GS MOTO FOTO

Final Stage...then a Red Eye HOME!

2009-02-23T13:01:00.003-05:00

Waking up Sunday morning was exciting and a downer all at one time. I was ready to pack my duds one last time, get off a bike for a day or two and get home to see Susie and my pups. The downer...it has all gone by so fast. As Jamie who drives the "speaker car" up front announcing said at the start...it is kind of like leaving summer camp!

Mt. Palamar was the story for the day....word had it that folks had been camping along an 8 mile stretch 2 days prior. I wasn't sure what to expect from the last day....thousands of photo's had been shot off the bike....what scenario had we possibly missed?

Apparently we had missed quite a bit...Doug must have had 10 shots of espresso as he worked my ass off in the peleton and roadside!
Back to the mountain...the crowds reminded me of watching the Tour on TV.....huge, in the road, dressed to thrill...dressed to kill....dressed to be arrested....I haven't seen so much skin since, well that is another story.

The decent was insane! We stayed at the top, shot the leaders and jumped in behind the main field and for 11 miles looked for an opportunity to overtake the field down the hill. Instead we were bangin' and rubbin' team cars as most of the ride down we were 3 abreast at 50 mph plus!
I have described this job as 5 hours in the saddle and 15 to 20 minutes the pucker factor redlines!

Doug wanted to follow the group down to 4 miles to go off a decent just to be sure everyone cleared the grade....especially the leaders. We passed in a wide spot and hauled into town to get to the finish line in time for him to set up for the finish. After our thank yous I motored over to the curb pulled off my helmet and sat there for a minute wondering if I was just that tired or did others feel like the day was a feeding frenzy. Come to find out...3 other photo drivers felt the same as me....earned their money for the day!

As Lance came across the line, 4 officers on bicycles and 2 police motors escorted him to his rig...his days of anonymity are over.

A great week...the longest race I have ever worked....a ton of experience gained...and ready to get off the moto and drive the Mini a few days!

Thank you for your interest and reading my happenings....check in from time to time as I will continue to update over the year. No Georgia this year...bummed about that....maybe it will come back...really loved that race!

Buellton to Santa Clarita...only 120 mile transfer!

2009-02-23T12:37:00.003-05:00

The morning started early out of Buellton as we had to click off 120 to SC....90 for the race to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena...then another 120 to San Diego for the final stage!

We decided to go back through Solvang and do San Marcos pass over to Santa Barbara then down the coast into Santa Clarita. San Marcos pass is where Lance apparently does some training according to Walt...he has run into him a time or two on the climb while visiting Santa Barbara. We took the old road which was about an 8% grade with banked 180 turns...oh yeah...I was smilin'!

Last year the run into Pasadena was foggy and rainy...this year you could see for miles! The descent into town last forever and we actually did some work off the front...at 60+ rolling down.

In and around the Rose Bowl Doug took several great scenic's of the group as they passed...worked out really nice.

A long time friend from Shelby, Frank Wilkins who now lives in the LA area came up to Pasadena to watch the finish. We arranged to meet down at Hermosa Beach for dinner with a friend of his to catch up and chill for a while over dinner. Frank selected a nice spot down by the pier and we had a great visit!

I still had 2 hours of travel time from there to San Diego....I did not have a clue where I was or needed to go...! I punched in my hotel and followed the prompts on the GPS...must have traveled 5 different roads including a nice toll road that shot me up by UC Irvine. Man what a view of LA at night looking back!
Rolled into the Courtyard around 9:30pm....dog tired. One more stage to go...with the huge climb of Mt. Palamar...5200 elevation....roughly 16 miles up! Glad I had throttle!

TT Solvang

2009-02-23T12:18:00.002-05:00

I must admit....the days got jammed and the internet was not so available the last few days, so I am writing this retrospectively...enjoy!

Yet another beautiful day brought us into Solvang for the same time trial course as in previous years. I don't know if it was the predictibility of the event or the Lance effect....but again the crowds for the TT were staggering!

We assembled with masses of CHP motors and local motorcyclist volunteering their efforts to perform lead outs....running 50 yards in front of each cyclist around the course. Each motor and car had the cyclist name on a sticker placed on the windshield to let the crowd know who was coming up.

Our duties started toward the end as we went out with Floyd Landis and shot some side on with him as we rotated with TV to capture his efforts. It was interesting to watch his methodical breathing as he rode...very calculated it seemed.

A short time later Doug clicked off images of the remaining cyclist in a very populated horseshoe bend just before the small climb while I sat roadside and did my usual public relational duties chatting with some really nice locals who had ridden mountain bike with Floyd years ago!

And...as we have done the past three years....chased Levi down the hill as the final rider to shoot him secure his third TT victory in Solvang! Comm 2 was very generous this year allowing us to get in with Levi and TV down inside to the last two turns before the finish. We were trying really hard to get a side on shot, but TV took every opportunity that existed for that footage. I felt like Earnhardt trying to get a peak inside as we both were competing for the same shot and at the same time not interfering with Levi's line or wind. We did go through the finish and like a flock of vultures....photogs surrounded Levi as he stopped inside the fence to take in his victory! I sat there and observed the feeding frenzy from 10 feet away...the crowd went nuts as you can imagine....and he was enjoying every minute!

Shortly after the photo frenzy, Doug got his gear off the bike and I made my way over to Buellton about 3 miles away for our overnight stay...time to do laundry...fun.

Stage 5 Visalia to Paso Robles...long and straight

2009-02-20T01:39:00.002-05:00

The boys needed a day of rest....so they got 135 miles of flat and straight with the exception of one small bump in the course.

We left Fresno this morning around 7 am headed to Visalia...traffic was not bad and the weather was fantastic! The crowds and promotion of this race have been spectacular...it seems the smaller the town, the larger the crowds.

I had a new photographer today from Getty as Doug wanted to give Christian some exposure to the moto and more access to the peleton. Christian had a great day and turned some straight flat land into some interesting images. The Sierra mountain range flanked our backsides for the early part of the stage, but then we moved into orchards and grape growing terrain.
We were on the highway and passed the memorial where James Dean died which I wanted to stop and get a picture, but at the time we were busy in the group...it just didn't work out.
The temps were mostly in the mid-60's and not a cloud around.
We had a Blackhawk helicopter hang out with us most of the afternoon....that was different. At one point with about 20 miles to go I had a Columbia/HighRoad rider flat right in front of where I was standing....a lot of fast tire/wheel changing.

