Official TOC Day 1 Thread
Just back from breakfast with the campers, and folks are getting ready to ride. B group leaves at 8, A group leaves at 8:30, about 80 miles on tap today to kick things off. Going to be 78 and sunny...can't wait. Look for more input / feedback / pics and info as we go...
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Vince
Have fun and be safe
It's going to be great to follow this tread. Enjoy the nice weather and the great rides. Be safe everyone.
Gordon
AWESOME DAY!!!!!!!! TOC Day 1 was simply the best! Great riding, beautiful roads, fun hills, and watching the pros at the finish. I'm absolutely exhausted! TSS=300 from today's riding. The elevation profile was very deceiving. Looked like it would be an easy day with just one little climb. But there were lots of little hills along the way that all added up to about 5000 ft of climbing overall. I was having so much fun I forgot to take pictures! But here are a few
Me and Dan Socie at the top of a climb
After ride fueling!!!!
Watching the finish of Stage 1. This is about 500 meters from the finish
PS- Nemo is out of the office this week and not responding to thread posts! Sorry folks, it's become pretty obvious already that trying to keep up with forum is gonna be just impossible. Sorry everyone- but you'll have to figure out how to use the Search function this week without me!
Have a great week everyone.
tom
Great picture!!
I was about to ask where MooJo was, but then I saw Nemo's hand!
Were not a gang were a club
Can anyone put faces to names in that photo?
BTW, don't be jealous about the weather. Looks like today was rainy all along the route - so bad VS can't show video from the sky or the road. Awaiting the finish right now.
Looks like a great time. If anyone wants to watch the TOC online they have a great live feed here http://tracker.amgentourofcalifornia.com
That rain looked nasty today.
Another fantastic day at the TOC! Kitima caught me on the Sprint today. We're 1-1! We climbed the first KOM- a Cat 4 fairly early in the ride and around mile 35 I decided to hop in the van and save my legs so I could ride another day. Coach P was with the "B2" group and suggested I just rest a little and have Marvin (our fantastic SAG driver) take me to the bottom of the next KOM (a Cat 2) and give the KOM a try. Hmmmmmm. I wasn't really sure I had Cat 2 legs so I didn't commit to anything. We rode back and forth checking on the B riders and when we rolled up to Brian Massey & Dave Corso they both said "hey- you're just gonna get a ride to the bottom of the KOM, right?" Hmmmmmm. Well by the time we got to the bottom of the KOM, Dave & Brian rolled up again to drop off their warm (and very wet) cloths to start the climb and both of them just kept encouraging me to do the climb. So with a little more food in my tummy, and a little more rest in my legs, I hopped out of the van and back on the bike.
The first 5-10 minutes of the climb were pretty steep and I thought maybe I should turn back. But the rain was coming down and the roads were getting really wet, and all I could think about was how much I didn't want to descend down! So I continued to climb. When I reached the top Brian, Dave, and Patrick were all there cheering for me. Very cool!!! I ended the day with another 200 TSS in the books, feeling pretty fresh, and ready to take on another day.
Tomorrow we have a choice. Either ride the part of the Stage 3 course that includes 3 KOMs, or take a slight detour and continue down the Pacific Coast Highway. Neither option will be "easy" and both will be beautiful and interesting. While I'd really like to do the KOMs tomorrow- I will just have to see how I feel when we get to the decision point (after 20 miles of riding on the PCH). This is a part of the course where getting the whole team stuck behind the pros is a real risk and I don't wanna be the one that causes us all to have a long day. So we'll see. Oh- and unfortunately Larry had to head back home today for work- so we are down one camper. Bummer- I didn't get enough time to socialize with him (too fast for me!!) but we'll see him at IMWI!
A few more pics for you
Moo Jo was not thrilled with being put in a plastic bag for protection from the rain. So she poked her head through during the ride!!
Brian and Dave B enjoy crepes with Nutella. I'm sure Penny would approve!
Al- here's the line up:
Front & Center: Riley- Super EN Mascot!
Front Row (left to right): Brian Massey, Margaret Bishop (Chris M's GF), Linda Neuman (FO Rich), Leigh, Dave Boyle, Nemo, Kitboo, Drillbert, Coach Rich
Second Row (left to right): Coach P, Dan Socie, Joe O'Flaherty (FO Rich), Scott Alexander, The Halligan, Chris Malone, Mike Allen, Dave Corso, Larry Gilbert, Bill Traux (FO Rich)
Peter
Hi everyone! Well, our last day of riding starts in about 1 hour. So sorry we haven't been able to post or update the forums more frequently. Having now done this trip I totally understand why there seems to be a mini blackout during the TOC week from campers. Every day it's up at 5:00, gear up, pack, head to the vans to pack the vans, hop on the bike, and get rolling! Then after approx 5 hours of hard riding we hop in a van for transport to the next hotel, unpack the vans, check into the hotel, shower, grab dinner, and by the time that's all done it's 9:00-10:00 and you gotta start pulling out your cloths and getting ready to start the whole thing over the next day.
That might sound exhausting (and, well, yeah it is!) but it's the most fun I could ever hope to have on a vacation!!! Seriously, the EN Team is just THE BEST!!!! Everyone works together to help each other make this all work from day to day. The riding is absolutely beautiful (hard, but beautiful) and the van rides from local to local are hysterical! Imagine the funniest thread in the forum going on for about 2-3 hours at a time. LMFAO!!!!!!!
We'll all try to post pics and provide more updates for you when we get back. Dave Corso has gotten some beautiful stuff! OK- I better go, time to gear up for another day of action. It's Day 6 and we're doing the last 50-60 miles of the TOC Course (I think???). Another day of big climbing up to approx 7000ft.
Oh- and tomorrow the EN Chica's will be in full stalking mode! Leigh, Kitima, and I have been scheming all week- we are ready!!!!