3 Soigneurs, 2 Mechanics, the Director Sportif, and the Driver (me). we are only supporting 5 riders (there were 6 but we had one drop out), and a lot of the teams with more riders have WAY more people than we do.

We have an RV which I drive, a large truck which one of the mechanics drive and one of the soigneurs comes along, a 'race' car where the Director and a mechanic ride, another support car which a soigneur drives, and a feed zone van which a signeur drives. The RV and truck need to be at the finish area before the riders. The feed zone van is escorted to the feed zone, and then usually races past the peloton to a critical point such as the top of a climb for additional support.

Now, to the day:

6:00 - wake up and shower
6:15 - breakfast in the team meal area (way ahead of the riders)
6:30 - mechanics open the truck, get out all the bikes and wheels and check them
6:30 - 2 soigneurs load the 3 cars with drinks, energy snacks, lunches in musettes, etc
7:00 - mechanics load the cars with bikes and (lots of) wheels
7:00 - driver opens the RV, makes sure that the fridge and cupboards are stocked
7:30 - team meeting to arrange transportation, routes, roles
7:45 - bags are gathered from the hotel, racers go for breakfast
8:30 - truck is loaded with bags and gear and leaves
8:45 - racers load into RV and rest of convoy leaves for start
9:15 - arrive at start, racers get ready in RV
9:45 - racers head for start zone after interviews, autaographs
9:50 - feed zone cars leave, support cars queue
10:00 - RV leaves, race starts
1:00 - truck arrives at finish, sets up in team parking
1:00 - soigneur checks everyone into hotel and does room assignments
1:15 - set up massage tables, mix recovery drinks
2:00 - RV arrives in finish town, drops gear at hotel, goes to team parking
3:30 - soigneur and driver head for finish
3:45 - finish - direct racers to hotel or RV and give them recovery drinks
4:00 - mechanics start cleaning and repairing bikes and wheels
4:00 - soigneurs start massages (and finish 8-9)
6:00 - mechanics and driver wash and fuel vehicles, replenish supplies
6:00 - soigneur prepares 3 coolers of water and mix bottles, musettes, etc
8:00 - drivers analyze next day requirements for racers, gear, etc and make a plan
8:15 - dinner
9:00 - watch NBC one hour highlights and actually find out how the day went on course

And do it all again, every day, until the race is over.

Race Day 3 - Aspen finish

I. Am. Freaking. Exhausted.

If it wasn't for this blog, I wouldn't know what race day it was. And it's only Stage 3.

Up early this morning, getting stuff ready and loading up the team for the shuttle from Crested Butte to Gunnison. The team was in a good mood today on the bus, chatting more than I have seen before. Levi even showed up at the RV with a Durango Fire and Rescue cap on!

I had a chance to chat with Durango's own Chris Wherry at the Start, which was good timing because Tyler Farrar came up to say hello and I had a chance to meet him. Chris told me this great story about how Tyler had rented a condo from a friend for the Durango start, and when Chris drove his team car up beside Tyler during the 1st Stage, Tyler returned the key while racing!

I also chatted with Bob Roll again - he even said good morning and gave me a pat on the shoulder - this uniform works wonders I guess.

Levi gave me money to go buy the team coffee at The Bean, which was around the corner from the start. He wouldn't let me pay. I am liking this guy more and more.

After the team headed to the start, I did the 4 hour drive around the long way (thru Hotchkiss and over McClure pass) to Aspen. They wouldn't let support vehicles on Independence Pass. What a drive - we just made it in time to drop off all our gear at the hotel and head to the Team Area to receive the riders. I completely blame the rush on Tom Danielson, who tore it up today! I was the team member who had to stand at the end of the Finish and receive the riders, giving them a quick drink and directing them to the team area. So - ringside seat when Tommy D came roaring down the finish, followed by the pack! Amazing - gives me goosebumps just thinking about it.

So, bikes are all tuned and clean, cars are all fueled and washed, bottles filled and chilled, RV spic and span and ready for tomorrow. Again the ride goes over Independence Pass, this time from Aspen, and on to Beaver Creek. They finish at the top of the climb up to Beaver tomorrow, so I need to drive around the long way through Glenwood Springs, beat them to finish, and be waiting at the top to shuttle them down to the hotel. Another crazy busy day.

Here is a little bonus for you - Tommy D getting interviewed by Franky right after the race. The shot right at the end was taken right beside me as he crosses the line!

Off to dinner.

Race Day 2 - live from Crested Butte

Greetings from the finish area in CB. The riders are on their way - large breakaway group is already through Almont and the peleton is north of Gunnison, so not a lot of time to post this!

