Tour of California route announced
by Hons on Dec 4, 2008 12:13 PM EST
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PrintThe Tour of California has revealed the full details of the 2009 ToC. Wonder no longer, the complete routes and profiles are now available.
You may also notice that the ToC organizers care what you think!!! They have a poll question asking What did you enjoy most on our Tour Tracker?
1) play-by-play
2) Live video
3) chat room
I say we make the power of the PdC felt and let them know how much we appreciate the live video coverage.
And to fulfill my word count obligation, I will grumble. In their promotional video playing on their site they announce themselves as the "first major cycling event of the year:", apparently the ToC hasn't heard of the ProTour or the Tour Down Under. I guess this this is one result of ASO's involvment...
Read more at Velonews.
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Woohoo!!!
Time for me to put some miles on the Triumph! Those maps are fantastic! Someone should tell the Vuelta about them.
That stage from Merced to Clovis is exactly what I’d hoped it would be… about as close to riding in the Sierra Nevadas as you can get that early in the year. It’s going to juuuuuuust brush by Yosemite and then go by my favorite little breakfast spot in Oakhurst.
Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc.
Clovis
Is that the town that’s 13,000 years old?
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Dec 4, 2008 1:01 PM EST up reply actions
Nope
It’s just one of the most red neck towns in the state. They were once known for housing discrimination against minorities. When I was in High School in Fresno, rumor was that there was a Aryan Brotherhoood symbol in the Clovis West High School yearbook. Yuck.
On the other hand, Clovis is also the start for Climb to Kaiser, one of the most grueling “fun” rides in CA. 160 miles 14,000 ft of climbing. It’s an out and back course to the top of Kaiser Pass in the Sierras. When I completed the ride in 2006 (maybe it was 2005), when we rode back down into the valley it was 111 degrees. Not hot enough to keep me from sprinting for 2nd place though :)
Flahutes: Harden the F--k Up!
e's ringing, Dude
Chris, this lack of edit button fucking sucks. Not to put too fine a point on it.
"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass... and I'm all out of bubblegum."
California.. New Mexico... whatever
"All men are frauds. The only difference between them is that some admit it. I myself deny it."- H. L. Mencken
Yeah! Been waiting for this. Can't wait to dig in but for now...
I’ll admit, I’m disappointed that the prologue isn’t longer but it is a prologue. 3.9 KM isn’t long enough. It is a nice route though. The profile is humorous. It makes one think there is actually a hill in Downtown Sac. There isn’t. We are flat and at sea level. The 25 foot (8m) rise is when the riders go over the river levees and Tower Bridge. Hah!
The start will be beautiful. The Capitol Dome will be behind the start house and Tower Bridge in front. The finish is on the sidewalk in front of my office.
Cool!
What color paint will you be spraying “Podium Cafe” on the road in?
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Dec 4, 2008 1:01 PM EST up reply actions
What color WATER-BASED paint will you be spraying?
The ToC officials took a lot of crap from the various highway depts for the road painting. The race has asked for chalk only.
I’ve done some backwater climbs in the south of France only to see 15 yr old road painting go by under my wheels. You can deduce the years by the riders involved, Chiapucci for example. This story to illustrate the hangtime of paint.
Spray chalk!
Isn’t that what they use now?
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Dec 4, 2008 2:58 PM EST up reply actions
Woo hoo! I think PODIUM CAFE would look good in rainbow!!!!
and HINCAPIE in flourescent pink. And maybe a LEVI in green as well. If there’s time. I’ll bring my kids so we can do it up right.
Chalk It Spray Chalk is on sale too. $5.95 a can. (Yikes. We may need a few.)
Red and blue at just $4.95 a can.
Order up!!!
Hey, Jimbo said I could ship a bike and the brats/burgers his way early. Can we have all these chalk cans delivered to his place too?
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
Me too
I was counting on a hat trick for Emilia Fahlin. Now she will have to settle for one win, poor girl.
Carlos Sastre - Tour de France winner - Born From Jets
Stage 2
Has got be pretty excited. It’s on roads I ride regularly and passes about 20 blocks from my apartment. The trick will be finding the best viewing spot.
I was wishing the final stage would have an uphill finish.
But it will still be good fun! This middle section looks nice and climby.
Welcome home Dan! Sounds like you had a fantastic trip!
You’ll have to check out this stage for us too. :-)
Very climby
I’ve done this route a number of times. For me, the bigger bitch is Cole Grade Road, a little after Palomar.It doesn’t show up on the profile map, but there is a good chunk of that climb at about 14. Then is drops to 10, then 8%.
