"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Tour of California- Stage 6- Feb. 25, 2006 (Post all Spoilers here!)

Stage Six: Saturday, Feb. 25
This shorter stage with a hilly profile from Santa Barbara to Thousand Oaks features four KOM climbs in the 80 miles that precede three laps of a three-mile circuit in Thousand Oaks that will cover the stage’s final ten miles before finishing at title sponsor Amgen’s corporate campus.

http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/docroot/images/stage6_profile.gif

How weird is this... Sebastian Lang got a flat in almost the exact same area in Santa Rosa as I did a while back Geez...he's complaining that the Mavic Neutral Car didn't have a compatible wheel. Hell, I had to wait for my mom to pick me up! ;)

How on earth do they maintain their focus and composure with people running alongside them, waving flags in their faces, and literally having to part the crowd to get through the course? Is this typical of road racing or is it worse in this race? I'll admit being very new to biking as a spectator sport, but I'm loving every minute of watching the tour. I just can't believe the distraction that all must be and that there isn't more control over the onlookers somehow.

How on earth do they maintain their focus and composure with people running alongside them, waving flags in their faces, and literally having to part the crowd to get through the course? Is this typical of road racing or is it worse in this race? I'll admit being very new to biking as a spectator sport, but I'm loving every minute of watching the tour. I just can't believe the distraction that all must be and that there isn't more control over the onlookers somehow.


You'll love watching the Tour and Giro this year on OLN. The crowds at the Tour Of Cali are nothing compared to the biggies.

Control over onlookers? That's half the fun! What other sport lets fans get so close? Lets them run along side their heros?? Sure, isht happens sometimes, but it's part of the sport. If you can't block it out and ride at your best then you don't win.

I was up there on that steep part of Balcom Canyon and it was amazing. The officials do their best to move people back with police cars and course marshalls coming through first and motorcycles every so often. The motorcycles got very close to the spectators, you didn't want to look up the hill because one might come up and clip you. Oh yeah, the racers are hard at work and concetrating on each other as they FLY up the mountain. Did I mention it was amazing?

I was at the top of Balcom and it was pretty amazing there, too. The racers were really moving by the time they got to us, just before the crest. People lean in to look down the road and just sort of flow out of the way as the race comes through. The moto riders were holding a steady line to brush people back. The riders all looked pretty focused on the race. Going up a climb like that they're all working hard-- you can't sit at all like when it's on the flats.