Tour of California: Stage 6

Finally got a solid internet connection again. It's harder than you would think finding one when you are constantly moving around California. They seriously need to make free wifi hotspots mandatory at rest stops...some have them but most don't. I give props to AT&T for their free wifi at Starbucks with the iPhone...but how about a way to share that with your laptop? I mean the monthly plan is ridiculous as it is, or at least tack on a few dollars extra a month for it! If anyone reading this works for AT&T please fill me in!

I've been getting some questions about logistics and how I'm able to follow the tour. I'll do a summary post with all the glorious details in a few days.

Anyways, on to the best Tour journalism you will find...

Stage 6

Solvang, CA

Today was a day unlike any yet. The decisive time trial to be held in Solvang. There was already a lot of traffic going into the town when I was about four miles out, so I decided to park and ride to the start.

Solvang is unlike any town I've been to in the U.S. The European riders probably felt like they were home, as it looks like it's straight out of Germany. It's too bad the Tour's finish wasn't here, as I'm sure there would be some good times with the rider's in the many pubs!

A drive thru liquor store? Definitely German :)

Tyler Hamilton of Rock Racing

Once again, I can check a hero of mine off of the list. Tyler Hamilton from Rock Racing. Everytime I meet these guys I am amazed at their physiques. If you know me, I'm not that big of a guy but I'm always dwarfing them in the photos. Make no mistake about it, these guys are lethal cycling machines that could take me out on their worst and my best day!

But in case you don't know, Tyler was accused of doping a few years back and then suspended until last season. That was where the newly formed Rock Racing picked him up, which is owned by some incredibly wealthy fashion designer. They have one of the biggest budgets in professional cycling, and used it to pickup pretty much every rider that has been accused of drug use in the past few years. I've heard of them throwing huge parties in the hills of L.A. with the hollywood stars. This year they seemed to have toned it down a bit, which is good because I don't think that their team was respected as much in the professional realm.

So with the course only being 15 miles long, and the start and finish in Solvang, I decided to do a little test run. Straight out of town you hit a nice little climb for a good boost to the confidence level. After that, it was downhill and flat for a loooong time. Incredible scenery, definitely a cyclist's paradise.

What wasn't listed on the Tour page was that there was an amateur race that started at 11:00. So just when I was getting in the zone and settling into a good pace, a rider for Rock Racing flew by. I grabbed his wheel for a minute or two, but that was all these legs could manage. So I succumbed back into my scenic pace.

It's a good thing I forgot what the race profile looked like, because towards the end I hit some brutal climbs. And by brutal I mean not in the sense that they would be that way on a normal day on a normal ride. But in the fashion that after going fairly hard the whole course and being pretty spent and then hitting a few 6-8% grades. But like any guy on a bike with no other choice I just gritted the teeth and made it through.

When all was said and done, I did it in around 53 minutes. A far cry from the winning time of 30:40 by the man Levi! I attribue it to them having an aerodynamic TT bike and helmet and nothing more ;)

I then made my way to an incredible spot about 2k from the finish. It was the top of the final climb, so I got some great shots of the racers. I'm not even going to attempt to look at them until I get back home, because there are around 400 of them to go through! But here are a few of my favorites...

How many jelly beans does it take to ride 15 miles?

Robert Gesink

Think he's in pain?

Maybe it's better if you don't know where the top is?

What post would be complete without a shot of him?

Funny thing is that out of all of my shots, Armstrong looks like he is suffering the least. An act or reality? No doubt he could have won this Tour had he wanted to. But better to have him dominate the TdF in July, and use this as training.

Once again, Levi dominated the race. Unfortunately, my words of good luck to Tyler at the start did not carry him far as he had chain troubles and ended up losing a ton of time. But worst of all is Ivan Basso, another accused doper making his comeback, as he had to drop out of the race after injuring his knee on the handlebars...ouch!