Stage 1 Davis to Santa Rosa

Davis really deserved a chance to host a Stage. They have been extremely supportive, as a "passthrough" city in 2007 and 2008. It was pouring when we arrived at 5am. I felt bad for all of the people that had spent countless hours preparing for the Stage start. I had assumed that the turnout would be very low. I was very wrong! The crowds kept coming and coming. They were huge.

Let's talk about rain for a minute. Based on last year's weather, everyone comes prepared for the rain. We all have rain shoes, rain pants, rain jackets, rain hats, and waterproof gloves. We are outside from 5am to Noon in the rain, but no one rally complains. It is just part of the "adventure" and everyone knew the weather was coming.

The biggest surprise on this stage (and one that has repeated everyday)was the number of people on the course. We typically get a few thousand people watching the race as it passes along the route to the finish. Most of them are on the major climbs. This year we are getting 300 people at each intersection! The people on this stage were soaked to the bone and were frozen, but they could not be any happier. The fans were so appreciative that we were here. I have seen this reaction in Georgia and Missouri, but not as often in CA. I realized that this was going to be a race unlike anything we had anticipated. The "Lance Factor" is real and it is driving this race to new levels.

The biggest disappointment has been the weather's effect on our communications. We are really dependent on getting our aircraft launched. They carry our repeaters. The repeaters allow us to communicate in a 25+ mile radius of the caravan. No planes, no repeaters, and the reception dwindles down to a few miles. We are dealing with the problem and finding "workarounds".

Take Cover Dorothy...it's a TWISTER!!!

Windy? Well my light bar just blew off the top of my truck this
morning...really. The weather is getting very bad. I am at the SF Bay
at 3:00am in Sausalito. Temp is 40 degrees. Sustained winds of
30-40mph and the waves are crashing onto the start line. More later.

Sent from my iPhone

Even some time to celebrate Valentine's Day

Happy 10th Lynnie!!

Running the Gaunlet to get to the start house in SAC

An hour before the Prologue

SAC at 5:30am

It was damn cold this morning and it never warmed up but it was dry.

Oh Oh, I think we broke some laws today!

Wow! People were 4-5 deep at the start. We had to cone off a section of the course so the riders could get to the start house. It was insane. I have heard 50,000 people. I drive the course just a few minutes before the first rider went off. I think 75,000 is closer. I have no doubt that the crowds are going to be amazing. Yes, this race entered into a new territory today. It is exciting. It is scary.

Calm before the storm

Thursday night was the last night with a decent meal until the 22nd. Weather was partly cloudy but cold and windy. Everyone is here now. Lance is at my hotel. Friday is solid meetings from 8:00am until 10:30pm. There are now 1,000 people moving with the race each day. Over 30 hours of live TV to 200 countries.

Velonews now claims that the ATOC is now part of the big four races.
Indeed it is. SAC is a pretty cool place. Some good eats (see below)and the people cannot be any nicer.

Arriving in Sacramento

If you recognize this picture, then you know where I am. Got to the team hotel this morning. Flight from Burbank was uneventful, but forgetting my phone and having to drive back home for it kicked my anxiety level up a few notches! The teams are starting to roll and set-up camp in the parking lot out back.

Today is all about tying up loose ends and putting out little fires. I have a sweet ride for the week...a new Toyota Tundra. Waiting for the radios to get installed. Pretty quiet right now at Race HQ. The real fun starts tomorrow. The weather is very cold, dark, windy, and wet. Imagine a typical New Jersey day in the winter. We expect the same for the next three days.

Seven Days and Counting

They say the devil is in the details. There are numerous demons chasing me right now, so it must be true. I need a list to keep track of all the lists I am maintaining right now. Three lists I still have to finish before leaving for Sacramento: one for what I need to pack, one for what I need to have in the car with me during the race, one for things I promised people that I am going to encounter along the race route, etc.

Today I am focusing on permits, letters to go out to selected residents along the course, and trying to make sure we are not going to encounter a train crossing the numerous RR tracks we cross over the nine days of racing.

I am going to do my best to maintain this Blog throughout the days in Sacramento leading up to the race and then entries throughout the week of racing. I'll be using an iPhone to take lots of pictures. There are plenty of places on the Internet that you can see some great shots of the race. I will try and take you behind the scenes and give you an idea of what the day-to-day life is like at the ATOC.