So uhhh I got to go see Lance Armstrong race today ! Which IS so COOOL !! (For those of you who dont even know WTF Cycling is)
Crazy-nessness. I basically jumped off the 17 on some random exit and smashed down a beautiful 1 lane road, traversing through the Santa Cruz, or Scott's Valley, hills. Zigzag all the way to what Google Maps called Bonnie Doon Rd. Bonnie Doon is the second climb of a 115 mile double climb Stage 2 of the Tour.. and not some bitch made climb, this shit was 10% or more for more than 5 miles, up just shy of 2,300 ft... Freaking unbelievable, anyway... Frantically I grabbed my camera and ran up the road. Rob said find a spot where they are climbing cause they go by slower and that I did. So I paced up and back, trying to stay warm, while support cars and Highway Patrol zoomed up and down the road blurpin their sirens. I thought, these guys are comin in no time.. It was freezing. A neighbor brought me coffee cause apparently it was obvious that I was cold as I began a mini calisthenics workout roadside. Fortunately I emailed the timing chart to myself and with no service was able to view the already loaded PDF. So I pace, and look at my iPhone for the time... and compare it to the chart... and pace and compare and look at the time... and FINALY a car says they're 25 minutes out ! I ran to my car and grabbed what I know to be the warmest, although not the most attractive, jacket that exists, my dads old duck hunting jacket. Back to my spot and more than ready for the 100+ cyclists to take my ear full of banter.
Here they come !! I wasn't confused, but I was. Like, I knew they were just gonna ride by, but I had been staring at this turn waiting for something that I had never seen before. I didnt know what the shit Pro Cyclists looked like hitting a turn on an incline with support cars wizzing by.. and lets not forget its a race people. These guys were gettin it. More than just puttin the petals down, and this was my impression before driving down what they had already come up ! Where I was, was nothing like what they'd already overcome.
All I can say is holy shit. I already framed my shots, already picked my aperture and shutter speed. I thought I was ready till they hit the corner ! I didn't know how to shoot it..! I couldn't find my 70-200mm f4.0 IS zoom lens on the way out the door so I had to wait for them to be like right effing on top of me before I started snapping with my 17-40mm f4.0 wide angle zoom.. and not to mention all this concentration meant I forgot to yell and be a fool. ...Ok, I know. How'd I forget to be a fool, yeah yeah.. Really though, you try to take a once in a lifetime photo and scream your effing lungs out, that shit isn't easy.
Long story short.. Since Lances bike was stolen I didn't know what I was looking to shoot. I snapped shots as these guys passed and just as they start to pass it absolutely DUMPS rain then hail then BIG ASS rain drops. Great ! Whatever right, fuck the camera at this point, as long as the flash card is dry enough to off the flicks I didn't care.
If you've never lived, I mean, if you've never seen a cycling event live or on tv it'd help to know a bit. These guys ride like right on top of each other, litterally. In the pack, seriously one on all sides, inches from you. Im not claustrophobic, but I think I'd freak elbow to elbow at 25mph with spandex on if the only other option to the situation was mad road rash. They also are chirpin like birds in a pack, communicating things like passes and fuck I dont know the news. I cant believe they're getting words out with as hard as they were working.. THEN these dudes are followed, also like right behind by their support cars. Their teams car with a ton of "extra" super nice bikes (I mean like 5Gs at least a piece) and hella extra rims and tires, these rims are carbon fiber like the bikes but are sooo freaking expensive, and they just have em incase.. UGGHH. UGGHH and DAMN!!
...SooOooOo there they go.... and thats it !
I thought I could get back to Santa Cruz to see the finish and was way wrong. I drove down the way the cyclists rode up. It was really steep and for a long time, but straight down until Highway 1. Traffic downtown was terrible. I found a spot that I wouldn't get towed at and walked to where it all went down but the finish line was being disassembled. I checked out some of the different team tents and shops around then bounced.. Good times.
Check out more photos at the gallery.
http://gallery.me.com/demetrius.daniels#100130&bgcolor=black&view=grid
And the official site.
http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/
Holler.
