Last Sunday, I had the opportunity of a lifetime to ride in the front seat of a Cannondale team car during the first stage of the Tour of California. I won it at a charity auction and, frankly, didn't pay enough for it. I took 436 photos of the race, but here's a video of us following one of the Cannondale riders down a winding, technical descent on Palomar Mountain.
I don't think the driver hit the brakes once. The squealing tires were much louder than caught on video.
I did the same descent the day before, but since I had to contend with cars coming up the road, I couldn't use the whole road like the rider and driver did.
I also got to meet the phenominal Peter Sagan at a private dinner a couple days before the race began. He ended up winning two stages of the race and the Green jersey for sprint points. He's a nice kid, but his English is still limited so the conversations were pretty brief and limited to this race and the Tour de France.
And also second time meeting Jens Voigt...the oldest man in the race who won Stage 5 by showing the young guys how to take advantage of opportunities. He's very funny, talkative and outgoing. I think his team sends him to all the public appearances and why he's such a fan favorite.
And also Andy Schleck, who is the default winner of the 2010 Tour de France. He's nowhere near as talkative or as charming as Jens. Hell, Peter Sagan, who barely speaks English is more conversational and outgoing than Andy. (The guy in the blue is a friend of mine and that Asian chick just wanted to derp in all my photos).
I'm going to France to watch the final week of the Tour de France this year, so I'll get to see all these guys again on their bikes. All of this is a huge deal for me.
