Prologue

As the mist lifted over the Palo Alto foothills, the 2008 Tour of California kicked off with a 3.4km prologue time trial. The course shot racers out of the heart of downtown Palo Alto and onto the Stanford campus, finishing around the Stanford Oval. Crowds ten deep line the length of the course a as TT World Champion Fabian Cancellara, of Team CSC, ripped through the idyllic afternoon to post a winning mark of 3:51, a whopping four seconds faster than second place Bradley Wiggins (Team High Road).

And yes, as reported, the Lion King roared again. Resplendent in his neon green and black Rock Racing kit (and a bike with his name plastered everywhere on it) Mario Cipollini rolled down a start ramp for the first time since 2004. With his Rock Racing team dominating the pre-race headlines, three marquee riders were not allowed to start due to ongoing doping investigations, Super Mario showed few signs of rust, finishing just 17 seconds off the winning time.

Slipstream/H30 staked their claim to the moniker of America's Next Team as youngster Tyler Farrar put in a phenomenal ride midway through the day, landing 3rd overall. Like it or not, the blue and orange argyle is going to be very visible in the peloton this year.

Levi Leipheimer has definitely become the face of the ToC. His image adorns most every piece of media associated with the race, and he did not disappoint with a strong ride into 4th place. His Astana team's recent exclusion from the Tour de France has rippled through their sponsors as Trek is mounting a large "Let Levi Ride" campaign. Their faux-political red, white and blue stickers were plastered on plenty of today's spectators.

World Champ stripes were in abundance today as Quickstep trotted out their current and former winners in Paolo Bettini and Tom Boonen. While the two have combined for dozens of wins, they rarely race together as Bettini focsuses on the spring schedule in Italy and the Giro d'Italia. Boonen spends his spring in the less hospitable climes of Northern France and his native Belgium, before tackling the Tour de France.

Palo Alto lived up to it's reputation as a great place to ride, the hills surrounding the city were full of groups on their morning rides before joining the thousands along the prologue route. Monday takes the BikeTiresDirect booth to Santa Rosa as the race traverses Bay Area wine country running from Sausalito to Santa Rosa.

A trip around the Stanford Oval looped riders to the finish.

Previous Page

Next Page

Our Most Popular Articles

26 inch Cruiser Tires About Us All About Gear Inches Bicycle Lights Bicycle Parts Bicycle Wheels Bike Fenders Bike Locks Bike Seat Posts Car Racks Common Tire Sizes Cycling Leg Warmers Halogen Bike Lights LED Bike Lights Mountain Bike Road Tires Older Tire Sizes Privacy and Security Racing Bicycle Wheels Racing/Performance Tires Returns Road Bike Fenders Shipping Sidi Cycling Shoes Silca Pump Rebuild Tire Size Chart Tire Tips Tire Width Trainer Workouts Tread Patterns Tube Types 1