14 May 2012

Tour of California

It was overcast and cool. I headed up Hwy 9 and Glen Arbor to Boulder Creek, and there were brief sprinkles in places. At Boulder Creek, I headed out on Hwy 236, and, for the first time of the day, saw some groups of cyclists headed the opposite direction. I started up Jamison Creek at 11:15. There were more cyclists descending. I got to the top at 11:39, and stopped there to watch the race go by. The pace of the race was slower than expected, so the race didn't get to Jamison Creek and Empire Grade until around 3. The signs at Boulder Creek had been warning of road closures from 1:30 to 3:30. First, the leader, riding for Liquigas, went by all by himself. Minutes later, two more went by, one of them riding for Bissell. A little later, the big pack went by. Then, another big pack went by. Then, minutes later, the last two riders and the broom wagon went by. I then headed back down Empire Grade.