Tour of California Stage 8

Ann and I decided to cancel our Sunday flight, then drive the 3 hours to Mt Palomar summit, the king of mountain finale in stage 8 of Tour of California, a 5200 ft climb, 11 miles. It was well worth it to see the pain on those guys faces. Notably, got good shot of Lance Armstrong (Astana, yellow helmet), putting the hurt on those around him. However, Levi Leipheimer was in the break, 2 minutes ahead at the summit and believe me, if Lance could have gone with him he would have. So this doesnt mean he's not competitive, as it's only February and Lance has never been in top shape this time of year. As well, he led out the Astana peleton throughout the race while Levi drafted behind him, so yes, Lance probably did more work overall in the race, so he should be tired. Check out the pic of the guy with the Guinness shorts. This is Shawn Wallace, a co-teammate on Guinness Cycling Team. Shawn has won world TT championships, masters division...twice. He pedalled up the 5200 ascent on Palomar today on a beach cruiser...carrying a surfboard. And...the 4 other guys on road bikes got left behind. That is strong! For those of you who dont know cycling...no...they arent reading the newspaper as they crest the top of the mountain. Spectators hand the cyclists news paper, of which they then stuff in their jerseys for extra insulation as they descend the 14 miles off the summit.