The photo bikes got blocked out late in the race by the officials due to the extreme road conditions and the descent. After we finally got around, there were 4 of us moving into Paso Robles rather expeditiously as we needed to drop off the shooters at start finish as well as beat the leaders in. The ride in today was well recieved by everyone in town...they seemed to enjoy the moto's coming in hot!

Tonight we walked downtown about a mile away and enjoyed Sushi....a place called Yanaghi....it was excellent! Now it is all I can do to hold my eyes open....so I think I will sign in tomorrow from Solvang...where the time trial is located....till tomorrow

Stage 4....115 miles...5 KOM's...snow?

2009-02-20T01:00:00.005-05:00

Finally after 3 full on days of pouring rain....the sun came out to play! Our morning started in Merced with tons of cycling fans lining the streets to get a glimpse of their favorite rider.

Check out Lance 4 back in the photo > >>

With 5 KOM's (King of the Mountain), as soon as we dropped out of one climb the sign read 5k to the next KOM! What a day....nice wide climbs and tight twisty descents....made for an interesting day on the moto. All went well for the day with us but several riders had to ride back in an ambulance after the challenge of the mountains took its toll.

No Camry's or mudholes for me, but the conditions on top of Crane Valley Rd the final KOM were cool and snow on the ground with lots of run-off on the road which made for cheek tightning cornering for most of the day.

The general feeling once we got to the hotel in Fresno for the night was...wiped out! We took the opportunity to unwind at the back of the sag van with a cold beer and share a few stories with each other...always a time of bonding and becoming better friends. Afterwards several groups split up to enjoy some of the local fare and wind down the day.

Toyota Camry's and Mud boggin...what a freakin' day!

2009-02-18T00:48:00.002-05:00

Stage 3 started out a little different....sort of. Yeah, the rain was falling for the 3rd straight day, but uncharacteristically, Doug was late to the start and I had not heard from him. We were set for an 11:50 start to accomodate TV and the Star Spangled Banner was wrapping up....still no Doug? The riders had left and all the team cars and most of the caravan had gone when Doug showed up on the outside of the barrier! Long story, but it had to do with logistics and a set of keys to their vehicle.

After getting away from the start area, we were a good 2 miles out of the race envelope and the traffic in downtown San Jose was as you can imagine a little congested. All I could do was follow the race route via the GPS and be patient. As it routed us out of town we were headed for Sierra Rd....which 4 miles from the start...goes straight up for the 1st KOM.
The GPS had us turn left and then right to connect with the road up which threw us into a neat neighborhood. I got behind a Toyota Camry and my 4 way flashers were going. As I approached the rear of the car, he moved over to the right as a few other vehicles had done to let us go by....only this time his move to the right was a big swing to make a left turn as if he were pulling a trailer? No turn signal, I started to accelerate to move on and in an instant he turned left right into us! It was a surreal moment in slow-mo....I jammed the brake and tried to steer left but his turn and my forward momentum created the reminder of the law of physics....two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time....bam! The right side crash bar that protects the cylinder caught the left rear wheel well and the car drug us to the curb...and we braced ourselves against the car yelling obscenities at the situation. As we came to a stop I put my feet down and did a body check of myself and Doug...all was ok and we were still upright! The kid in the car was maybe 16 or 17 going to pick up his girlfriend for a fashion show....he was pretty upset at himself for the whole situation. It took almost an hour for the officer to come do a report and I allowed him to tell what happened first....and he was straight forward and honest about the situation. Neither one of us received a citation and we were off to catch the race which by this time had already gone over the first KOM and heading to the second.

I jumped on the interestate and followed closely the GPS to drop us on the route as close as we could anticipate. If I didn't have the GPS....we would still be out there wondering around! Finally caught up with the back of the caravan and got back inside the envelope...a mere 3 hours later! We went past the group and shot a little off the front then moved ahead to get a scenic. The rain was still coming down and we were in big farm land with water standing everywhere on the road.

A beautiful green field with a vast shot of the open farmland caught Doug's eye and I attempted to turn up a tractor access road....only to roll about 10 yards and just cake up in black mud! We pulled the moto back onto the road and I moved to the other side of the road...tires caked solid.
Doug came back to the bike after making the shot and it looked like he had moon shoes because they were so thick in mud. As we pulled back on the road mud begin to fly off the tires and I started weaving slightly back and forth to clear the tires out. I bent over rolling down the road to see if the tires were clearing and looked up and damn if I wasn't heading toward the left shoulder with more mud...too late, I ran off at about 30 mph....the bike started slipping and sliding and I knew I could not correct or the front end would wash out and down we would go...my only other option was to continue straight....right into about 2.5 feet of water in a ditch! As I hit the ditch, a wall of muddy water wailed over the windshield and I finally got the bike to a stop...feet in the ditch up almost to my knees! We were laughing so hard we about fell over in the water! After manipulating the bike and employing many years of off road skills, I got the bike out of the ditch. Me and the bike were absolutely covered in mud....looked like I had been to the Cabbage Patch mud wrestling in Daytona!

We went back to the field...shot a few more and at this point there was only 15 miles to go. So we took off to the finish line to conclude a day of adventure on the moto.
I am grateful that no one got hurt and we didn't have too much equipment damage.

Tomorrow we have 5 KOM's that start at 2000 feet and climb to over 4000 feet! Should be a dandy...stayin' away from Camry's and mud puddles!

Over and out.....

Sausalito to Santa Cruz....Hail Yea!

2009-02-16T20:35:00.002-05:00

This morning we loaded the luggage at 5:30 am....ready to roll out to Sausalito by 6. We were idling in the parking lot as everyone finished putting on rain gear and hooking up radios etc. when a fellow moto rolled up and said...James has a flat tire.....great I thought, just what I wanted to do at 6 in the morning....but as the profile says....that is what I do.
After finding a small piece of debris in the rear tire and making the repair, we got on the 101 and headed to S town. I have ridden many miles in my life but never have I ridden in rain that hard for that long a period of time!

