Again this year the Tour of California started a stage in our backyard in Palmdale. It was a great day to get a few autographs, see the riders and equipment up close and watch the start of the race. After the start we went out and waited for the riders on the final climb of the day on Bouquet Canyon. Cycling has it’s own set of groupies. We met the man who runs along side the riders wearing a rack of horns or antlers mounted on a football helmet. He is from Seattle and his name is Dore Holte and he follows the tour every year. There was also a wide cast of superheroes, think Sponge Bob and Star Trek, on hand to cheer on the riders.
David Wilkins
Next we went to Avila Beach for the finish of stage 5. Instead of the expected bunch sprint, it turned into a very exciting day of racing with a breakaway from the breakaway. Jens Voigt at age 41 won the stage from riders twenty years younger! Avila Beach had the event well organized. There was plenty of free parking not too far from the finish line.
David Wilkins
From Avila Beach it was on to San Jose and the time trial. This year the time trial was really brutal. Technical descents and 1.9 mile finishing climb that gained 900 feet in altitude. We decided to position ourselves on the final climb. The final climb of the course was closed at 9PM the night before the race. So we arrived early that day and parked at the bottom of the climb and walked about ¾ of a mile up the hill. We found a shady spot with a good background and waited for the riders to come by.
The time trial is one of our favorites because the riders start one at a time so there are plenty of chances to try different shots. I like slow shutter speeds with panning and Chris likes freezing the action. My success rate with slow shutter speeds was only about 30%, but when it works it is a great shot.
