2012 Tour of California
This is the first year since 2007 that I haven't done a training camp for the ToC and I'm WIGGIN' after watching yesterday's stage. The weather should be perfect this year (no SNOW yesterday) and the Tour will be in my backyard, literally, Friday and Saturday. I plan to ride most of Saturday's stage, including the climb up to Baldy, and will take some helmet cam video for everyone.
I've already received many pings about the 2013 Tour from members and local cyclists so I wanted to begin to put 2013 registration for our camp on your radars. We will be back and bigger, funner than ever for 2013.
In the meantime, please use this thread to discuss all things related to the 2012 ToC!!
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There is a 23 year old kid who has gone (in about 3 years) from a knucklehead on our Wednesday night shop rides to finishing with Tom Boonen yesterday. He is on Bontrager Livestrong, and is a GC contender for them. He just took 3rd at Tour of Gila, beating guys like Rory Southerland and Francisco Mancebo. His name is Joe Dombrowski and he has a w/kg of about 6.6. Lance is calling him the next great climber. Look for him on Baldy and Sierra Rd.
Go Joe D!
Chris, you would love the Baldy stage. The pitch from Mt Baldy Village to the ski lifts is 5 miles at 8-16% (well, might not dig that part of it
) but it's totally packed with crazy fans. Really, really hope they continue to feature this stage each year.
Unfortunately, unless I win the lottery, I probably won't be able to swing BOTH Majorca and ToC.
Plus I want a rematch with Rich up GMR
Yep, I watched the stage last night. Crash, wheel change, and still wins, and he did it with the line and speed he took in the last turn!
Would be great to have you again! We're doing the same ride this Saturday, but I'm in no shape to TT GMR
Sagan is definitely fun to watch. A sprinter that can climb, great combination!
Brief power analysis for "Durbo the Turbo"...
velonews.competitor.com/2012/05/new...e-1_218492
Sagan IS the next Tom Boonen. But how good would he look (right now he appears a man among boys) if the REAL Tom Boonen, whos lurking in the field @ ToC, were contesting the sprints instead of getting his form back for Summer?
Next year...
FYI, the race is coming through my area THIS weekend. My homies and I will ride the Baldy stage on Saturday, seeing the race 2x, doing the Baldy climb to the lifts, etc. Rolling out from my place at 9a if you want to join us. Riley said you can crash on his bed Friday night
It's about one of the most awesomest things you can do on a bicycle, for sure.
Yesterday's stage featured roads we've done several times. Specifically, riding down the coast from Pacifica and then cutting inland. The coolest part is that within 2-3 miles of turning inland you go from coastal views to rain forest, huge trees, ferns, narrow roads, etc. Just awesome.
Also, the Tour usually has a not-so-good stage every year, one that serves to just eat up miles but use as an opportunity to roll our own route, featuring the roads I know out here in California. In '10, rather than ride across the Central Valley (yuck), we took the campers up into Sequoia National Forest and saw the HUGE trees. Last year we rode down the coast from Monterrey to a little known road that cuts over to the east and climbs 2500ft in 7 miles, about 1000 of it in the first 1.5mi. It then drops down into a deserted army base with zero traffic. I did this little road last weekend during Wildflower we saw about 6 cars in a 2.5hr, 40mi ride.
This year the Bakersfield TT was a prime day to do our own thing...cuz Bakersfield sucks
Forty miles left today and I'm picking Boonen in a field sprint. He looks locked and loaded.
Yep, I was the World Champion of Kernville that day!
NO SPOILERS!! Talk about today's stage tomorrow
Ahh, Nacimento-Fergusson Road...I was wiped last year before that climb but it kind of rejuvenated me...and then the downhill and dead-quiet road to Fort Hunter Ligget was awesome! Tho I remember a bunch of you crazies having to turn around to get your 100 miles in. And then the mexican food in Paso Robles after...I don't know what I remember more fondly from the ToC camp, all the riding or all the eating!
Oh and at this year's ToC we'll have to see what happens at the time trial in Bakersfield...hopefully next year it'll be back in Solvang
But....the Virginia boy Joe D is only 54 seconds back of Sagan and heading into the big hills soon. The youngsters on the Bontrager team are riding well.
Yep, another great stage. Phil/Paul said the average age of that Bontrager squad is ~20!
Time for the GC boys to step up and start attacking! This race is running out of time and pavement!
He's no slouch, placed 14th at Solvang last year. But with all the favorites only 30 seconds back, I suspect he'll lose the jersey in Bakersfield. My money's on Andy Talansky, he time trialed like a champ at the Tour de Romandie.
Good to know. I might ask Joanne if she's interested in driving out to Big Bear on Friday to watch the stage. Sooooo missing a road motorcycle right...
And Bakersfield vs Solvang. Words can not express what a shitty trade that is. The two towns could not be more different, in a bad way.
Sagan is a killer TT specialist ... for 300 meters. But he may be motivated now, seeing as how he won two years ago @ Big Bear and all.
And Merle Haggard would beg to differ about Bakersfield.
Meanwhile, in breaking news from Italia ... Mark Cavendish comes in 4th in a sprint... to Roberto Ferrari ??!!
Sagan has to fade a bit. After a hot long stage with 15000 feet of climbing and then a long sprint yesterday wherein he was probably throwing down about 1500 watts. No?
Solvang has good pastries. Bakersfield has good meth. Tomato, tomahto.
My boy Joe D was third overall in the tt in Tour of Gila so I'm hoping he does well today. He's only a minute out and climbs like A Schleck. The bike shop has a big screen feed for Saturday's stage set up and there will be beers and cheers for the local boy. Kind of exciting.
Yeah, I commented yesterday during my club ride that instead of touring wineries in Solvang you can tour oilfields and meth labs in Bakersfield.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/bontrager-livestrong-light-up-amgen-tour-of-california
GO YOUNG 'UNS !!!!!!!!!!!!