Tour of California photos

Want to see some of the behind-the-scenes images from the T of C? Click the headline, above.

Tour of California surprise

The surprise team so far at this year's Tour of California is the Slipstream squad. Slipstream's Jason Donald sits in second place overall, just one second behind Discovery's Levi Leipheimer after three days of racing.

Two of the Slipstream riders have pretty deep roots in this part of the world. Click on the headline above to see their story in the Marin Independent Journal...and find out what "Vive Il Sogno" means.

Basso, Bettini...and babes!

Friday night in Sausalito was the big gala presentation for this year's Tour of California bike race. I was fortunate to be asked by a friend to be the "token guy" at a table full of girls. Oh...OK!

I positioned myself, and the girls, directly in the line of fire...all of the teams exiting stage left had to come right past us. It's amazing the kind of access you can get if:

1. You have a camera

2. You're wearing a tux

3. You are with attractive women

OK...number three is the real key to all of this. As one of the girls told me, "It's amazing where you can go, and what you can get, when you have boobs."

Yes, dear...it is.

If you want to see all of my photos from the evening, click on the red headline above.

Must be talkin' to an Angel

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past year, you've already seen "The Specialized Angel" blowing kisses to the world's best bike racers.

Being the tenacious journalist that I am, I had to know more. So, for all of you who've been wondering about the face behind the feathers, click the link above for a look at my story that went up on Pez Cycling News today.

The next great cyclist from Marin?

The lead sports story in today's Marin Indepdent Journal is a feature that I wrote on Tyler Brandt, a 16-year-old cyclist from Drake High School. He could be the "next big thing" to come out of this county.

If you want to read the entire story, and see all the photos, click the headline above.

Life can change in an instant!

I had a real wake-up call today. I was about 23 miles into a 25 mile ride, cruising along, heading for home in San Rafael. I was feeling good today...the sun was out, the rain had stopped, it was getting warmer, and I had "good legs".

A big double-long truck, hauling rocks from the quarry in San Rafael, went around me. I did my best to keep up with him, and I able to tuck into his slipstream for a while.

We were coming around an easy right-and turn, just east of San Rafael High, and all of a sudden I could hear the sound of rocks and gravel hitting the inside wheelwells of a car. I looked over to my left, and saw that a silver car was trying to come around me and the big truck.

The driver of car moved too far to the left, into the "marbles" along the side of the road. He started to swerve, and the back end of his car stepped-out and banged into the guard rail that separates the east and westbound lanes. That sent him violently to the right...he was spinning directly in front of me, and headed toward the truck.

Somehow, the driver managed to crank the wheel to the left, which caused the whole car to do a 180 right in the middle of the road. The force of that move was so violent that it snapped off the front left wheel of the car. The car ended up gong backwards over the median, flinging body and suspension parts along the way, until it came to a rest teetering on the median.

The car was creamed, but thankfully, the driver appeared to be ok. Probably head and neck injuries, but other wise OK.

It's now been a couple of hours since this happened, and the gravity of the situatuion is starting to sink in. Holy crap...I could have been killed. It was just like everyone says...the whole scene moved in slow motion, and I felt like I was watching from a distance, instead of being right in the middle of it all.

Had the car turned a bit more to the right, or spun-out at a different angle, I would not be here writing this. My God, how quickly things can change.

A big-damn difference...

...between today and yesterday. This is what it looked like on Saturday in San Rafael...rainy, crappy...and a really bad day to ride a bike:

Less than 24 hours later, this is what it looked like today in Napa...bright, sunny...perfect for riding:

This, my non-California friends, is a prime example of why I live and work in this part of the world.

Aaahhh!

Ride...and eat...like an Italian!

My friend Fabio Flagiello is going to be leading rides from Risibisi, his restaurant in Petaluma. It's 40+ miles of riding, and a full-on Italian brunch after. The details are below. Check it out:

Risibisi Ride
Mangia to Ride…..Ride per Mangiare
Original Italian Way
Saturday,
03/03/2007

Program

8.30am Cappuccino, Espresso, Cornetti, Pane al Cioccolato

9.00am Si Parte, Right on Time….. Andiamo

A Meta’ Fermata in Pasticceria…….Bakery Stop

12.00pm A Casa per Mangiare……Back to the Restaurant

12.30pm Pranzo e’ Servito…. ….Lunch is Served

Menu’

Soup of the Day
Or
Green Salad
-------------------------
Frittata alla Bettini
Spicy Sausage, Roasted Bell Peppers, Spinach, Dry Provolone Cheese

Crespelle alla Moser
Scallops, Shrimp and Crab folded with Leeks and Mushrooms Country Potatoes

Fette di Pane alla Saronno
French Toast, Mascarpone and fresh Strawberry

Lasagne alla Cipollini
Meat Lasagna, Bechamelle Sauce and Parmigiano Cheese

Bistecca alla Gimondi
Top Sirloin Steak, French Fries, Grilled Tomato, Balsamic Reduction
---------------
American Coffee

$25 per person plus tax and gratuity
No bike shoes in side the restaurant, no jokes

154 Petaluma Blvd. North
Petaluma, CA 94952

707-766-7600

Fast Freddie is the Focus of the Latest IJ Column

Click the headline above to read my latest cycling column in the Marin Independent Journal.

And watch this space for future news on an October fund raiser for the Fast Freddie Foundation.

Zabriskie gets PEZed

Yeah, that's me giving aero positioning tips to Dave Zabriskie. OK, so he IS the guy with the most perfect TT position on the planet...he beat Lance in the '05 Tour TT, and he was second in the worlds last year. Yeah, and I look like freakin' Quasimodo on a bike.

Get over it!