I thought I left this crap behind after watching the Tour on Vs.
Nice banner ad Chris :) I can only imagine that the slow migration of this blog from cycling related to content to All TapouT – All the Time is now underway!
“PodiumCafe – All Things To All People (Who Love Bloodsports)”
Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc.
Believe me
if I could take credit for that, I would.
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Dec 4, 2008 2:58 PM EST up reply actions
right now I have banner ads for Overstocked.Com and CaliforniaPsychics.Com
on PdC. Are the ad servers trying to tell me something?
Hand raised and flagging....
Does this mean we can finally start real discussions about the PdC meet up plan? I have questions like which days are better if we can’t make the whole week+, how many days would be good if only doing let’s say 1/2, and of course – are there still thoughts about renting a house or at least narrowing down the same hotels and such?
Fun vaca plan discussion while snow is sitting outside my window would be reeeeeeeally nice.
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
Decisions
not easy to come by…
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Dec 4, 2008 4:43 PM EST up reply actions
heads up i going to ToC
if folks plan to come to the ToC, some spots like Solvang sell out the hotel rooms pretty fast and you might end up in Lompoc (ugh).
But I should also say
It’s not the end of the world. Solvang is probably more expensive than many places around there. And there are many places close by. Last year we drove in from LA (Westwood) the morning of the ITT and stayed in Ojai that night. And that wasn’t too unreasonable an amount of driving.
Well, I'm pretty dissapointed that they made
Mt. Palomar as insignificant as they possibly could. The summit is 90k from the finish, I hope the second climb could lead to some action but I doubt it. Overall the profile looks good though, it’s all coming down to Solvang it looks like. But the organizers are going to have to find out a way to host a mountain top finish eventually. This “logistical challenge” crap doesn’t cut it for me. But I don’t want to sound too cranky, this really has got me excited for February.
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
Dunno
I wonder how much is really “logistical” versus “February”? I suspect the big teams love the race for a number of reasons, including the fact that they can get the engine pretty warm but not boilin hot?
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Dec 4, 2008 5:09 PM EST up reply actions
I wouldn't call one mountain top finish boilin hot
I mean it’s not the Giro. They should put in the most exciting route for the fans IMO, with Brasstown gone, Palomar could have been a good replacement for the US fans this year.
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
Snowy mountain top finish?
I’m not familiar with Palomar so can someone from the desolate southern reaches of our fair state speak up on what the summit of Palomar might look like in Feb? Are we talking San Diego winter (as in 65 and sunny), or spring skiing conditions, or actual winter?
totally depends
It could snow there or it could be warm. It really depends on the winter, and in particular, if the drought cycle breaks down that way.
Mt. Palomar as in "Mt. Palomar Observatory"...
as in they had to put the telescope up high enough to get above the smog and light pollution. The possibility of snow is high. It wouldn’t stick around for very long, but if there’s rain in the forecast for the general Temecula area, it would snow up there.
Pictures from 2006…
The road up to the summit.
The general store previously mentioned.
A horrible photo of me up at the telescope.
Snow falling within 100 yards down the road of the telescope.
Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc.
lol, nah
I did climb a portion of San Jacinto in the snow too. That sorta sucked.
I just don’t particularly like cold feet. That’s all.
Ahh... San Jacinto...
… on my 2009 To Do list along with San Gorgonio…
Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc.
Economics played a part
Finish in the towns, not in the middle of nowhere. There’s nothing much around there, except the store at the top, and Mary’s at Lake Crenshaw.
Err, f**kin economics
thanks for clearing that up, still they need to find a economically suitable mtn. finish, well they don’t need to but I sure want them to!
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
patience ;-)
You have to get the people in the habit of turning out for bike races. Then, maybe they’ll be willing to trek out to a mountain top finish in sufficient numbers to sell expo booths. The start/finish towns also have to pick up sponsors for hosting – so, you need some people and businesses around to make that happen.
Patience?
there is to be no patience. I’ll give them 2 more years, but that’s it. I already find it funny that you Californians call those little lumps you have mountains(unnecessary arrogant statement by Colorado resident)
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
Heh
Just because you’re whole state got tilted up by some subterranean force like 20 million years ago or something, no need to get all high and mighty and stuff. We’re too busy travelling north and falling into the sea to build bigger mountains. Sheesh, there’s too much going on here to be bothered with that.
I’ll take smaller mountains with a side order of beaches, thanks. ;-)
ooooh so offended
at least this isn’t our governor, hehe, it’s all good though I lived in Cali for 10 years, there’s not hate from me about Cali
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
Highest point in CA – Mt. Whitney – 14494 ft.