We were scheduled to have a meeting at 7:15 and we got into town to stop for gas at 7:17. After a fill up, we went to the start and tried to find the meeting...wasn't in the usual place? Finally located everyone in Spinnaker's restuarant on the water...warm, dry....with complimentary coffee and bagels...nice! We were late but excused. The meeting detailed the treachery of the 2 KOM's for the day and our photographer assignments.

Back to the bikes to get ready to roll out, I found a fuse had blown from the previous day. Leon had an extra so I powered the GPS back up and was a happy man!
We rolled out ahead of the neutral start and positioned ourselves to shoot the front of the peleton going across the Golden Gate...Doug kidded with me that its going to be us and TV...I said yeah right....us and 10 other photo freakin bikes! But you know what...we had it all to ourselves...everyone else went up on the hill and shot from the Golden Gate park.
So....those photo's you see from the front of the group going across....Doug got em!

The day continued as we made our way down the coast.....pouring rain...then the sun would come out....then rain again...whatcha gonna do. We hooked a left up Tunitas Creek Rd off Hwy 1 into some of the most beautiful Redwoods I have ever seen....look for some great photos of this in the mags coming up. Lots of tree debris going up and on the descent...the crowds were also very good.

Back down on the coast we pulled over to shoot a vast expance of ocean and green grass with grazing cattle. On the radio came news of a photo motor down with riders....but not just any rider.....Lance. I think this is one thing we fear the most is taking someone down, but the road and weather conditions were not in our favor. Apparently the moto got tangled in some mud wash and slid out and Lance was there. I am sure more will be posted on what happened later. I am good friends with the guy involved.... he is a great guy....a great moto driver....thank goodness he and his photographer are ok as well as Lance and the others involved.

After we got the news, not 2 minutes later another crash happened involving a Lexus of a spectator on the side of the road....not real clear what caused it but the Lexus got bent in the crash and bikes were all over the road! After that got sorted out the group got back together and things settled a bit.

The next KOM up Bonnie Dunes Rd. was tight and Levi got on the crank! We shot from the front and went up and over uneventful....except for the hail, and rain! I had so much hail on my lap and legs, it looked like slush at one point!

Into Santa Cruz, the crowds were huge and alive...and the sun came out which felt great!
Staying in San Jose tonight and getting ready to go out for dinner....

San Jose to Modesto tomorrow....the weather is looking up!

Thanks for tuning in.

The Santa Rosa Slog Fest....

2009-02-15T23:21:00.004-05:00

Dudes.....this was one more wet day.
The rainsuit....worth it!

This morning we had about 25 miles over to Davis....with a wind across the left side of the bike at about 40 mph. Once in town, we found our spot to grid up and the rain began. But the rain did not deter the crowds...as the noon start got closer...I was amazed at the turnout for such a dreary day...thousands of folks lined the street! And I gotta tell ya, the crowds on the whole route were intense...tons of folks all over the place...in the pouring rain!

It didn't take long and we were tracking the tiny twisty back roads leading us into wine country. The peleton stayed fat early on with no room to get around. At one point, we had TEN photo bikes stacked up behind Comm 1 waiting on an opportunity to pass. That is a fairly common event till we all get sorted out and everyone figures out their shooting agenda for the day. I think we went through the group today 4 times and the rest of the journey we worked off the front. I found that passing on the descents today gave us more room as the guys get strung out a bit. Every race, route and peleton is different....thats what make it fun!
Check out www.gettyimages.com click on sports and you will be able to see Doug's work this week.

Lance stayed tucked in the group for most of the day....and with everybody covered in rain gear, it really made it hard to distinguish who was who.

About 35 miles in, I lost power to my GPS and tank bag which is a traveling power center. My communication radio also was dead. Apparently one or more of the wet connectors helped to blow a fuse. I did not realize how dependent I had become on that GPS. Being able to see the curves in the road, and upcoming turns is a luxury, as well as a beacon for making good driving decisions in the group.

Through the finish, drop the photographers at the line and on to the room to thaw and dry. After unloading and getting all the gear in and hung up to dry the decision to have pizza delivered became a reality. A few of us decided to call it a early night as we will leave around 5:30 am tomorrow.
We have about 50 or so miles down to Sausalito home of the best oatmeal and berries I have ever eaten! Then, we roll across the Golden Gate around 8:30 am bearing off through the Presidio down the coast....man I hope the rains chill for a while in the morning!

Thanks for tuning in....see you all tomorrow!

I can't think of a snazzy title...so this is what you get

2009-02-15T00:29:00.008-05:00

Sacramento….came out to see some cycling today!

Greetings from sunny..err…I mean cool California!
The folks here have been getting some much needed rain lately, but today the sun came out as did the huge crowds to enjoy downtown Sacramento! Both sides of the streets were lined with folks from all over the world….what a great way to start 2009!
There is a “Lance Effect” just in case you were wondering….but he wasn’t the only story….Landis got huge crowd approval as he made his way around the course along with others.

As I sat roadside for most of the Prologue today, Doug was working the horseshoe corner and Mike, a local cycling enthusiast and I talked about the race and the area as the time trial went on. Meeting new folks from the area and being able to find out what their interest are is an enjoyable part of my job….the world is a big place…get out and enjoy it!

Last night we had an all staff meeting that concluded our preliminary organizational meetings, and the take away was “don’t screw up”…the world is watching! This race has gotten huge in a short time as you can see from the all-star line up. We have on the road this week…4 TV bikes and 10 photo bikes as well as nearly 40 team cars, police, medical, and moto-marshal staff totaling 100 vehicles in the envelope.

My photographer for the week is Doug Pensinger from Getty Images. We have worked this race together since its inception and I look forward to this year as well. The challenges for us both will of course be the predicted weather and new routes with the familiarity of the past a memory. Even though we had shot about every vantage point of Hwy 1….I will miss having that road to enjoy the nice wide sweepers utilizing both lanes whilst gazing out at the Pacific.

The bike I am riding this week is an orange R1200 GS. We rode up to A&S BMW this morning which is about 15 miles from our hotel to visit their dealership. I bought a new rain suit as my old one was about 14 years old. Tomorrow…it will get a test for sure!

