So who's actually going? For those that are going, here is the start list:

1. 12.00'00" 156 USA 19800902 MEAD Bryce JBC
2. 12.01'00" 125 USA 19811127 KILUN Roman HNM
3. 12.02'00" 155 USA 19840328 TIETZEL Scott JBC
4. 12.03'00" 105 USA 19770409 NYDAM Scott BMC
5. 12.04'00" 162 USA 19810108 CREED Michael RRC
6. 12.05'00" 118 USA 19831222 WAITE Nicholas KBM
7. 12.06'00" 134 AUS 19810130 MANION Caleb TUP
8. 12.07'00" 111 USA 19730501 BAJADALI Andrew KBM
9. 12.08'00" 102 SUI 19850826 WYSS Danilo* BMC
10. 12.09'00" 148 AUS 19810709 ENGLAND Richard BPC
11. 12.10'00" 158 NZL 19830907 TUCKERMAN Aaron Barry JBC
12. 12.11'00" 115 USA 19760522 MUMFORD Jonathan KBM
13. 12.12'00" 137 AUS 19730731 VOGELS Hendricus TUP
14. 12.13'00" 152 USA 19830420 REISTAD Nicholas JBC
15. 12.14'00" 5 RUS 19750305 IVANOV Sergey AST
16. 12.15'00" 26 ITA 19760216 TONTI Andrea QST
17. 12.16'00" 126 USA 19841215 MURPHY John HNM
18. 12.17'00" 81 FRA 19790622 VOECKLER Thomas BTL
19. 12.18'00" 127 USA 19770522 PIPP K Frank HNM
20. 12.19'00" 107 USA 19850713 TOLLESON Taylor* BMC
21. 12.20'00" 112 USA 19820106 BOWMAN Dan KBM
22. 12.21'00" 14 ITA 19850509 CAPELLI Ermanno* SDV
23. 12.22'00" 157 AUS 19840527 SANDERSON Nicholas JBC
24. 12.23'00" 106 USA 19711031 CRUZ Antonio BMC
25. 12.24'00" 151 USA 19790911 VAN ULDEN Bernard JBC
26. 12.25'00" 143 USA 19770529 ZWIZANSKI Scott BPC
27. 12.26'00" 12 LAT 19760121 BELOHVOSCIKS Raivis SDV
28. 12.27'00" 147 USA 19830131 KING Edward BPC
29. 12.28'00" 96 USA 19850303 COZZA Steven* TSL
30. 12.29'00" 146 USA 19811102 PELTONEN Garrett BPC
31. 12.30'00" 56 GER 19831026 MARTENS Paul RAB
32. 12.31'00" 18 BRA 19780418 PAGLIARINI MENDONCA Luciano André SDV
33. 12.32'00" 113 USA 19750226 CANDELARIO Alexander KBM
34. 12.33'00" 67 FRA 19851004 SIMON Julien* C.A
35. 12.34'00" 123 USA 19770805 JOHNSON Timothy HNM
36. 12.35'00" 87 FRA 19840411 TURGOT Sébastien BTL
37. 12.36'00" 43 AUS 19730806 O'GRADY Stuart CSC
38. 12.37'00" 164 ITA 19670322 CIPOLLINI Mario RRC
39. 12.38'00" 32 GBR 19850521 CAVENDISH Mark* THR
40. 12.39'00" 24 BEL 19780411 HULSMANS Kevin QST
41. 12.40'00" 78 SUI 19740627 ZBERG Markus GST
42. 12.41'00" 83 FRA 19840426 QUEMENEUR Perrig BTL
43. 12.42'00" 116 USA 19790831 SPINELLI Justin KBM
44. 12.43'00" 82 FRA 19830906 CHAMPION Dimitri BTL
45. 12.44'00" 6 AUS 19830910 KEMPS Aaron AST
46. 12.45'00" 95 USA 19790324 PATE Danny TSL
47. 12.46'00" 38 GBR 19800428 WIGGINS Bradley THR
48. 12.47'00" 22 BEL 19801015 BOONEN Tom QST
49. 12.48'00" 86 FRA 19830106 PICHOT Alexandre BTL
50. 12.49'00" 54 AUS 19780420 HAYMAN Mathew RAB
51. 12.50'00" 7 KAZ 19730316 MIZUROV Andrey AST
52. 12.51'00" 55 ESP 19740927 HORRILLO MUNOZ Pedro RAB
53. 12.52'00" 167 USA 19730903 RODRIGUEZ Freddie RRC
