AMGen World Class Bike race with Lance Armstrong, others

[imported_Nee7x7]

The race has already started, but there are still plenty of photos ops from Central CA to the Central Coast then down to Southern California.

Information can be found on this website:
http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/

Today's route (Feb. 17th -already underway) goes from San Jose to Modesto.

Wednesday's route (Feb. 18th) starts in Merced and finishes in Clovis.

Thursday (Feb. 19th) the race starts in Visalia and finishes in Paso Robles.

Friday (Feb. 20th) is a timed trial in Solvang.

Saturday (Feb. 21st) the route goes from Santa Clarita to Pasedena.

Sunday (Feb. 22nd) the final leg of the race goes from Rancho Bernardo
to Escondido, California.

[Michael448]

I got very wet on stage 2 when they passed through my town, hope it clears off for everyone else.

[imported_Nee7x7]

Hi Michael...well, at least that one rider is having a laugh about the rain! Looks like you had a sweet location for shooting, tho' getting rained on can't be much fun...for you, or your camera!

Down where I live (near Visalia) hopefully it will have stopped raining by Thursday. I'm debating whether to try and catch the start of the race downtown or position myself somewhere along the route...or, try and catch the start then hop in my car and drive to a position outside of town to catch the action as it goes by.

BTW, my good friend Dee Golden lives in Pacifica and sent me a photo of the racers going past her house as she photographed the action from her front porch!

Bummer that some jerk or jerks stole Lance Armstrong's custom, one of a kind bike that he uses for the time trials. Sure hope they find it and catch the dimwit that took it!

[Michael448]

I know Dee from flickr and I saw her pics and she had a ringside seat. Catching them at the finish would be good, but they are fast, next time I am going to find a place where they are peddling uphill to slow things down a little bit, good luck to you!

[imported_Nee7x7]

Small world! Dee gets around (I tried to get her to post over here, but I think she's content with Flickr, LOL!).

I looked at the map for the route in Visalia and the riders turn a corner from one street to another abt. 2 blocks from my daughter's house, so that might be where I opt for setting up (Hopefully they will have to slow down some to make the turn). It will be easier to get to and from that location (I know all the side streets really well by her house) and I might be able to jump ahead of the riders and find a more rural location to shoot from next.

Dee is actually the one who clued me in about the race. We stopped taking the local paper last year (tired of paying for papers that ended up soggy because the paperboy seemed to like throwing them on the lawn, LOL!).

Well, I'm hoping luck will be with me...and with the racers, too!

Cheers!
~Nee :)