What a Shelf!

This past weekend I was in San Francisco. Having a few bikes I decided to take one down to SF and leave at my friend Mikey and Mel's place at the base of Potero Hill. So I had my wrench Mackenzie box up my bike in a small bike box.

All you traveling bike friends... TIP: box up bike only in a sturdy cardboard box. When you get to the airline counter...and when asked a if its a bike, say its a bike frame. For some reason when it only weighs 15lbs they think so too. NO CHARGE!


So this weekend started the Tour of California (TOC or ATOC to the sponsor Amgen); is it me or do you find that the maker of EPO (for cancer patients and doping cyclists) is the sponsor of this big American cycling event? I saw the prolog in Palo Alto and the first stage as it commenced in Sausilito. Both starts I rode my bike from the City to the location...so it made it more fun, but yes I looked like all the other bike geeks milling about watching the race.

Yes that is Tyler Hamilton and Oscar Sevilla in the Rock Racing (yes we feel like NASCAR) show near the start line.

What impressed me most was how accessible these BIG NAME riders are at the tour. Name any other professional sport (maybe golf) where you can get this close to the BIG GUYS. I did see a pro golf tourney... so this is definitely closer but for a shorter period of time (right?).

The other big impressive element, and I mean BIG was Fabian Cancellara's SHELF or shall I say BUTT! Holy Cow, no wonder he won the Prolog, I mean his caboose was twice the size of other riders. See what us Chick look at? Well for me its the bike and the shelf.