Road Bike Racing - TdG - I'd call it a success

What d'y'all think? Big names were invited and even actually showed. European teams were present. Practically every day was some kind of storybook finish... First stage, some canuck takes the win just to let everybody know they came to play, and as a reminder does it again in stage 7, Cipo takes a sprint (special because it was in the US) and rides the whole event, LA takes a sprint (everybody knows Lance can't sprint), McCartney barely wins stage after an all day breakaway, Grajales takes a climbing stage (representin' the home team so to speak).

Sure hope they can do it again next year.

It makes me hope they will one day have that kind of event in the Chicago area (not the Downers Grove Crits either). Good going, GA!

Koffee

Yeah, it was great! I can't wait for this year's SFGP (Oops! I meant the T-Mobile International) in my neck of the woods. I wish there was a good stage race in NorCal.

It was great and the fans really turned out this year. If LA doesn't show up next year will there be a large turnout? Yeah, I think so!

daggone good job Ima thinkin ;)

See you uns next year, ya heer!

Not bad for a bunch of good ole southern rednecks :D:D:D

I wish it had more tv coverage. I would have happily watched each stage for an 1/2 - hour each day on OLN... But yes I wish there were more high caliber stage races in the US.

Who knows, maybe this race's success will bring about more races overall... watch for more details on the newest Tour (with Lance) coming sometime next year....

Koffee

I think it was an absolute success.
The US has struggled with tours all along, Tour Du Pont, Coors, etc. but they
never got alot of press or attention by European teams.
TdG had Euro teams, I heard it mentioned at least 3 or 4 times in
the mainstream news.

ya'll done good

Marty

I think it was a great success.I'm planning on going for the whole week nexy year(went fri and sat this year).Wish there was more coverage.Also wish a radio station had ran it live.It was tough driving start to finish and not knowing what was going on.My little girl(a LA fan) is now a fan of many others after talking and getting autographs w/ a ton of riders.I was impressed w/ the turnout.

I miss the days when the Tour Dupont used to come rite by my apartment on the final stage in VA. It was Greg Lemond that really got me going into bikes and he raced there. Hopefully GA will keep the ball rolling.

Wow. What a week of racing! One can only hope that the organizers will be able to replicate the event again in subsequent years. Of course, to do so they'll need to once again attract several Division I teams from the European cycling scene; that's what made the difference between this year and last. Moreover, the organizers truly did a very good job of creating stages that were reminescent of the Grand Tours in Europe, right down to Stage 5 with several major Cols (19k vert feet all tolled), Stage 6 with two epic climbs including the "hors catagorie" moutain top finish at Brasstown Bald, and then the finale in Alpharetta, GA where the peloton came into the town for the final 10k which was ridden in four circuits around a business park but, with an uphill sprint finish -- which is what did in Cippo. Had it not been an uphill finish (4% grade), Cippo may have had a better shot at the final sprint. As it was, he didn't get the lead out he needed (the second Domina Vacanze rider to finish was in 31st position), had to go it alone for the final 50m and was eaten up by Gord Fraser & Juan Jose Haedo inside the final 10m to the finish.

Lots of great anecdotes came out of this tour. While still 5k from the end of the climb up Brasstown Bald Lance was quoted as saying to the riders around him, "There's no way we finish at the top" as he looked up at how far the summit was... It is steep; reaallly steep as you get inside the final 2mi to the top. 20% with 23% through the switchbacks. Mario Cippollini even called out for a push as he came into the super steep stuff and fans quickly obliged (Note: At last report he was not fined or penalized). Jens Voigt with his "Arnold-like" accent said "These are for you pretty little girl" as he handed his flowers to our friend's 3 year old after the TT in Rome; unfortunately "mom" had her back to the whole episode as she shot-off photos of Cippo and Lance. And so it goes. We saw Bobke several times throughout the tour; at the top of Woody's Gap, the finish in Dahlonega, and then again in Alpharetta, and also had the distinct pleasure seeing Davis Phinney who addressed the audience.

For comparison's sake, we watched Lance race at the San Francisco Grand Prix in '02 and while the crowds weren't as big at any one stage during the TdG as they were for the one-day Crit in SF, the total number of people who lined the seven stages probably topped 200,000 over the course of the 6 days of racing. There were easily 25k - 35k within eyesight at the finish line in Alpharetta, GA. Before that, the last time we'd seen LA race in person was the road race at the '96 Olympics and based on walking around easily 1/2 of the road circuit, there were not nearly as many spectators lining the course in '96 as we saw at the mountain climbs or finish lines of the TdG. In fact, as popular as the Redlands Classic was back in '85 - '90 when I lived in Redlands, I can't ever recall seeing a crowd as large as the ones at the TdG.

Simply awesome is the only way to describe it.

Wow. What a week of racing! ...


thanks for the report, Mark. good stuff. timing was bad this year, but i hope to take in several stages next year.

Damn things better get popular, I'll be doing race reporting next season and being sent to the races :)

How Awesome!! I'm developing my pics from stage 6 right now. I think if they can continue to have stages similar to these, they should be able to attract European talent. I had a blast, I'll be there next year, even if Lance isn't racing. I'll post my pics tomorrow! Maybe next year they can get some better TV coverage?

Here's me and Bobke, I figured if you carried around a camera with big lens, and didn't act like you were overly thrilled to be there, security really wouldnt notice you.

I got everywhere I wanted to with no problems, but next year I'm making fake press passes.

I've got a ton of good shots, Ill post the link when I get em all up, till then....

I was right in there.

But my favorite is this one, shrunk down to be posted, but I have the 1mb file if anyone wants it.

Jacky Durand, one of my favorites....

Jacky Durand, one of my favorites....

"alo... i am jacky... you better take your peektures now, as i will be attacking very very soon."

here's Lance and Jens pushing it up Brasstown Bald:

http://www.rodvesper.com/lance.jpg

and Eki not long behind them:

http://www.rodvesper.com/Ekimov.jpg

some fans at the TdG:

Unidentified man in orange trying the 22% grade at Brasstown Bald:

http://www.rodvesper.com/orangeclimber.jpg

Pinarello Yellow with the Georgia Mountains:

http://www.rodvesper.com/pinarello.jpg

A tribute to Pantani:

http://www.rodvesper.com/pantani.jpg