Stage one found us planted at the 90 degree turn before the first sprint zone in Point Reyes Station. We got there about two hours before the riders came through in order to claim a great photo spot. If you have never attended a race like this the whole party atmosphere and pageantry of the event is almost as exciting as the race itself. The California Highway Patrol shut down the main street through town in anticipation of the race about an hour before its arrival. This was the crowd’s sign that the event was coming and the excitement was high, even with those tourists that found themselves there by accident and had no idea until now that the event was taking place. Between the Highway Patrol coming through with race progress and the representatives of the Tour coming by to let us know what was happening, it really started to get exciting about half an hour before the racers arrived.

When the riders finally got to Point Reyes the crowd was in a frenzy and having a great time. A  lone breakaway rider come through first, and then, seven minutes later the full field arrived in hot pursuit. It was over in less than ten minutes, but it is the spectacle of the whole thing that makes it worth coming out to see.

The Sacramento leg of the race was a very different affair. The 116 mile stage started in Santa Rosa, passed through the great wine regions of Sonoma and Napa, and ended at Capital Park a little over five hours later. Our photographer was a few yards past the finish line next to the Versus TV cameras, giving us a great view of the sprint finish. There was a lot of things going on at the park prior to the racer's arrival, including booths, music and celebrity appearances to keep the massive crowd occupied as everyone waited for the competiton to begin.

There were roughly 38,000 people in and around the Capital Park when the riders finally arrived, a much different crowd than the several hundred in Point Reyes. It got very loud as the riders arrived and the crowd began screaming, banging thunder sticks and ringing cow bells. When Tom Bonnen took the stage in a textbook executed sprint the noise was deafening. It was a thrilling end to a damp, cold day.

Levi Leipheimer, one of the United States great cycling stars, won the overall race almost a week later in Pasadena. He has been a wonderful representative of this country’s ability to win the big events. Sadly, due to some political decisions made by the managers of the Tour de France, Levi’s team, Astana, will not be invited to participate this year. Please take a minute to go to www.LetLeviRide.com to read more and show your support for this deserving athlete.

We have included several pictures in the next few pages of the two stages we attended. Take a look and maybe next year we’ll see you there! Continue to Event Photos