54. 12.53'00" 47 ARG 19810126 HAEDO Juan Jose CSC
55. 12.54'00" 33 GER 19860919 CIOLEK Gerald* THR
56. 12.55'00" 3 RUS 19820704 GUSEV Vladimir AST
57. 12.56'00" 131 CAN 19821029 ROLLIN Dominique TUP
58. 12.57'00" 57 NED 19861126 MOLLEMA Bauke* RAB
59. 12.58'00" 142 USA 19781030 ZIRBEL Tom BPC
60. 12.59'00" 21 ITA 19740401 BETTINI Paolo QST
61. 13.00'00" 17 ESP 19810513 GOMEZ GOMEZ Angel SDV
62. 13.01'00" 84 FRA 19841126 JEROME Vincent BTL
63. 13.02'00" 144 USA 19780111 OLSON Aaron BPC
64. 13.03'00" 138 NZL 19801205 BLACKGROVE Heath TUP
65. 13.04'00" 122 AUS 19820208 SUTHERLAND Rory HNM
66. 13.05'00" 154 USA 19830421 LANGE Michael JBC
67. 13.06'00" 8 ESP 19730127 RUBIERA VIGIL José Luis AST
68. 13.07'00" 121 USA 19790320 ZAJICEK Philip HNM
69. 13.08'00" 64 FRA 19800911 LE MEVEL Christophe C.A
70. 13.09'00" 48 NED 19760129 KROON Karsten CSC
71. 13.10'00" 165 USA 19791026 OLLERENSHAW Doug RRC
72. 13.11'00" 44 USA 19730903 MCCARTNEY Jason CSC
73. 13.12'00" 135 AUS 19781211 DAY Benjamin TUP
74. 13.13'00" 37 SWE 19840404 LÖVKVIST Thomas THR
75. 13.14'00" 68 FRA 19810706 TALABARDON Yannick C.A
76. 13.15'00" 11 SUI 19790509 BERTOGLIATI Rubens SDV
77. 13.16'00" 41 USA 19711118 JULICH Robert W CSC
78. 13.17'00" 2 SLO 19831218 BRAJKOVIC Janez AST
79. 13.18'00" 13 ESP 19750311 CANADA GRACIA David SDV
80. 13.19'00" 108 USA 19771208 LOUDER Jeff BMC
81. 13.20'00" 46 GER 19710917 VOIGT Jens CSC
82. 13.21'00" 104 RSA 19820820 LILL Darren BMC
83. 13.22'00" 35 LUX 19780703 KIRCHEN Kim THR
84. 13.23'00" 63 LTU 19851208 KONOVALOVAS Ignatas* C.A
85. 13.24'00" 31 USA 19730629 HINCAPIE George THR
86. 13.25'00" 77 SUI 19810509 ZAUGG Oliver GST
87. 13.26'00" 51 ESP 19760215 FREIRE GOMEZ Oscar RAB
88. 13.27'00" 27 ITA 19740514 TOSATTO Matteo QST
89. 13.28'00" 141 USA 19780922 JACQUES-MAYNES Benjamin BPC
90. 13.29'00" 52 COL 19790521 ARDILA CANO Mauricio Alberto RAB
91. 13.30'00" 16 ESP 19790314 CAMANO ORTUZAR Iker SDV
92. 13.31'00" 25 BEL 19860912 SEELDRAEYERS Kevin* QST
93. 13.32'00" 74 AUT 19820104 KOHL Bernhard GST
94. 13.33'00" 94 USA 19861224 PETERSON Thomas* TSL
95. 13.34'00" 28 BEL 19770209 VANDEWALLE Jurgen QST
96. 13.35'00" 166 COL 19740710 PENA GRISALES Victor Hugo RRC
97. 13.37'00" 101 SUI 19721222 MOOS Alexandre BMC
98. 13.39'00" 93 USA 19760522 VANDEVELDE Christian TSL
99. 13.41'00" 4 USA 19711023 HORNER Christopher AST
100. 13.43'00" 92 USA 19790112 ZABRISKIE David TSL
101. 13.45'00" 45 SWE 19800920 LARSSON Gustav CSC
102. 13.47'00" 91 GBR 19770104 MILLAR David TSL
103. 13.49'00" 53 NED 19860531 GESINK Robert* RAB
104. 13.51'00" 42 SUI 19810318 CANCELLARA Fabian CSC
105. 13.53'00" 1 USA 19731024 LEIPHEIMER Levi AST

That was some pretty exciting stuff!

