Monday, February 27, 2006
The Unpopular Tour
Story by Mike Wille
Did anyone happen to see that peloton that just blew through our state, or was it just me? During the last week, 16 cycling teams, 128 riders in all, pedaled 596 miles in pro cycling’s Amgen Tour of California. According to VeloNews magazine, this has been the first cycling tour of California since 1971. Supposedly there have been other proposals over the last three and a half decades but their wheels were never given a chance to hit the ground.
This year’s race was able to spin into action due to the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), a company that has invested $35 million in hopes of growing the race over the next five years, budgeting a mere $7 million dollars a year to host a massive state-wide undertaking. AEG didn’t solely get stuck with the bill, however, since the world’s largest biotech company, Amgen, flexed some of their $14 billion annual turnover to sponsor the race for the first three years.
Californians in the ten major cities from Santa Rosa to Redondo Beach had a fleeting opportunity to view the cyclists blazing past their workplace or residence at some point during the tour. Although many fans may have missed the voices of the tour’s toughest critics – those apposed to Amgen’s title sponsorship because the company was the first to biogenetically engineer EPOGEN, also known as EPO, a drug that stimulates the body’s production of red blood cells. The drug is used by cancer and kidney patients to help combat anemia but has also been used illegally by cyclists to increase performance.
I hiked part way up Sierra Road with my family to watch the 1,943-foot climb for King of the Mountain during the second stage, and although the cyclists flew past in an impressive blaze of commotion the overall feel seemed somewhat lackluster compared to what I’ve seen broadcasted during the Tour de France. There were no red devils chasing cyclists with pitchforks, no bare-bellied lunatics parading around with a flag of Texas for a cape, and few people ventured far past the shoulder to get close to the riders – perhaps in fear of the of the “tour Nazi’s” continuous yelling to GET OUT OF THE STREET!
Police estimates boast over 1 million spectators for the entire course but the crowd seemed somewhat thin, nothing like the 15 - 20 deep at the finish lines of the France’s tour. That may have something to do with France’s estimate of 15 million spectators that come to partake in a 100 year old tradition, almost 25 percent of the country’s population. California’s tour in its first launch since the early 70s reeled in a mere 2.9 percent of the 34 million person population.
Needless to say, race directors seem to be happy, the press seems to be positive and Southern California native and winner of this year’s tour, Floyd Landis, said he would enjoy the sweet taste of success by heading to In-N-Out after his eight-day ride. The race doesn’t quite have the lore of France’s tour but plans are already being made for next year’s race. Crowds or no crowds, steroidal uproars and devil’s with pitchforks be damned, I’ll be heading out next year to watch another lap of history in the making.
Did anyone happen to see that peloton that just blew through our state, or was it just me? During the last week, 16 cycling teams, 128 riders in all, pedaled 596 miles in pro cycling’s Amgen Tour of California. According to VeloNews magazine, this has been the first cycling tour of California since 1971. Supposedly there have been other proposals over the last three and a half decades but their wheels were never given a chance to hit the ground.
This year’s race was able to spin into action due to the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), a company that has invested $35 million in hopes of growing the race over the next five years, budgeting a mere $7 million dollars a year to host a massive state-wide undertaking. AEG didn’t solely get stuck with the bill, however, since the world’s largest biotech company, Amgen, flexed some of their $14 billion annual turnover to sponsor the race for the first three years.
Californians in the ten major cities from Santa Rosa to Redondo Beach had a fleeting opportunity to view the cyclists blazing past their workplace or residence at some point during the tour. Although many fans may have missed the voices of the tour’s toughest critics – those apposed to Amgen’s title sponsorship because the company was the first to biogenetically engineer EPOGEN, also known as EPO, a drug that stimulates the body’s production of red blood cells. The drug is used by cancer and kidney patients to help combat anemia but has also been used illegally by cyclists to increase performance.
I hiked part way up Sierra Road with my family to watch the 1,943-foot climb for King of the Mountain during the second stage, and although the cyclists flew past in an impressive blaze of commotion the overall feel seemed somewhat lackluster compared to what I’ve seen broadcasted during the Tour de France. There were no red devils chasing cyclists with pitchforks, no bare-bellied lunatics parading around with a flag of Texas for a cape, and few people ventured far past the shoulder to get close to the riders – perhaps in fear of the of the “tour Nazi’s” continuous yelling to GET OUT OF THE STREET!
Police estimates boast over 1 million spectators for the entire course but the crowd seemed somewhat thin, nothing like the 15 - 20 deep at the finish lines of the France’s tour. That may have something to do with France’s estimate of 15 million spectators that come to partake in a 100 year old tradition, almost 25 percent of the country’s population. California’s tour in its first launch since the early 70s reeled in a mere 2.9 percent of the 34 million person population.
Needless to say, race directors seem to be happy, the press seems to be positive and Southern California native and winner of this year’s tour, Floyd Landis, said he would enjoy the sweet taste of success by heading to In-N-Out after his eight-day ride. The race doesn’t quite have the lore of France’s tour but plans are already being made for next year’s race. Crowds or no crowds, steroidal uproars and devil’s with pitchforks be damned, I’ll be heading out next year to watch another lap of history in the making.
# posted by Phil Deez @ 11:08 AM 