Barclay Grand Prix, Trail Report

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1 54 WEGMANN, Fabian Gerolsteiner 4:27:20 4:27:20

2 66 LIESWYN, John Health Net / Maxxis

3 16 MCCARTNEY, Jason Discovery Channel

4 53 MOLETTA, Andrea Gerolsteiner 4:27:47 @ 27

5 95 MITCHELL, Glen Kodak - Sierra Nevad 4:29:18 @ 1:58

6 68 SAYERS, Mike Health Net / Maxxis 4:30:16 @ 2:56

7 71 MCCORMACK, Mark Colavita - Sutter Ho 4:30:32 @ 3:12

8 23 ROBERTS, Luke CSC " "

9 118 PATE, Danny Jelly Belly - Pool G 4:30:41 @ 3:21

10 96 PERRAS, Dominique Kodak - Sierra Nevad 4:31:01 @ 3:41


I had to look up the results when I got home. I saw a guy from Gerolsteiner get first, a guy from healthnet get second, and a relative unknown from The Discovery Channel team get third. He probably led most of the race in a solo breakaway and was in the sprint for the win. Hincapie and Leipheimer finished well back in the peleton, I don't recognize and names in the top 20. Basso, Zabriskie and Horner dropped.

I got up early, ran out and picked up a bagel and double Americano, packed, checked out, then headed down the the Expo outside and checked out the stands that were new from the day before, picked up more freebie water bottles. The Gerolstein is a super bottle with a cartoon of Levi Leipheimer.

I got a good spot to watch the staging and start, Bob Roll walked right up to were I was standing and chatted with the group, had a couple of laughs. He looks much thinner in person, that got a couple of chuckles from Boobke and the crowd. Good views of Leipheimer, Hincapie, Rodriquez of the US Team. I never saw picked Basso or Zabriskie out of the crowd. I was really upset I did not have my camera, and planned to pick up a disposable along the way. After the initial short loop and out at the Embarcadero, they headed out and I did too.

I quickly hoofed up Broadway to the top where it deadends and dropped down to Union, on to Polk. There were a few people there, but there was mondo room to see. You could tell where they were from the helicopter and as they got closer the crowd would make noise. A that corner was the strangest fan I have ever seen. He wore a yellow jersey and had on a winter hat, wool scarf over his mouth and cotton stuffed up his nose.

At that corner I watched as the whole group went down a straight on Polk. A young guy from The Discovery Channel had quickly broken away, with a chase of about 10 and another of 30 before the Peloton. The Peloton makes a very audible noise as it passes. My bike alone is quiet enough that I surprise game!

I then headed back up Broadway and found a Walgreens. Photos tomorrow. The course had a corner at Broadway and Polk, great spot for photos because they had to slow. I started getting hungry, but pushed on, the Fillmore Street Climb was just ahead!

I could hear the loudspeakers from an annoucer and the crowd thickened. I saw them come down the relatively flat Broadway and the young guy held the lead, which he did till much later in the race when he was caught by a the guy from Gerolsteiner the Healthnet guy. As they came down Broadway they did not push very hard and when I saw Fillmore I knew why. One cop on a motorcycle thrilled the crowd by getting some air at one intersection as he hit the flat.

It was much harder to see hear, but because it was so steep I did find a place to see. The hill was steep enough that you could get good pics if people didn't hold there cameras up in the way. However, if you turned around, you got a good view as they passed. Most climbed straight up, but some of these pros zig-zagged up. I watched the two breakaways and the peleton then headed down. VERY HUNGRY.

I found the Cozmo Grill on a corner of Fillmore, stepped inside to sit at the bar, have a grilled chicken sandwich with red bell peppers, pannini like bread and gruyere cheese, "washed down" with a blood mary so good I had to have another. The waitress put a huge amount of vodka in the second! Oh well. I saw two laps pass from my barstool, refueled and chatted with a guy who was doing a race for kids as a fundraiser for the Peloton Project. I had 50 or so of my flyers, but hadn't used them because some guys had a booth at the expo, and didn't feel like infringing on their territory. I planned on getting rid of them today. After I finished my lunch I saw the kids at the staging area. Too cool. A lot of training wheels in the mini peloton of 30. :D

Cutting off an extension of the route, I dropped down to Chestnut watched race all the way back to the Embarcadero as I walked and jogged (after two bloody mary's ?!). It was sometime during that stretch that the two guys caught the solo breakaway. I wasn't sure if I would make it back to the finish, but I thought I might until they passed one section for the final time and the cops started taking down barriers.

The finish line was very crowded and couldn't see much but the heads of the racers as they passed. You couldn't hear the announcer very well and I thought I had missed the finish and that they were doing victory laps, but nobody had gone anywhere. There was a big screen TV with live motorcycle and helicopter video feed. Every once in a while the video would blink for a couple of seconds and the crowd would grown, and soon the riders started jockeying for position as the did the small laps at the Embarcadero Ferry Terminal by the Hyatt. It was clear they were still racing.

They jockeyed and I couldn't tell what color the jerseys were on the big screen in the sun, all I could tell who won until the presentations, and then I couldn't decipher the names of the first two, just the team. The guy from the Discovery Channel got the hill climber award.

I watched the winner get flowers, kisses and spray champagne, before I picked up my luggage from the Hyatt. Everybody on the award stand waiting for the winners seemed to think the event was a huge success. So did the crowd! Funny to see the winner in the Hyatt lobby going for his medical (drug testing) and press conference in the lobby. Off to the airport for fire oven pizza and and Anchor Steam. Time to go home.


Expected Number of Spectators before the event
500,000+

Actual number??

Distance walked, run?

You heard it first, here.
last edited: 9/05/05 1:16:14 AM”

“I should have had a radio, would have had a better idea of the people and positions.

Still, a view from the ground, seeing them pass so many times in different areas of the course and getting in a good workout type hike was fun.

last edited: 9/05/05 7:51:11 PM”