welcome to the prequel. the time trial isn't quite as exciting as the road race, but it does have it's advantages. you can get way closer to the riders. for example, as they finished their runs, they had to ride along a skinny sidewalk bordered by a wall on one side and barriers five feet from that wall. and that's exaclty where i stood as i waited for the third wave of riders to take their start. i figured i was in a good spot. across the barriers from me stood two giants of the american cycling media.
finally the riders started showing up. their bikes were measured to make sure they were not breaking the rules. i didn't notice any sock length checks, but i'm sure all riders were within the norms. first off the block was monday's hero, Timmy Duggan:
pretty relaxed. almost like he knew that his big day was to come a little later. then it was Ben Jacques-Maynes' turn to take off:
next was one of my favorites, georgia boy Brent Bookwalter:
i got a pic of his first pedal stroke on his way to the podium:
2011 road race champ Matthew Busche:
TT specialist Tom Zirbel:
and finally, the man, the legend, Dave Zabriskie:
once they were all off, i made my way to my usual spot at 150 meters to go and tried to get pics of the riders as they flew by inches from me. i think this is Talansky:
DZ:
Brent:
Zirbel:
Busche:
DZ again:
once they were all done with their first two out of three laps, i made my way 100 meters upcourse:
here comes Brent:
i noticed the lovely podium hostesses (who i'm sure remembered me from years past) made their way to the podium and were checking me out. i decided to indulge them by taking their picture (joking aside, they've done an amazing job the last few years. if you're familiar with mplsminx on twitter, you appreciate the lesser known aspects of hostessing, and these ladies are pro.):
i looked back at some point and notice 2010 road race champ Ben King hanging in the shade with soon-to-be 2012 road race champ Timmy Duggan:
Timmy's bike:
and here comes DZ:
and here's his winning time:
podium time, here's 3rd placed rider Brent Bookwalter:
runner up Tejay Van Garderen being congratulated by/congratulating his teammate:
captain america re-donning his suit:
some well-earned love:
the podium:
and i got the hell out of there to avoid the champagne showers and beat the crowds out of the office park:
and it was all downhill from there as far as my sobriety was concerned. one of the best weekends yet in greenville. i'm kind of sad we won't be back next year, but chattanooga is a pretty cool town also. i'm sure they'll be just as welcoming to the cycling community. all pics by me.