Always good to work with Walt Conte…our Australian who comes to the states to get his cycling fix. Walt drives Graham Watson at Tour Down Under as well as here in California.

We have 2 lads from Great Britain here with us on moto’s this week as well…one on the photo team with us and the other working on marshal team 3. Jason and Phil had dinner with us tonight and we got to know each other better. Both of these guys are fantastic motorcyclist with gobs of experience.

My lids are getting heavy…tomorrow.

Tour of California 2009...stay tuned

2009-01-09T21:38:00.000-05:00

All I'm sayin' is my plane ticket is shootin' me over to the left coast for the much anticipated return of the Tour of California. This is the 4th year of the TOC, and with Lance staging a return to cycling....my bet is California is ready to forget about the economy for a while!
This year we will enjoy new countryside as the tour takes on new cities and venues...as well as a 9 day stretch!
So...I invite you to tune in as Feb 14th draws near...and read a little about life on and off the moto....

Clarksville to Shelby Final Stage

2008-09-16T09:49:00.000-04:00

Well I told the boyz to be safe and I motored over to put in some $4.96 premium before meeting David, Joe and Nita. We were meeting at the Cracker to enjoy an egg and catch up on the last...oh...30 years! David and I were childhood friends from first grade until sixth or seventh grade when he and his family moved away. We had talked only a few times since then and I had been prompted to get in touch.

After a few emails and realizing the proximity of my traveling through the area where David and his mom and dad live...we arranged to meet this morning to catch up and see one another. Wow what a great visit! We lingered over breakfast and hit the high spots for nearly two hours. It sure was good to see them and share some stories and a few laughs. We made a pact not to go 30 more years, but to try and catch up again soon.

I got on the road around 10am and cut a path through Nashville and into Knoxville. The GS was still showing a fuel range of 100 miles, but my butt's range was much less! I whipped in to visit old Shelby buddy shoe store Dave and get gas. He was at his other store at the Gatlinburg exit on the way home another 30 miles. So I got gas there and stopped in for a quick visit. He is lathering up to get a new GS and my showing up after a 2600 mile week decked out with road grime only did more to perpetuate the yearning.

After a quick phone call to wifey, I asked if she would be interested in meeting me in downtown Hendersonville for dinner. She was ready to get out of the house and agreed. We enjoyed a nice outing at Square 1 Bistro and then headed for home arriving about 7:15.

Well, this blog is in the books...I hope you have enjoyed traveling with me this go round. This is a first time deal and I have really enjoyed it. My apologies to Dono for having to fall asleep every night to the sound of my keyboard. Many thanks to Jonathan Devich for a great week of photography, as well as Alex's contributions from the photo world.

Stay tuned for the next foto moto week....have a great rest of the year!

Chris

Stage 7 St. Lewey

2008-09-16T09:23:00.000-04:00

Ok, we wake up, look outside and the Mavic tent has been blown away and it is raining sideways! This is what we were expecting...hurry, flip on the radar and see where this bad boy is! Whoa, just about gone and it is only 8 am! We didn't have to pull out until 11...just in time for the clouds to break, whoo-hoo!

After a 30 mile ride into St. Louis, we parked the bikes and figured we had time to hit the Hard Rock at Union Station for a quick burger. Chuck decided to clip off the "park loop" because at 7 am it was pretty much under water. The circuit went from a 14 mile loop to a 10 mile loop, 5 times around.

I remember last year the Star Spangled Banner was played with electric guitar...I remember because it didn't sound so great. Apparently I am the only one who thought that because guess what...they did it again.

The circuit was wide and plenty of room for passes. We hung out in the field shooting off the side and front for a while then we started looking for parking decks and places of interest. We worked back alleys cutting through and criss crossed streets to shoot the break and main field until the last lap. Jono sez....finish line James...Tour of Missouri is in the books.

After dropping him off at the line for the last time of the week we said our goodbyes and I started looking for Walt. We had to return the Buell on loan from Gateway HD. Dropped that at their display tent...motored over through caravan deviation and dropped off radios and vest then on to the hotel to retreive luggage and start heading toward Nashville.

This is always a bitter sweet moment because you don't know when you will see all the folks you have been with again. It is sweet knowing you have flirted with danger all week and managed to stay safe and keep your rider safe. The emotions for me run pretty high I must say. These guys are all just great folks and you hate to see everybody go, but you must return to reality. I have been on the road 9 days to this point, and I miss my wifey. It is time to go.

We got out around 5:15pm....Stevo, Deano, Dono, and myself. Frank's wife came up with a trailer to ferry him back home...he has to be at work Monday morning.
The ride to Clarksville, TN was gorgeous....full moon very little wind and very little traffic! We jibbered on the radio's and enjoyed some long periods of silence occasionally reminding ourselves how beautiful the evening was. We rolled into the Hampton about 10pm, had a night cap and a few laughs in the parking lot before hitting the hay....great day!

Stage 6 Hermann to St. Charles

2008-09-16T08:54:00.000-04:00

My headlight went out on the way to Hermann...nothing the local parts store couldn't handle! I walked in to buy a bulb and those guys were so happy to see me....kinda reminded me of the Darlin's on the Andy Griffith show. The weather was nice, little breeze and quite a few folks stirring around early on, and the crowds increased by show time. The countryside was more of the same and this was our last day on the road...tomorrow is lapping St. Louis. Jono's creativity was being challenged as the race was pretty much decided. We took advantage of several scenic's that you can see if you check out www.cyclingnews.com all in all the day went by without too much drama.
This photo shows Eric Wolberg of Symmetrics out in front of the peleton....Eric rode in the Shelby Crit that happened for several years. Monroe Tire helped with some lap money and gave away a few sets of tires over the years...Eric won the last event and took away a set of tires! Funny story...after he won and we talked...he said, Chris, I really don't need tires now, can I cash in later? So this year just before Tour of California...some 4 years later we got Eric hooked up! We had a chance to talk after today's stage and I think he is 41 now and riding like a bull! The dude is strong and always in the mix!

