[Cursor]

went to watch stage 6 since it ended where i work in santa clarita.

headed for the final sprint

the machines

 

[LordOpie]

Very cool! Super jealous.

I'm surprised they let you get the close to the bikes.

Also, give a little story about how it all went. Were the crowds annoying or did it all flow well? Did they have events going on while you waited for the riders or was it just chillin'? Did you see the podium awards?

 

[Cursor]

the crowd around me seemed really cool.
i was at the corner where freddie and a few other rock racing riders went down and everyone was cheering for freddie to get up and start riding again. people seemed really supportive and some even waited for the last riders to cross the finish line before they left.

there were the typical sponsor booths lined up along the finish line. not really giving too much away.....noise makers, visors, posters. on the other side of the block in the mall parking lot, there seemed to be an industry after race party. giant, trek, khs, cannondale, specialized, cambria, shimano were all there. but it seemed like if you didn't have a VIP badge, they would ignore you. kinda weird cuz you can try out bikes from the different manufacturers and they had a huge stage with a band and contests like they wanted people to participate.

as for the pics of the bikes, i don't know if i really was suppose to be that close but the mechanics didn't really care. i seemed to be in a secured area but everyone was too busy crowding the press conference area.

 

[maddog17]

well for the times ive watched the TdF on tv, seems like the crowd can get pretty close to the stuff, and back in the mid to late 80's to early 90's you could walk up to the mechanics and talk to them if they were friendly and/or had the time to chat. i remember reading where some would let you clean the bikes!! it's all changed now, with the barriers they have up, but then again, look how expensive the bikes are now compared to then.

 

[sperkins]

That is so neat that you got to go to the TOC. Those pics are fantastic.

 

[dhmike]

nice pics !

 

[Cursor]

thanks.

i actually did try talking to the mechanic for astana but he spoke no english. i just stayed out of their way since they were all so busy scrubbing down the team cars and then washing all the bikes.

i'll try and load a few more pics.

 

[Internal14]

thanks.

i actually did try talking to the mechanic for astana but he spoke no english. i just stayed out of their way since they were all so busy scrubbing down the team cars and then washing all the bikes.

i'll try and load a few more pics.

bwahahaah...you must have happened to run into the "bodygaurd' posing as a team mechanic. Did he have a few 'interesting' tat's on his neck, arm, etc? From what I was told by Craig, the Aussie mech. for Asstana, that guy is 'freinds' with the individuals dropping the coin for that team. Has major eastern block mafia connections(unconfirmed...don't come hunt me down Mr. Lynchman!). The entire time we were working, he'd be standing there smoking mass cigarettes staring off in outer space, just kinda watching things happen. All the while Craig assembled Levi's new stars-n-bars bike and installed a slew of new forks on the race bikes the three days before the prolouge. Meanwhile, Mr. Happy would smoke a pack, wash a bike(pretty bad at it actually too!) then sit on the back of the truck and pull out another pack.
Great guy I tell ya! lthumbsdown:
Craig was the serious unsung hero that week man.

 

[Internal14]

well for the times ive watched the TdF on tv, seems like the crowd can get pretty close to the stuff, and back in the mid to late 80's to early 90's you could walk up to the mechanics and talk to them if they were friendly and/or had the time to chat. i remember reading where some would let you clean the bikes!! it's all changed now, with the barriers they have up, but then again, look how expensive the bikes are now compared to then.

Well, trust me, as a team mechanic, I WISH we had big barricades to keep the public away. But no such luck. You can stop by and say hello, even bring a beer or two maybe if you want anything more than a grunted 'Hi' back atcha.
Thing is is that the mechanics have insane hours, and the work is intense. Everything HAS to be right, the FIRST time. And there's a slew of work to do every day, no matter. And most of us work ont eh premise of, "I'm out here at the trailer to work. Not BS. Get the work done and close shop by sundown at latest!" Then it's off to the shower, stop by the team meal buffet, then to the hotel bar to unwind for a bit before heading to bed to get a few hours of shut-eye.

But yeah, the mechanics are just as 'touchable' as ever. Just don't think about touching a bike without first asking permission. Nothing upsets a mechancic more than some random person fondeling a pro's bike.

 

[MtnbikeMike]

What team do you wrench for?

 

[Cursor]

bwahahaah...you must have happened to run into the "bodygaurd' posing as a team mechanic. Did he have a few 'interesting' tat's on his neck, arm, etc?

this guy?

 

[Internal14]

this guy?

Hey there's Mr. happy himself.

Glad you snapped that pic when his back turned to you, otherwise the flash might have set in motion an ugly scenario! hehehe

That be the guy.

 

[Internal14]

What team do you wrench for?

I did all three big tours (Cali, Georgia, Missouri) with Toyota-United last year.
This year I did the ToC....and that'll probably be it. I'll expand on that off list if you want the story....irate2:

Got asked to do a few races from Bissell and Kelly Benifit so I might help those guys out at some of the bigger races. Just kind of hard to ballance being out of the shop.

I used to wrench full time, but it got old after years, now it's a lot more fun to fly in, hit it hard, and fly home a week later not having to deal with all the team dynamics/drama.