Go Levi!

http://www.letleviride.com/

Saw it at the top of Ballard Canyon. When Hincapie came everyone was chanting "George George George". It was such a blast. I will post pics later tonight.

When I got to Solvang, I decided to ride the course, and to scope out where I wanted to see the time trial. At the time I left, it wasn't raining at all, and the ground was dry. The course had a few hills and rollies in the first couple of miles, then flattened out. Once it got to Ballard, there is that one climb, and I thought this would be perfect to get some shots as they power up the hill. By the time I got up there, it really started pouring. I had to find shelter. There were a few trees, but not the type where you could escape from the rain. So I did get quite drenched.

Wet Roads
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/Tour%20of%20Ca%20Stage%205/P2210135.jpg

Summit
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/Tour%20of%20Ca%20Stage%205/P2220138.jpg

Sergey Ivanov
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/Tour%20of%20Ca%20Stage%205/P2220145.jpg

Steven Cozza
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/Tour%20of%20Ca%20Stage%205/P2220149.jpg

Stuart O'Grady
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/Tour%20of%20Ca%20Stage%205/P2220151.jpg

Super Mario Cipolini ... superfan was running up along side of him, so that's why he had such a big grin
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/Tour%20of%20Ca%20Stage%205/P2220153.jpg

Mark Cavendish ... I think
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/Tour%20of%20Ca%20Stage%205/P2220154.jpg

Superfan ... and entourage
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/Tour%20of%20Ca%20Stage%205/P2220155.jpg

Bradley Wiggins, with Danny Pate in the background. Damn, Wiggins is fast!
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/Tour%20of%20Ca%20Stage%205/P2220156.jpg

Tom Boonen
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/Tour%20of%20Ca%20Stage%205/P2220157.jpg

Fast Freddy
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/Tour%20of%20Ca%20Stage%205/P2220158.jpg

JJ Haedo
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/Tour%20of%20Ca%20Stage%205/P2220159.jpg

Paolo Bettini
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/Tour%20of%20Ca%20Stage%205/P2220162.jpg

Bobby Julich
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/Tour%20of%20Ca%20Stage%205/P2220166.jpg

Jens Voight
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/Tour%20of%20Ca%20Stage%205/P2220171.jpg

George Hincapie
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/Tour%20of%20Ca%20Stage%205/P2220176.jpg

Tom Petersen
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/Tour%20of%20Ca%20Stage%205/P2220179.jpg

Christian Vandevelde
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/Tour%20of%20Ca%20Stage%205/P2220181.jpg

Chris Horner
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/Tour%20of%20Ca%20Stage%205/P2220182.jpg

Dave Zabriskie
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/Tour%20of%20Ca%20Stage%205/P2220183.jpg

Robert Gesink
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/Tour%20of%20Ca%20Stage%205/P2220185.jpg

Fabian Cancellara
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/Tour%20of%20Ca%20Stage%205/P2220186.jpg

Levi Leipheimer
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/Tour%20of%20Ca%20Stage%205/P2220187.jpg

More pics at http://s174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/Tour%20of%20Ca%20Stage%205/

Great photos! Thanks for posting!

Rick / OCRR

Outstanding pix! It looks like those guys were posing for you! And no crowd around either..

Sheldon

Outstanding pix! It looks like those guys were posing for you! And no crowd around either..

Sheldon

LOL ... Some time trialers will want to cut the inside corner, while others going a little wider. I think the ones that cut the corners have the best poses.

Oh, and the crowds ... yea, it wasn't too bad. Funny how bad weather will scare away large crowds :rolleyes:

After the rain came by, the day turned out to be really gorgeous. Notice the wet roads in the first couple of shots, then the dry roads on the later shots.

Is Ballard Canyon there where those photos were taken the last climb on the Solvang Century?

Is Ballard Canyon there where those photos were taken the last climb on the Solvang Century?

Yup. It's after you cross that highway, then do a climb with a bunch of switchbacks.

Awesome photos Ron! Thanks for sharing :beer:

Yup. It's after you cross that highway, then do a climb with a bunch of switchbacks.

I thought it looked familiar. I just don't remember going so fast when I was climbing it :p

Great pics!

Fantasitic pics. Thanks so much for posting. I really should head north next year and check this out in person too.