Well, Ike is bringing wind and rain, but the night was clear enough to walk into the cobblestone streets of downtown St. Charles for a little pub action. Dinner was ok, but the conversation about the week and being on the road was better. I think we are all anticipating the last day and the ride home...but more importantly, is Ike hanging out or moving on?

Stage 5 St. James to Jefferson City...HOT!

2008-09-12T23:42:00.000-04:00

Ok so we thought we were going to get rained on all week...not so grasshoppa! But Ike is pushing up some humidity that has warmed up ole Missouri just let me tell ya!

A 2pm start today threw us out of the routine so I offered a tour through the country over to the start. I spoke with the Super 8 concierge this morning and he advised me on a route that offered up some curves and would take us about 10 miles out of the way over to St. James. Thinking that only a few would be up for the little excursion, everyone was bored hanging out at the hotel...we had about 20 motors in tow. I took the guys word that the loop was nice and he was right....it had some very nice twisties and the scenery was beautiful.

The race got underway and we had the opportunity to put some very nice scenics behind us early on. The peloton was very cooperative today and gave us plenty of road to work with...unlike yesterday as they were all over the place.

Even with the breeze off the moto, the humidity felt like 200%....the riding suit usually does a great job with ventilation, but today...it didn't have a chance. All you can do is drink lots of water and eat a snack when you can. Between Sara in the broom wagon, Jamey driving VIP, and our technical director, Chuck....we have been able to keep a bottle of water pretty much all the time. Jamey handed off a baggie of trail mix yesterday and that was like getting a filet!

The town of Taos, population 290 something....of all the towns we have rolled through...this town was jacked up and ready to see some bike racing today! The folks had pots and pans, pans filled with rocks, kazoo's....you name it they were making noise....and everybody looked extremely happy! I gotta tell you, the folks here in Missouri are some of the nicest people you will ever meet...they sure have made us feel welcome in many respects.

We rolled into the state capitol, Jefferson City around 5:30 tonight. As usual, we hung just off the front of the race down to the wire. The Capitol building was directly in front of us coming into town, and off to the left Jono spotted a parking garage. I flipped up the next side street and we soon found our way to the top of the deck in time for the group to come by. What a neat perspective that I am sure you will see soon.

Boy van Poppel of Rabobank pulled off the win after a day of hard racing and the fine folks of Jeff City were in numbers to bring the show to town!

Stage 4 Lebanon to Rolla WFO!

2008-09-11T22:36:00.000-04:00

A quick 50 miler this morning to Lebanon via 44 east from Springfield got us to the start with time to spare. The usual morning moto ritual was concluded with a presentation of Moto Support t-shirts that Walt (our Aussie), Alex (Virginia boy), Don (resident Shelby homey) and myself designed for distribution among the ranks. I hope you can read the shirt ok....but it contains the top ten most asked moto questions that we get no matter what town or state. It is funny how folks always have the same questions! But it is a joy to talk with and explain what we are doing and a little about what's going on.

Funny story about Walt Conte....our Australian motofoto. This week he is carrying the race photographer John Pierce who is from England. They are out in front of the race package Tuesday looking for a scenic. Nothing at the moment was really inspiring so John suggested Walt move ahead a bit and stop at the next store for a quick snack. Moving along at 50mph or so, John said that there position was pretty good to move out, but Walt thought he said speed up to move out! So Walt was like... alright dude, thinking you want to go fast....so he wacked the throttle open and put the Buell Ulysses up to some multiple of the speed limit! By this time John's camera's had begun levitating and his helmet started to pull off his head as the wind velocity increased!

John very quickly found a new scenic and suggested they pull off. After some discussion of what just happened, they both got a good laugh as did we all after hearing the story!

The race today started after a 4.2 mile neutral start....when the flagged dropped it was on....the average speed for the first 50k....31 mph! Jono and I were out front a couple miles in the beginning scanning the countryside for a scenic. The race radio was full of chatter documenting the action...the attacks were coming right and left. Jonathan found a neat spot off the road out in a field. By the time he got back to the bike we were out the envelope and had to work the GS pretty good to get back in the caravan(I hate it when that happens...having to speed and all). As we approached the field of riders we were second in line to go through. After getting permission from the Comm, we started in but the group was shoulder to shoulder! We were behind Greg Peart with his video guy and followed them in. Both sides of the road had zero shoulder and it was roughly 50-60 feet straight down..no guard rails! The riders were all around us and we were rolling pretty fast....Greg got an opening and took off and I followed only to be shut down as a large group moved back over to enjoy the vacuum draft the moto can create in the right moment. We started up a slight hill and the guys really started bunching up and we were right there in the middle of the heat. After what seemed like camping in there for 3 days I finally got a break and accelerated out. Alot of attacks were happening throughout the day, check out one of Jono's shots while we were in the group of Marco Pinotti-Team Columbia as he issues an attack.

During the next 15 minutes we entered the military base of Ft Leonard just south of Gospel Missouri. Just about the whole base stood roadside to greet us in uniform...man what a sight! We took a hard right up behind them through the grass up to an Abrams tank display...Jono shot the race going by framing it up with the tank and all the service men....cool. As we pulled out we stopped in the road and took a great picture you will probably see in cycling news of the guys smilin' for the camera!

Rolling back up to get through the group, Alex and Casey as well as TV were stuck behind the group...again! Finally we got through but it took some time...some days are like that.

The day was fast, the peleton tight, the attacks continuous....a great day of racing....I'm hungry!

All the moto's were invited to a barbecue and chair massage upon arrival in Rolla. The fine folks at Stahlman Powersports, Fairground Chevrolet and Rolla ToMO LOC all collaborated to cook up hotdogs, hamburgers and all the fixin's for us! What a great time as we all enjoyed food and drink right there at the finish! And to top it off....how about a massage! Yep, three therapist showed up with their chairs and gave us all a nice rub down! I will never forget Rolla and the hospitality for the moto's!

Man I'm full!

Stage 3 Time Trialing on Missouri's Autobahn

2008-09-10T20:46:00.000-04:00

I know you have been worried if I got the laundry done....well yes and no. Yes it's done, but I didn't do it. Found this cool little laundry place and the nice lady had it finished in a little over an hour....think I can make it home with a few to spare!

