Tour of California Concludes

This weekend concluded the fourth running of the Tour of California bicycle road race. Levi Leipheimer, a Santa Rosa resident, won his third consecutive tour and continues the US dominance of this event. This is not surprising given the location and timing of the event, but many of the international cycling stars have made the trip to participate in what is becoming the start of the international pro cycling season. Micheal Rogers (AUS) and Jens Voigt (GER) finished 3rd and 4th. The Schleck brothers (LUX), heroes of the 2008 Tour de France. were also highly visible participants.

But of course the star of the show was Lance Armstrong. This was Lance’s first real race in his comeback. It was fun to watch Lance in his comeback and certainly Lance’s presence energized the crowds. The most amazing aspect was to watch Lance serve as domestic extraordinaire and lead the peleton in the final stage to ensure Levi’s win. It is rare and refreshing to see an athlete of Lance’s caliber and fame, be totally subservient to the team goals and sacrifice his own standing to help a team mate win the Yellow Jersey.

To help celebrate another successful Tour of California, here’s my video of the first Tour of California in 2006.

This video highlights the 2006 Tour of California time trials held in San Jose CA. The time trials began in front of the IBM Silicon Valley Lab where I work and finished near my house. I was able to see the start in front of the lab and then rode my bike to the finish line to capture this exciting video.

Bon Voyage, Jay