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Bikes bikes bikes

I finally got outside to get some sunshine yesterday. The Tour of California started in San Francisco on Sunday. I was too sick to go downtown to watch the prologue time trial on Sunday, but yesterday I drove out to Point Reyes Station to see the riders roll through on their way to Santa Rosa. A two-man breakaway led by about 48 seconds, and then the pack passed me in 13 seconds total. It took another 30 seconds or so for all the support cars, the ambulance, and the broom van to go by. And that was it! An hour of waiting for two minutes of fun. At least I didn't camp out two days in advance like the French do for their little bike race.

Point Reyes Station is a favorite stop on our long rides. It's about 35 miles from home and has a fantastic bakery that's popular with cyclists. I'd say about half of the spectators had arrived on bikes, which made me incredibly jealous, as it was a gorgeous day for a ride. The walk back to my car, though, left me winded and coughing up a lung. That was about as much exertion as I could handle for the day.

February 21, 2006 10:51 AM