It was decided several months ago to move the Tour of California from February to May. Just look at this photo from last year’s Marin to Santa Cruz stage, and you’ll see why:
climbing Bonny Doon Road in the freezing rain[photo: Kenny Karst]
Although the ToC now conflicts with the Giro d’Italia, most of the high-profile riders who compete in the Tour de France skip the Giro, as it takes too much out of you, riding two three-week races so close to each other. So our favorite TdF stars will still be able to ride the California race (which lasts only 8 days) if they so desire. Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, George Hincapie and Dave Zabriskie have all already announced that they will ride the ToC.
But the big news in these-here parts about the Tour of California is that Santa Cruz will once again be a host city, and stage 3—on May 18 (yes, I already have it calendared)—from San Francisco, will finish here. Yippee! The race will also for the first time have a mountain stage from Pasadena to Big Bear, something that the snow would have prevented in a February race.
With regard to the 2010 Tour de France route, what’s got me most excited is stage 3, through southern Belgium, which has 13.2 km. of pavé—i.e., cobblestones.
Sectors (as they’re called) of pavé are a traditional part of the Spring Classic races such as Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Paris-Roubaix (aka the “Hell of the North”).
why Paris-Roubaix got its moniker(that’s George Hincape in the lead, in case you can’t tell)
web photo [source]
Cobblestones are grueling for the riders, because of the bumps, the mud (if it’s raining), the flat-tires they cause, not to mention the frequent spills and pile-ups.
The Tour de France doesn’t often include pavé sections, and the decision has created controversy, with the “experts” already taking sides and facing off on the issue (too risky; why endanger potential yellow-jersey contenders in the first week? vs. exciting; make the winner prove himself on all types of road surfaces). I’m in the first camp: Pavé is a cycling tradition, so it’s fitting that some be included in the Tour de France. And, hey, the yellow jersey could also ride off the face of le Tourmalet—a much more dangerous prospect—but no one is arguing that there shouldn’t be mountain stages. [Click here for a good overview of the first week of the TdF, including stage 3.]
Some News About My Bike Riding: I saw my first ever coyote the other day, leisurely trotting across the road, right in front of me, on my ride up to UCSC (it was on Coolidge Drive, by the East Field House, at about 8:15 a.m. on a Saturday morning). Needless to say, I was very excited.
And then, this morning, I saw the Natural Bridges bobcat again (a female, I’m guessing, as it’s fairly small). I came upon her from behind, and followed her as she walked up the road, and then she primly sat down on a stump and turned and watched me as I rode slowly by (about 10 feet away), watching her. Chouette!
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