"It’s so great. It’s the biggest success ever in my career." This is Tony Martins (HTC-Highroad) reaction to winning the 2011 Paris-Nice Race to the Sun. He was followed onto the final podium by Andreas Kloden (RadioShack) in second position and Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) in third.
Many writers who have followed this years race have referred to it as the Race to the Rain. The weather at the start of the race was perfect. As the days peddled past the peloton rode into cloudy, then, for the last two days, rainy weather. Wetsuits would have worked well for the riders. The boys with no body fat pressed on without them though.
All of the rain soaked roads were in the mountain stages, and covered the category 1, 2, and 3 climbs. It takes a great deal of skill, determination, and a well tuned bike to make it through wet and slippery roads without crashing. There were 51 riders who withdrew from this years race.
The season has begun in grand fashion. There are many great races coming up. The Paris-Robaix will start on April 11. The Giro, Amgen Tour of California, Dauphine Libere and others all lead up to the grandest of all, 2011 Tour de France. There is never a dull moment or a day with the opportunity to watch and learn from the pros.
All of us who ride, mountain or road, in the Sacramento/El Dorado/Placer county areas, gain quite a bit from these races. Our bikes, kit, and gear are, for the most part, first engineered and then tested by the pros. Their successes translate directly into better, safer, and arguably, better looking, bikes for all.
The local club scene is the probably the best way for the local cyclistes to gain an appreciation for what it takes to ride in a pace line, or participate in a peloton. It is vastly different than the normal ride among two or three friends, or the solitary glide through the trails that we all enjoy. In any event, the pros are great to watch, but riding is better than watching.
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