Time trials days during a stage race are sometimes welcomed in that we usually have a shorter day and not so many things are happening at once. For most of the motor marshals, the day is spent providing visibility out front of the rider about a football field away. For the photo guys, we are picking spots and shooting stationary. Today was really no different as we finished up around 2pm. The course layout here in Branson utilizes what seems to be a relatively new stretch of 4 lane interstate highway that is wide, smooth and steep! Which means when the boys are rolling down these hills, they are tapping into 60 plus mph....the Ozark mountain setting really is beautiful....and according to the riders...one of the hardest time trial courses out there.

My day started with thinking of breakfast! In continuing with finding the mom and pop establishments, I headed out a little earlier this morning into Historic Branson near the start to find The Shack Cafe...tried out the French toast and it hit the spot. The lady that waited my table had worked there 30 years. I asked her if the summer had been busy and she said so-so, but starting next week the "blue hairs" started coming in! Now I thought that was funny considering this lady was covering up some "blue" herself. She told me they come from mid-September to the end of November. Branson apparently started it's transformation in the 70's and turned up the wick in the 90's.

Don't know if you have ever heard of Lambert's Cafe...but http://www.throwedrolls.com/ check this place out if you ever get out to the Ozarks. Just got back from dinner....little fried chicken....slaw....greens....big ole fat yeast roll with butter and sorghum (molasses) professionally drizzled in the middle! Most all the motors gathered around the table there early this evening and enjoyed the chow. The talk was minimal....everybody was too busy stuffing their faces! But when the conversation got going, it was about the impending weather....looks like we are going to have a California repeat....wet for the next four to five days....we will see.

From the the sound of this writing, my focus has turned to food rather than bike racing and motofoto....but you know...a man's gotta eat right? In the a.m. we head to Lebanon for the start of a 100 miler to Rolla. We will be rolling through Swedeborg, Gospel, Devils Elbow, and Doolittle on the way. I will find something of interest in one of these towns to tell you about tomorrow. Thanks for tuning in....

Stage 2 TOM and other ramblings.....

2008-09-09T23:47:00.000-04:00

Day number 2 of the race and day number 4 being on the road....the socks and underwear are just about out! Looks like our stay Wednesday night in Springfield will yield a laundry visit....lovely, just lovely.

The race today took us 125 miles through more farmland and rolling hills from Clinton down to Springfield. The day was quite a contrast to yesterday's rain and cold...today we enjoyed mid 70's and full on sun.

The day started this morning with a 95 mile jaunt from Kansas City to Clinton....got there a little early and enjoyed some local breakfast fare....I just dig the local stuff...not too big on the chains. On the court square in downtown Clinton population 10,000, I found by... local recommendation Huey's. With a name like that...gotta try it....glad I did!

After our morning drivers meeting I was diddling around the bike sorting out all my stuff and Jono came over for a visit and I could tell 20 yards away something was not right. He didn't have his usual "let's get it on" race face, but more of the I ain't feeling so good Ralph face. After some discussion he decided to try and tough it out on the bike...maybe the air would feel good?

Jonathan left to go prepare for the day and a young man came up to me and ask for my autograph...Jeremy was his name. As we begin to talk, he shared with me his passion for collecting basketballs and footballs. His collection is just over 700 and he searches on Ebay for most of the vintage balls. He told me he could replace and repair the components of a ball...even re-lace one! I really enjoyed listening to the passion this young man had for his hobby and some of his goals....you know....you just never know what each day might bring...and Jeremy brought some sunshine into mine!

You just never know when you say something, how it will be received. Last weekend working the US PRO race in Greenville, I told Jono that for all the work we do and as many pictures as he takes during a race....why is it we only see just a few. He thought about that question apparently quite a bit if you have read his blog! To summarize, yesterday he took just over 900 photos in a 75 mile stage race and roughly 4% made the cut because of different things. We spent some time Sunday evening looking at last weeks race talking about where I was putting the moto and where I could put the moto for optimum shots. It was a learning experience and we are communicating at a different level this week. That question initiated a call for him to help me understand a photographer's world a little better and what it is that he is filtering for an artistic result.

The crowds in Springfield were fantastic and lined both sides of the streets. There was a 3 lap finish with Cavendish taking the win. Post race we headed south to Branson for Stage 3 and the time trial tomorrow.

Driving into Branson is quite the experience....everybody has a show theatre! We are staying tonight at the Days Inn and for dinner enjoyed some Mexican fare just in front of the hotel. I gotta tell ya....never have I been to a Mexican restaurant with an 8 year old Elvis impersonator singing at the mike.....but after tonight...welcome to Branson baby!

Ok it has been a long day, our bellies are full, we've had a margarita...even heard Jailhouse Rock and Blue Suede Shoes....let's go Go-Kart racing! Yep, there is a track right across the street and the trash talking started soon after we had eatin' our first chip! There were two guys running the track from another country....let's say...Pakistan?....and the most used phrase for the 46 times we rode was..."you bump to much" (in accent of course)! After a while, they just gave up and let us race....and some Earnhardtn' went on let me tell ya but a great time had by all!

TT in the am....forcast is good and it's almost midnight by my watch...I'm outta here!

Stage 1 TOM 2008 St. Joseph to Kansas City

2008-09-08T22:41:00.000-04:00

I think it was 4 am.....when I heard the first crack of thunder. Then I heard rain on the roof of the hotel. It rained like a cow peeing on a flat rock until our designated time to head out to St. Joe around 10am. We took off headed north with 59 degrees, a stiff cross wind and skies that looked like they were going to dump another load of water just any minute.

When we arrived in town we did the usual....lined the bikes up, change batteries in the radios, grab our supplied lunch boxes, and have our drivers briefing. The first day of a stage race is gel time....when all the things you have been talking about for two days starts to take shape. While we had a few bugs in the caravan, for the most part the day was pretty smooth.

As we rolled out of town, the group cruised 3.4 miles to the zero k mark where the race actually gets the green flag. Jono and I were about a mile up the road exploring a potential scenic when we heard fireworks! Never before have I seen fireworks at the race zero k...and today was no different...but we heard'em!

