Riders on the Storm

For the first time I can recall, a professional bicycle race came through Santa Cruz. Specifically, Stage Two of the 2009 Amgen Tour of California race ended here in Downtown Santa Cruz, after starting in Sausalito this morning.

Even more exciting, not only did the race come through Downtown, it went right down my street! That's right, I hung out in my front yard today and watched bike racing luminaries such as Lance Armstrong fly by not more than 10 feet in front of me. To chronicle such a momentous event, I took pictures and pulled together a photo page.

Aside from the fun of seeing the racers speed down my street, it was interesting to watch the weather seemingly cooperate with my fair city's debut as a staging ground for the Tour of California. While cycling through the mountains, the racers were reportedly deluged with rain. And even here in Santa Cruz, the rain was steady until about 10:30.

But as can be seen in my pictures, the rain stopped mid-morning and by Noon the streets were dry. A couple of quick showers made things interesting — I had Neighbor Nicole taking refuge on my porch for a few minutes — but they stopped by 13:30.

When the first riders came by at 13:56, not only were the streets dry, but the sun had just broke through the clouds. And Downtown stayed partly cloudy the whole time the racers were streaming through. By 15:00, all the riders had gone by, and the grey was back. By 16:00, dark storm clouds filled the sky. And by 16:30, hail was falling. It was almost like the collective will of Santa Cruz had managed to push back the storm just long enough so the riders could cross the line. After that it came rushing back in with a vengeance.

I only hope the tour organizers remember our meteorological manipulation when they plan next year's route.

Post	Reference	More Info
Riders on the Storm	Song by The Doors