Tour of California

Well, I'm way overdue for some blogging. Again, it's more because of nothing to say than busyness, fortunately.

Anyway, today was the start of the Tour of California. That was a short time trial, and took place in Sacramento. I didn't even think of going into town for it, as you would have to endure huge crowds and terrible traffic just for a few seconds of watching the cyclists fly past, and the TV coverage is great. It's also a rather cold, windy, drizzly day.

The main highlight of the day was Lance Armstrong's return to competitive cycling (he did ride in an Australian tour earlier this year), and the crowd went wild when he set off. His performance was pretty impressive for a 37-year old who retired three years ago, and he finished the prologue in tenth place.

This is the fourth year that they have run the Tour of California and I am very impressed at the number of top European riders that they have attracted — the line-up would not embarrass any of the top European tours. Team Barloworld is racing in Europe at the moment, which is a pity — I would have liked to see them racing here.

The first stage of the Tour starts in Davis tomorrow. I'll be watching the TV coverage again!