It didn't take long before we were introduced to beautiful rolling hills with lush green fields of the Midwest. We rolled along with it dropping back to shoot the group several times and jumping ahead to get some pass by's. The temp dropped into the mid 50's and stayed for the remainder of the day. Unbelievable weather...last weekend we about died with heat exhaustion and this week we are freezing our arses off!

Rain started with about 20 miles to go then eased off for our entrance into Kansas City. We hung out in the gap down to about 10 seconds and got some great shots of Columbia working off the front to close it down. In the process of shooting this scene, we managed to go saddlebag to saddlebag with TV and live up to the "if you ain't rubbin' you ain't racin' motto! Alex and Casey were just off the side of the road and at one instant we were all three trying to get a shot of the chase....nobody touched, but man we were all on top of each other....it was great!

Into the city, I think our arrival might have been a bit earlier than anticipated....folks were trying to move out of every side street it seemed, but the course marshals and the local law enforcement did a great job of bringing things to a halt. As we entered the circuit of 3 laps, the 1k to go inflatable arch lost air and covered the race course as the riders went under it stopping the caravan in the middle of the road! It was quickly pulled to the side and everybody pursued the group to catch up.

The crowds downtown were really good...especially considering the damp weather. Columbia's Cavendish turned it up and stroked the finish line for the win.

We hung out for just a bit then decided to hit Starbucks for a little warm-up. There were about 6 or 7 of us who sat around talking about what happened in everyone's day...winding down. Deano was fiddling with his crackberry and announced that Lance was coming out of retirement as reported by VeloNews....holy smokes!

Back to the hotel we hit the Cracker Barrel tonight for some simple hot food. We are heading out early in the am as we have a 95 mile transfer over to Clinton for the 11am start. Only gonna be 44 degrees in the morning with a high of 70, but no rain tomorrow! As for the rest of the week....I guess we will see what Ike will do.

Stay tuned as tomorrow should be an exciting day for everybody down to Springfield.

Organization Day Tour of Missouri

2008-09-07T23:17:00.000-04:00

The day before a major tour, the organization brings all volunteers and staff together for multiple meetings to insure we are all on the same page and working together.

This event has 650 folks supporting the efforts of Tour of Missouri and all put together and organized by Medalist Sports http://www.medalistsports.com/ . These guys do a fantastic job at making sure this race goes down the road safe, while at the same time helping local towns and cities create excitement about cycling, health and wellness.

Our day started by going through "In processing" which we sign releases, pick up radios, get housing information and all the technical guides to make sure we are were we need to be each day. After getting that taken care of ....we had a mass moto washing in the back of the hotel.
Moto drivers come from California, Arizona, Utah, Iowa, Philidelphia, Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia....needless to say we all arrive with road grime that....well ...just doesn't look so good in the show!

The meetings started at noon and ran through 3pm. One of my duties is to photograph all moto's with their drivers for insurance purposes. I got most of that taken care of in between meetings. Alex wanted to have a photo driver meeting at 4 here at the hotel...so we could discuss who was on bikes for the week from what press source. I will be carrying Jono all week....be sure to log onto http://www.cyclingnews.com/ for the latest. Alex has Casey Gibson, check out http://www.velonews.com/ for his stuff. Don will be carrying Alan Crawford from Road magazine...and we will also be mixing it up with NBC as they are doing a special on Garmin apparently trying to get some "action" for the first couple of days. We also have Bicyling Magazine in the group, but I am not sure who they are riding with....it will change about 20 times over the week! So, with 2 TV bikes...NBC...5 photo bikes...the boyz in the group are gettin' some press coverage this week! I think I may need to install a cow bar on the front of the GS just to get through the press bikes and peleton!

So anywho...all that out of the way...we are off to St. Joseph for a 12:30pm start in the morning. Jono tells me that the start line is 6 blocks away from where the Pony Express originated...http://www.ci.st-joseph.mo.us/history/ponyexpress.cfm cool huh?!

Till tomorrow....good night!

Kansas City Missouri...Toto

2008-09-07T00:07:00.000-04:00

Stevo rolled into the Citgo there in Shelby about 6:30 am...from Charlotte. Don and I had topped off the tanks ready to roll. Pulled out ten minutes later en route to our next gas stop...Knoxville. There we met up with Deano who came over from Boone.....biscuit and sweet tea from Bojangles for Steve, Don and myself. Deano had been in Knoxville long enough to run down a Waffle House for his usual. You see, Dean has this insatiable appetite for the WH as well as an internal radar that will find one of these unique eating establishments most anywhere in the country....he has proven that many times!

The day was fantastic for a ride....I think the temp might have hit 80, but for most of the day it hovered in the low 70's...as did our average speed. Franko joined us about 60 miles west of K-town as he lives in Crossville TN. Our total number...now 5...immediately resume our journey down 40 west as if we had been riding together for weeks. HoJo was unable to join us at the last minute....got a call from him Friday night with a family emergency and unfortunately he had to bow out at the last minute.....hate you couldn't make it my friend.

We travel with radios which allow us to communicate bike to bike....the jibber went on for most of the day breaking in on my XM feed of the 70's, Sinatra, and a little Country as we cruised through Music City.

As we continued into Kentucky and on into Illinois, the weather remained overcast...the traffic mild. About 20 miles east of St. Louis we pulled in for a burrito at a local shop. I don't know if I was that hungry or the food was that good....but whatever the combination...it worked!
Checking the GPS for remaining mileage....we were looking at 279 miles to the Drury Inn, Kansas City. At 150 miles out....the temp's started falling and the last remnants of Gustav welcomed our 5-some to the Midwest. So, we stopped in to top off fuel and put on rain gear to finish off the day.

Just a little before 10 pm CST, we were welcomed by some of the moto crew in front of the hotel! I gotta tell ya....that was both a surprise and a nice feeling to see old friends after traveling 16 hours!

Sunday we have organizational meetings beginning around noon and run throughout the afternoon.

Well, I have rambled on enough....stay tuned as Stage 1 is only a day away!

Hanna Banna Bo Banna....

2008-09-04T21:51:00.000-04:00

Okay....just about game time. Getting the moto packed up and the GPS files of all the stages for Tour of Missouri loaded.

