Photography by Michaels

STAGE 8 - Rancho Bernardo to Escondido - Sunday, February 22 - 96.8 Miles

Rancho Bernardo is located 20 minutes inland from the Pacific Ocean and enjoys an almost perfect year-round climate. It is a premiere master-planned San Diego suburban community, located in San Diego County. It has a unique balanced mixture of natural and human-created beauty. It is about 25 miles north of downtown San Diego, northwest of the city of Poway, and south of Escondido. Rancho Bernardo has been developed into a variety of “neighborhoods” each with its own distinctive personality and characteristics, the topography of Rancho Bernardo consists of canyons and rolling hills.

We arrived at the start early, parked, and left the car in Rancho Bernardo.This year’s Tour of California attracted record crowds, over 2 million, making it the largest sporting event in the country.This little one had the large piece of chalk in her mouthIt was the last day of an incredible race, with a climactic stage yet to play out. Numerous photo ops during rider sign in.Tyler Hamilton signs an autograph for a Sox fan.Go Sox!Look at all the cameras pointed at George Hincapie.A hopeful fan anxious for another autograph.Facing the mountain to be conquered.Michael Rodgers waiting to get through the crowd.Dave ZabriskiFrank Schleck rides to sign in and ultimately rides to the stage win.Lucas Haedo, the start reflected in his glasses.Lance makes his way through the crowd. With Levi in tow, Lance riding in his Domestique position, making their way up the street.Lance and Levi will make a right turn onto Autograph Alley.Stopping to sign autographs.“Hope Rides Again” - Yellow and black, the colors of Livestrong.George HincapieIn 96.8 miles, the 2009 AMGEN Tour of California will be just a memory. Riders facing Palomar Mountain.

The biggest stroke of luck was just about to happen. Ed and I snagged two seats in a media van headed for the summit of Palomar Mountain. Actually, I squeezed in between the two seats in the rear of the van. A lifetime of motion sickness, and here I am in the very back of a van, headed up a curvy mountain road, with a camera in my hand. For some reason, I wasn’t worried. Another stroke of luck, no instances of motion sickness, could have meant disaster, instead, not a problem the entire trip.

There were two media vans with six photographers per van. The trick was to get out of Rancho Bernardo and up the mountain before the riders do. Local traffic was thick with spectators leaving the start. Our van was the first to leave, and the only van that made it out of town ahead of the race. The second van got stuck in traffic and had to abandon the mountain shooting.Spectators lined the mountain at every curve.We drove up to the summit, amazed at the fans along the road.There are 21 hairpin turns to the summit. Due to the road closure, the only way to get there was to ride your bike up, camp out the night before, or, catch a ride in a Tour vehicle.

We parked at the summit. The plan was to shoot the front group of riders, Levi, Lance, all lead names, then back in the van to head down the mountain before the remaining peloton, to beat all the racers to the finish, via a short cut off the race route. I had time to check out the spectators before the race came through.Antler BoyLance fans.She had raise demand signs for Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen too, among many other signs.A Floyd Landis fan.Supporting the Americans.Here we go!Mavic’s job is neutral support or to support any rider from any team with a mechanical.Levi, in yellow, rides unsupported by Astana.Jens Voigt and Levi almost to the summit. Notice the lady with the yellow signs.Jens Voigt, Levi Leipheimer, Robert Gesink, Thomas Lovkist, and Dave Zabriskie.Lance (yellow helmet) making his way to the summit in the next group of riders.The fans on Palomar Mountain were described as being very similar to their European counterparts.Lance and Thomas Lovkvist.The ascent of Palomar Mountain unfolded over 11.7 miles and included 21 switchbacks at an average gradient of seven percent, to the highest point ever reached in the Amgen Tour of California at 5,123 feet.Jason McCartney being entertained.Just a few more feet.Christian Vandevelde smiles his way up to the summit.

We got back into the van and quickly started down the mountain. I was shooting out of the windows. The back window, the side window…The riders touched the sky in the final stage.

I shot mostly through the front windshield. I was able to fully extend my zoom lens and manually focus on the small peloton ahead of us.The view from inside the vehicle procession.

Soon we caught up to the riders. We were right in the middle of the race, inside the vehicle procession, listening to the race radio. The race commands were spoken by a female voice, in English, then in French. Hearing the race radio really completed the experience.On the high speed descent, the vehicles rushing to stay behind the riders.

We were driving at a very quick pace to keep up with the riders. The vehicle caravan was really moving, around every curve, I’ll never forget that. I had my camera to my face during the entire decent, while trying to stay in position sitting at the edge of the back seat. Ed was to my left, shooting out of the back window. To my right was Wessel van Keuk, a photographer from the Netherlands - Cor Vos I was trying not to fall into him on the left curves. It was an exciting ride! The high speed decent, surrounded by the vehicle caravan and riders, getting the photos, listening to the race radio, what a way to end an incredible Tour!Marco Velo caught between the team cars.More riders behind our media van.Riders approach a feed zone.Astana soigneur with musettes ready to be handed off.Rider is handed a water bottle.Lucas Haedo gets assistance from the team car.Almost to the bottom of Mt. Palomar.

