Few brave rain to watch Tour pass
By: Mike Aldax
February 17, 2009
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| A spectator watches as riders, including Lance Armstrong, in yellow helmet, go by Monday, Feb. 16, 2009, in Half Moon Bay, Calif., during the second stage of the Tour of California cycling race. (AP) |
SAN FRANCISCO — Corey Warner didn’t care about the rain, the wind or that he wasn’t clutching an umbrella Monday morning.
After hearing the Amgen Tour of California would be passing through The City, the San Franciscan hopped on his bicycle and rode out to Ocean Beach, braving the soggy conditions just to catch a glimpse of 135 of the world’s best cyclists — including the legendary Lance Armstrong — zip down the Great Highway.
Warner, joined by a friend visiting from Chicago, was one of only a hundred or so folks that came out to watch the Ocean Beach stretch of the fourth annual Tour. Persistent rain dampened the hype surrounding The City’s part in the nine-day, 750-mile stage race that whisks cyclists through 16 cities from Sacramento to Escondido.
Armstrong and company passed through The City on the tour’s second stage, a 116-mile coastal jaunt from Sausalito to Santa Cruz. They crossed the Golden Gate Bridge — a first for the race — and hugged the western edge of San Francisco, passing through the Presidio, Ocean Beach and continuing along the Great Highway before reconnecting with Highway 1.
The cyclists passed through The City just after 9 a.m. Seconds later, they were gone. Still, Karen Anderson, 51, of Concord said a short glimpse of the world’s best cyclists was worthy of a good soaking.
“I watched the Tour de France on the TV, and this is the closest I can get to seeing these racers,” she said.
As it passed through The City, the race remained on state-maintained roads and was able to avoid paying San Francisco’s steep fees for hosting such an event. In recent years, major cycling races have been pedaling away from The City’s streets to avoid paying for road closures and extra police officers.
At least one prominent race has left The City because of high fees. Three years ago, the San Francisco Grand Prix was permanently canceled because organizers could not agree with The City about pay for police and other services.
Last year, the Tour, which kicked off the first two years from the Ferry Building, did not pass through San Francisco at all, instead beginning in Palo Alto. The reason for the change, according to tour organizers, was to vary the course each year. That leaves two cycling events running through The City’s streets, including the Giro di San Francisco and the San Francisco Twilight Criterium, which were both held in September.
AEG, the organizer of the Amgen Tour of California, shares the same owners as Clarity Media, which oversees The San Francisco Examiner.
Going the distance
Amgen Tour of California field boasts cycling’s finest.
In its fourth year, the Amgen Tour of California features one of the best fields of cyclists ever assembled on U.S. soil, with 11 world champions, 17 Tour de France stage winners and 26 Olympians. The race is 37-year-old Lance Armstrong’s first on American soil since his return from retirement last month, and it’s a prologue to what he hopes is another Tour de France win.
The 16-city, 750-mile tour began Saturday in Sacramento and concludes Sunday in Escondido.
maldax@sfexaminer.com