We are set to depart Shelby 74 West around 6:15am Saturday morning. Stephen J is headed over from Charlotte to meet Don and I...gas and meet HoJo at the 74/I-26 intersection in Columbus and intersect Deano just as we get on 40 west. On to Knoxville for fuel and a biscuit...call Frank and head toward Nashville. Frank lives about an hour and a half west of Knoxville....so by 11am EST...all six of us should be making our way to our next gas stop...Music City. From Nashville, up through Kentucky, Illinois then due west to St. Louis and then cross Missouri with our final destination Kansas City.....about 920 from Shelby. It will be my longest day in the saddle if we don't run out of Saturday. There was discussion of signing up for the Iron Butt....but that really isn't the focus of the week. Maybe another trip.

Alright..this is the plan....this was the plan last year but Don's fuel line quick disconnect decided to start leaking at 4:30 am the morning of departure....we were looking for O-rings at Wal-Mart sometime around 5:30....and finally found what we needed at Lowes...7:45am Sunday morning!

Got out of Shelby about 8:30 and caught up with everybody just west of St Louis around 7:30pm....our planned destination. We were only 100 miles behind the rest of the group the whole day.....made some really good time with minimum stops.

Soooo....we will see what Saturday morning brings I guess. Hanna looks to be dawdling around and not going to be as big of an issue as first thought earlier in the week.....and Gustav is dropping in on the Canadian border now.

Stay tuned for how the ride turns out....will we go the distance?

US Pro Championship Greenville SC

2008-09-01T09:55:00.000-04:00

Hot...that is all I'm sayin'....what a weekend!

This Labor Day weekend started like the past couple of years....up early, hitting the road to Greenville from Shelby,NC. Only a little over an hour ride on Saturday morning. I met up with HoJo...fellow moto Howard Johnson in Spartanburg SC at the RaceWay gas station for the ride down.

The US Pro Championship time trials (http://www.usacyclingchampionships.com/) were scheduled for an 11:00am start and the support motos are usually requested one hour and a half prior to start times for an organizational driver's meeting. As usual....we all show up an hour early for that....typical anal retentive behavior that is one of the common threads of our collective make-up.

The location this year was inside a new business park just off I-85 in Greenville which made for a "secure" venue. Our function as moto marshals are many, but primarily to help keep cyclist safe as they do their thing on the open road.

As we arrived a little after 8 am, and found our staging location...all the familiar faces that work behind the scenes started showing up and moving around. It really is like a traveling circus...one big extended family! We all get together about 4 or 5 times a year to work these races, and you get to know folks all over the US and other parts of the world.

For me, the day was pretty predictable and mild. Of the "Velo" photographers, I am usually paired up with Mr. Jonathan Devich (http://adventuresofjono.typepad.com/) of http://www.cyclingnews.com/ . We have ridden more miles together over the past few years in races than my wife and I! Jono as he is commonly referred to has a very artistic style and likes getting high....I mean he likes getting on top of things to shoot....bridges, trains, buildings, parking garages...you name it.
For Saturday, he found a nice little spot that he liked and so did I. I ended up in this ladies front yard under a shade tree talking with her about her home place. She was in her late 70's and one of 12 children...never married and looking at all the construction going on around her house....it was definitely caught in the past...just the way she liked it. It was really a highlight of my weekend to chat with her at a distance as we talked about her recent hosting of a family reunion. I felt like I had slid back to the 50's while looking across the street at a huge retirement village under construction! Oh...yeah and a pro time trial was going on too!
As the time trial continued...my fellow moto's were all passing by my relaxed spot under the shade tree....grinning, laughing and shaking their heads with approval!

We waited for the last rider and winner David Zabriskie to go by....and shortcutted the course to find ourselves rolling beside him opposite a divided median with 1k to go....Jono was a happy boy as we had it all to ourselves. I think we actually could have moved over and got a little closer to Zabriskie and the median....but the Commissaries were very close in numbers....I didn't want to create discussion for being to close to the rider....so we laid low.

Alex Dudley and I decided to break the heat post race by visiting the local Arby's for a Jamocha shake...he had not had one in 24 hours. Then back to the hotel...but wait...wanna check out Touring Sport BMW/Aprillia/Ducati? Why not...so a quick detour to the moto store to scour over the inventory and kick tires. Dean Lyons, a fellow moto and time board driver showed up shortly after we got there....we are so predictable!

My wife came down for dinner and a night on the town in Greenville Saturday night....we had a dinner reservation at a recommended place on the river. Didn't realize that a Gun's n' Roses/Motley Crue type band would be playing about 3 feet from our outside table! The band was great, food was most excellent....and our waiter could have sold bird poo wrapped in pita bread....what a great guy!

Race day Sunday....did I mention it was hot? Holy smokes man...by noon we were all soaking wet! Our pre-race meeting took place at 12 and shortly after the national anthem. The crowds were fantastic as the 115 riders took the stage. Three laps around G'ville and then out to do 4 laps over Paris Mountain...then back to do 3 finishing circuits in town. This course was not a moto-photo course! It was very tight and technical with very few places to pass. We did a lot of shooting off the front and roadside. We had split medians in a few places that allowed us to get in with the group but it was limited. Paris mountain had great crowds as well....they had a competition for best roadside party....and the competition looked stiff! As the day wore on and the alcohol kicked in...it started looking and sounding more like the European crazies! These folks were having big fun! On the last pass over the mountain I saw 3 home boys that always make the trip up...Mike Keeley, Mike Ribydynera, and Roger Ivester roadside yelling and hooping it up!

As we came into town and across start finish to drop off Jono for the finish and surprise winning pictures of Rock Racing's Tyler Hamilton....man the crowds were fantastic! The cowbells and cheering.....they were even cheering us on! Another great day albeit hot on the moto workin the peleton!

Next stop....Kansas City Missouri for the Tour of Missouri! We will be heading out Saturday September 6 for a 920 mile jaunt to begin the 2nd annual tour out there.
I hope to give you an update on our adventures on a daily basis while out there....stay tuned!

Many thanks to Mr. Alex Dudley for the great photo's that we will share in the coming posts...but for now just to get you goin'...check out