Early morning today. Tent breakfast (Cadel calling the coffee 'dirty water'), and load the bikes onto the cars and into the RV for the shuttle to the Montrose start. I took the team from Telluride to Montrose - it was great to have Levi riding shotgun. At first he wasn't very talkative, but he perked up when I pointed out a few sights like Mt. Wilson, then he really came alive when I showed him Ralph Lauren's 17,000 acre ranch on the way down to Ridgeway. He even had me slow down so he could take a picture of the teepees for his wife who had told him about them.

Montrose was a zoo, and very hot after the chilly start we had in Telluride. All went as planned. I had a chance to chat with the one and only Bob Roll - it's amazing how talkative he can be when he is working and you are wearing crew gear! We were laughing about the crowd that he gathered for his spot on Lizard Head Pass yesterday.

Once the riders cleared out of the RV, it was off to Crested Butte. We drove all the buses and RVs down the closed course through town, honking at the crowds who were going wild. Fun!

I had Chicchi along for the ride today. He was a lot of fun, and his English was good enough to carry on a conversation or two. He was dying for a cappuccino (I am not making this up), so we asked a cop if we could stop on the course in front of The Bean in Gunnison, and he ran in and got us a couple.

CB is beautiful today - light clouds and not too hot. The finish is up at the bottom of the ski hill, which is quite an uphill finish (3KM). Another great crowd!

That's all for now. Gotta go catch the finish.

Race Day 1 - Evening edition

Well, after a great dinner and a couple beers, I am relaxing in my room. And man am I exhausted - the weekend is a blur of Durango festivities, bike rides, friends visiting from Europe, and of course getting through the mound of paperwork and preparation for this week. I am watching the highlights on Versus in my room - looks like I missed a great race!


Great digs here at the Cimarron Lodge. My roommate tonight is none other than our Directeur Sportif, the legendary Belgian Rik Van Slycke. Pinch me.


Dinner was in a tent behind our lodging, at the bottom of Lift 7. It is a great setup - each team has 2 tables, one where the riders sit, and one where the rest of the team sits. I saw most of the guys go back to the buffet tables at least 3 times. I was surprised that they drank so many soft drinks with their meals!

It was awesome to walk down the buffet line with Cadel Evans - and I gotta say he looked tired. The Garmin tables were definitely in a good mood tonight.

Cars are fueled, bottles are all full and on ice, bikes and cars are washed, and the plan for tomorrow has been shared with the team. And yes, the bottles are clean.

Wrapped up the night with a couple beers with the crew - it also amazed me how little they keep track of the race or talk about it, even afterward when we are chilling out.

Big day tomorrow - taking the crew from the hotel in Telluride to the start in Montrose - my first chance to be 1:1 with Levi and the boys. Then off to the finish in Crested Butte. Lots of driving!

Race Day 1

Today was a hectic day, trying to make sure that I didn't screw anything up on the first day of racing. It all started at the team area in the compound at 8AM when I reported for duty. The support crew was there, making sure the bikes were ready, testing race radios, getting energy bars and drinks for the guys, getting the luggage from the rooms, and loading everything up.

The riders made their way down around 9, and took over the RV. We had decided to leave the RV and support cars at the FLC staging area because it was an easy ride down to the start. But we did get a little nervous when every other team loaded their buses and RVs and headed down to the start without us!

As soon as the riders were ready, off they went as a group on their bikes and we scrambled to pack and head out ourselves. The 3 support cars headed down the hill after the team, and Bernard and I headed west in the truck and RV, stopping for gas and ice (and to empty the trash that the riders left behind in the RV!)

The RV handled as expected - gutless and rattling. We really haven't come very far since covered wagons with these things. To top it off, the road from Dolores to Lizard Head was packed with amateur cyclists, usually riding 2-3 abreast, so had to swing out around them a lot. The trip took longer than expected but made it eventually. The team area is in 'Carhenge', for those of you familiar with Telluride, and hotel is right next door - I am writing this from my room which has a nice view of Lift 7.

Bernard, Elise and I unpacked all the gear and luggage and distributed it to the rooms. Not sure what Levi has in this bag but he is NOT a light packer!

Once all the odds and ends were taken care of, I toddled off to find my Telluride friends and hang with them at the finish. And what a finish! Tommy D tried valiently to break away and hold it, but they were caught and it came to a bunch sprint which Tyler Farrar took - man were they flying across the line, unbelievable. Garmin had a great day.

OPQS also did well today, though we lost a rider early when Chicchi got picked up by the broomwagon after having trouble breathing. The rumble was that the start was to blame, with the immediate climb up Lake Nighthorse tearing the riders up - there were a lot of teams who lost riders today. Not sure what happens to Chicchi now, whether he continues with the team and trains as we go, or we put him on a plane in Montrose tomorrow.

OK - off to fuel up the team cars and get some beer.