Highest point in CO – Mt Elbert – 14433 ft.
I’m just sayin…
huh, really?
learn something new everyday. i assumed co had something higher, cuz the base elevation is higher.
so is whitney the highest in north america? man, i so should know this…
Mt McKinley
AK – 20,320
Mean elevation of CO is 6800 ft. Mean elevation of CA is 2900
Lowest point in CO is 3,315 ft. Lowest point in CA is -282 ft (Death Valley)
WIki is wonderful..
grazie :-)
that was fun.
i dig the spread on that death valley and mt whitney elevation. some cool shit here in cali.
A rundown...
I may have mentioned this somewhere on PdC earlier, but if you draw a 100 mile circle around Lone Pine, CA, you have the highest spot in the 48 states (Mt. Whitney), the lowest spot in the western hemisphere (Bad Water), the oldest living thing on earth (Methuselah Grove of Bristlecone Pines in the White Mountains) and the largest living thing on earth (General Sherman Tree, Sequoia National Park).
We rock.
Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc.
Cali is cool
but could you please get rid of Hollywood? I’m sick of Paris Hilton’s becoming famous
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
Apparently someone tried last night...
The Body Shop burned down last night
Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc.
They would lock her up for life
soon as she set foot in Utah. She has certainly violated numerous Utah state laws
Oh yeah!
Well, if you draw a 100 mile circle around Seattle, you have the best coffee (Lighthouse), the worst Frank Gehry design (EMP), the best smoked salmon (a shack on the Makah reservation), the largest clearcut (Gifford Pinchot NF) and the shittiest weather (Makah again).
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Dec 4, 2008 7:22 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah
You guys have your own Gehry problems.
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Dec 4, 2008 7:36 PM EST up reply actions
Strangely
those items are unrelated.
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Dec 7, 2008 3:04 AM EST up reply actions
wiki is great
and does Alaska really count?
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
Sigh, you had to go there didn't you
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
Yeah but no one lives up there
the highest located city in US is in Colorado(leadville), and our capital is 1 mile above see level, oh and I almost forgot to mention the 58 14ers.
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
Are you calling me special?
that’s so nice of you :)
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
pretty much lived in cali my whole life
and i still find it weird to go from pine trees and mountains to beach in such short distances.
Surf?
we use Snowboards, you know, the Olympic sport. Actually I ski and I really don’t like boarders that much, at least not the ones who always cut you off(so about 98% of them)
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
The white stuff(don't be perverted) that falls from the sky
in which yeti’s play
http://neo3555.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/yeti.jpg
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
RAAM
Guys who have done RAAM generally agree that Colorado, while it has lots of climbing is not the real problem. They have more problems with the Appalachians. Partly because they are so late in the event, but also partly do the the steepness. They tend to be more steep, probably because the roads used in CO are of a much more recent vintage.
Yeah, the roads aren't too steep here
but very winding, which is very annoying when trying to travel. But the steepness is wiped out by the altitude, if you’re not used to it
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
Appalachians
I wonder, do the grades suck for geologic reasons, or because 100 years ago they didn’t see anything wrong with putting roads straight into the grade?
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Dec 4, 2008 7:25 PM EST up reply actions
probably both
but there are some deep river valleys around there, i think the southern end is steeper geologically and the northern more rounded, but i could be wrong. lol, i’ve only been through there a couple of times and didn’t really linger.
Anyone out in the San Luis Obispo area the week before ToC,
can register for the Team Columbia Charity ride.
And a driver for these much needed folks.
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
who do we call?
they definitely need all of the above. now, who do we call?
dear team columbia,
we think you need our services. for blogging. and such.
love and kisses,
gavia
Speaking of Blogging,
I’ve been asked to Blog for the Astana site whilst at TDU :-)
We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.
George Bernard Shaw, 1856-1950
How fun :-)
Are you going to get some added access to the boys while doing so? You know… so you can add quotes and such into your writes?
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
A double agent!
We’ve arrived!
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Dec 7, 2008 3:05 AM EST up reply actions
Ohhh do i get a Agent name LOL
We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.
George Bernard Shaw, 1856-1950
Ohhh Never asked about that..
Note to self, ask for added access…
I nearly fell off my chair when i was asked in the email.
I’m happy to just tell my adventures :-)
We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.
George Bernard Shaw, 1856-1950
We are already looking forward to the daily reports! :-)
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
:-) Glad to do it
We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.
George Bernard Shaw, 1856-1950
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