Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bicycling, bike, Dave Zabriskie, Floyd Landis, Francisco Mancebo, Miller Motorsports, mountain, Snowbird, Stage 3, Stage 4, time trial, Tour de France, Tour of Utah, utah, Yellow Jersey
I was able to catch two stages of the 2009 Tour of Utah last week. Stage 3 was an individual time trial held at Miller Motorsports Park, and Stage 4 was a brutal 96 mile cross country ride ending at Snowbird ski resort. Here are some pictures…
Tour de France alumnus Floyd Landis warming up for the Stage 3 time trial:
A local rider representing Canyon Bicycles finishing the Stage 3 time trial:
Lance Armstrong?… No, but a rider for the Trek team with a very cool looking outfit:
Yellow Jersey holder Francisco Mancebo looking relieved to finish the brutal 10 mile climb up to Snowbird at the end of Stage 4:
Floyd Landis finishes Stage 4:
Dave Zabriskie, fresh off of the 2009 Tour de France, finishes Stage 4:
The winners of Stage 4 on the podium:
Francisco Mancebo, who went on to win the Tour of Utah, with the Yellow Jersey at the end of Stage 4:
Attending these races was a lot of fun! I had never been to a bike race before, and wasn’t sure what to expect. The atmosphere was very casual and open, and spectators were free to walk around and visit with the teams. There were some incredible bikes, and lots of excitement in the air. I look forward to next year.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bicycle, bike, race, racing, stage, Tour de France, Tour of Utah
The Tour of Utah has been going this week, and I’m excited to finally be able to catch some of the action in person. It is not often that we get to see pros like David Zabriskie, Floyd Landis, and others, who just rode in the Tour de France. Pretty cool!
My wife and I are planning to see Stage 3 tonight, at Miller Motorsports Park. It’s a 9.2 mile individual time trial stage. After the race is done they are going to open the course up to the public so that anyone that wants to bring their bike can ride the same course the pros just rode. Sounds like fun! (Other than the fact they are predicting the temperature over the asphalt could be 110F or more due to the hot day today. Yikes!)
Tomorrow a friend and I are planning on heading up to Snowbird in the afternoon to catch the finish of Stage 4, which is a pretty brutal 96 mile ride over several major mountain passes, ending with the 10 mile, 3300 vertical foot climb up to Snowbird.
Finally, I’m also hoping to catch some of the final stage on Sunday, which is a 90 minute criterium race in downtown Salt Lake.
This will be the first time I’ve been able to catch a bike race in person since I started biking a little over a year ago, and I’m pretty stoked!
If you’re a local then I’d encourage you to come on out and have some fun. I believe that all of the events are free to watch. Find out more info at the Tour of Utah website.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bicycling, bike, Lance Armstrong, Team Astana, Team Radio Shack, Tour de France
This was the first year that I ever cared much about the Tour de France, and it sure was fun to watch the race play out each day. Thee weeks of getting up early to watch, or setting up Tivo. Three weeks of checking the standings. Three weeks of wondering if Lance will pull it off. Three weeks… and now it is over.
When the tour started three weeks ago, I had no idea what I was in for. I knew the Tour was the most famous bicycle race in the world, and that Lance Armstrong was making his comeback, and I knew it was a big deal, but that was about it.
Well, in the last three weeks I have learned more about the Tour de France, and bicycle racing in general, than I ever could have imagined. Words like “Peloton”, “Breakaway”, “Attack”, and “Stage” now roll effortlessly off my tongue. I even know who Phil and Paul are. 🙂
What a race it was! It was exciting each day to see the unique elements of that day’s stage, and to begin to understand the strategies that each team was going to try. I learned all about the unique scoring of the different stages, and why certain riders chose to pursues different goals.
On the final day it was beautiful to watch the peloton roll into Paris, and to see the tradition play out as Team Astana took the front and “protected” their leader. Then there was that final sprint… wow… so much speed!
It was great fun!
I now consider myself an avid cyclist and have put in a lot of miles over the last year. I have a great deal of respect for all of the riders in the Tour. Just getting to that level of athletic ability is something that few in this world can hope to achieve. Then, when I watch guys like Lance Armstrong, Andy Schleck, and Alberto Contador conquer something like Mont Ventoux on Stage 20 with so much power and control, I am simply amazed.
It was great to see Lance do so well in his comeback bid. I know that some are disappointed that he didn’t win the overall, but for a guy his age who has been “retired” for so long, I think he did an incredible job. Based on the announcement of his plans for Team Radio Shack, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Lance at the top of the podium next year.
You can be sure that I’ll be watching.
(Photo courtesy of hyku)
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 4th of July, bicycle, bike, commute, commuting, fun, holiday, independence day, Lifetime Fitness, Tour de France, weekend
As you celebrate this Independence Day, I hope that you’ll be able to get out and enjoy a bike ride “just for fun”.
There are lots of things happening this weekend. America is celebrating Independence Day. The Tour de France begins. People will be taking time off and celebrating.
The gym that we belong to is putting together a group ride on Saturday that sounds like a lot of fun. It’s mainly for the holiday weekend, but they are also taking advantage of the Tour de France coverage. The gym will have the live coverage of the Tour de France first stage setup on the big screen, and a group will be getting together in the morning to watch the race together. Afterwards we’ll all hop on our bikes, and ride a timed 15km “stage” of our own, ending at a local bike shop, where there will be prizes and free stuff given out.
I think that sounds like a lot of fun, and I’m really looking forward to riding with a group, as well as the fun of some friendly competition, and of course I’m always one to enjoy free stuff. Also, since I’ve only been into bicycling for the last year, this is the first time that I’ve really been interested in watching the Tour de France. I’m excited to be in a room with a bunch of other bicycle geeks to see how Lance Armstrong and the other riders will do.
I was told by the event organizer that this get together is not just for gym members, so non-members are welcome to join the fun. If any of you Utah riders are interested, the event will be at Lifetime Fitness, 10996 River Front Pkwy, in South Jordan. The Tour de France coverage should start around 8 or so, and the ride should start around 9-9:30. I plan on getting there by 8. I have no idea how many people will be showing up, but if you read this and decide to be there then I’d love to meet you. I’ll be riding a white Rocky Mountain road bike, and I’ll probably have a blue and white jersey on. I’ll also probably be wearing my Keen commuter sandals. Hopefully that narrows things down a bit. 🙂
Whatever you do this weekend, have a safe time, and I hope that you can get out and enjoy a fun ride.
Drive My Bike 