We turned onto our short cut back to the finish in Escondido.
Escondido is located in northern San Diego County, just north of the city of San Diego. The name means “hidden” in Spanish. It occupies a shallow valley ringed by rocky hills. Founded in 1888, it is one of the oldest cities in San Diego County. A nationwide study in 2005 ranked Escondido #11 out of 25 of the most conservative cities in America.

The media van parked a few blocks away. We walked the route up to the finish line.The final 200 meters of the race.

The who’s who of the cycling photogs.Casey GibsonGraham Watson

Getting to the finish at the last moment like we did prevented me from getting a photo vest. I was on such a high from our mountain decent, I didn’t really care. I had to shoot the finish from the side line, I wasn’t able to get many photos as most of my shots were blocked by other people.Frank Schleck takes the stage win.Floyd Landis after the race.Big George heading to the stage for the podium ceremony.Levi waving to the crowd.Levi getting a pat on the back from Rabobank.

Now I wish I had a photo vest. I was prevented from entering the media pen in front of the stage. Being short, and in the back, it was hard to get clear shots of the podium ceremony. The final Tour ceremony! I kept begging the man at the entrance to the preferred shooting area to let me in, pointing out that there were other people inside who were not wearing photo vests. He stood his ground till finally he gave in and let me in. One benefit of not being at the front near the stage, I didn’t get drenched with champagne.George Hincapie, third place in Stage 8.Mark Cavendish receives the Herbalife Sprint Jersey.Frank Schleck, first place in Stage 8.The face of a Tour winner.Levi telling the crowd he wants their photo.Snapping shots with his iPhone.This is one of the photos Levi shot of the crowd.Levi gets his Tour of California three-peat. “I’ve been trying to think about how to articulate this and it’s tough,” said Leipheimer. “To win it once, that was huge. To win it twice, that was almost a little bit of a surprise and almost felt like luck. But now, to have won the Amgen Tour of California three times, it’s the sweetest victory of all. I think we proved that we were the best team in the race. There is no question about that.”Levi shaking the champagne.Lance dripping in champaign.

We knew getting into the media van at the start in Rancho Bernardo that we would be dropped off at the finish in Escondido, 8 miles north of where our car was parked. Ed and I could have split a cab back to the car, fortunately, we got a ride to Rancho Bernardo at the end of the evening. Waiting for our ride, we ate dinner in the media room. We couldn’t work on our photos because our computers were in the car. We both used the time to chat with people we had met during the Tour and say our goodbyes. We were dropped off at the car, then had an hour drive home. I was pretty wired from the day’s events, I was up past 2am sorting through my photos.

Following the Tour for the past nine days has been a thrill beyond all expectations. I think I will sleep for the next week!

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View more Stage 8 photos at TrueSport:
www.truesport.com/rzone/photos/2009/feb/toc437.html

STAGE 7 - Santa Clarita to Pasadena - Saturday, February 21 - 88.9 Miles

Today’s dilemma was to either shoot the start and risk missing the finish, or skip the start and go straight to the finish. The race route climbed into the mountains, this time with no alternate route to the finish. Shoot the peloton en route and get stuck behind the race and road closures, the shooting day was done. We chose to drive directly to Pasadena, skipping the start in Santa Clarita. The fourth largest city in Los Angeles County, Santa Clarita is located about 35 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Santa Clarita is ranked as one of the top 100 places to live by Money Magazine. Santa Clarita Valley has long been a favorite location for producers of films, television shows, and commercials.

We left our hotel in Goleta, after a big breakfast, and drove straight to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Arriving there with plenty of time to have lunch in the media room, check out the Lifestyle Festival, and find our way to the press area at the finish.Pasadena is located 10 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is best known for the Tournament of Roses Parade, which began in 1889, and the Rose Bowl Stadium, which opened in 1922. Pasadena is the home of many leading scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (the leading robotics and spacecraft design and manufacturing NASA center), Art Center College of Design, the Pasadena Playhouse, California School of Culinary Arts Pasadena and the Norton Simon Museum of Art.We checked out the Lifestyle Festival.Nature’s Bleachers.The podium girls.Huge screen broadcasting live race action of the peloton down the street.And here is the peloton.Screen view exact to live race action.The riders made 4 four mile laps around the finish area.The sprint to the finish.Rinaldo Nocentini’s wheel crossing the finish line for the stage win.Mark Cavendish in his matching shades.Actress Ginnifer Goodwin, ambassador for Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), ready to present the Leaders Jersey to Levi Leipheimer.The man in yellow for the 6th day in a row.Off to the press conference.Great shoes!Levi makes his way through the crowd escorted by the police and followed by a camera man.

Tonight we would be sleeping in our own beds. Home is about 60 miles south of Pasadena, and 60 miles north of tomorrow’s start. We had dinner in the media room, then drove home, starting out on an annoying route of surface streets provided by a questionable GPS system. We submitted our photos from the comfort of our own homes, and slept in the comfort of our own beds.

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View more Stage 7 photos at TrueSport:
www.truesport.com/rzone/photos/2009/feb/toc395.html