It’s the month of May in California. All the trees are blossoming, the roses look fantastic, and I am busy sneezing. That’s right, it’s that time of year. With the temperature hovering between 70 and 85, all is well with the world. More importantly, the weather is expected to stay that way for the entire month of May.
“God Bless You!”
In two weeks, hundreds of thousands of spectators will be lining the palm-treed streets to watch the world’s greatest cyclists traverse nearly a 1000 miles of road as they race from Northern California to Southern California.
On May 16th, they start in Nevada City, California in the Sierra Mountains, 5000-plus feet above sea level and on May 23rd, they finish at picturesque Thousand Oaks, California in the Conejo Valley slightly 800 feet above sea level.
Along the way, they will pass many of the familiar landmarks known to the world. As the U. S. Army marching song says, they will travel “over hill and over dale.” Mounting up will be 90 of the best riders the world has ever known. Riders from 20 different countries make up the 15 elite teams. At the top of the list are two United States riders, the incomparable Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer. Lance is known world-wide as the only man to win the fabled Tour-de-France seven times, and Levi Lepheimer is the diminutive Californian by-way-of Montana who has won the California Tour the last three years. Together, they form the nucleus of Team RadioShack and are a force to be contended with.
Many riders make up the complement of teams that do not necessarily represent their home country.
For the uninitiated who might be attending the race, or among the 3.5 billion who might be watching the race on television or by online streaming, the colors of the jerseys which the racers are awarded after each stage have a significance based in cycling history.
The yellow jersey is awarded to the leader by time after each stage and the winner at the conclusion of the race. Originally the leader’s jersey was gold, in reference to the California Gold Rush, but in 2009 the jersey color was changed to yellow to be consistent with all the other bike races worldwide.
The green jersey is awarded to the leader and overall winner by points from immediate and final sprints. Among those who have worn the jersey in years past is Mark Cavendish of Great Britain. Mark is considered the fastest sprinter currently competing and one of the fastest of all time. A tough competitor to Mark is the "Flying American," George Hincapie of the United States, who in the 2006 race wore the green jersey four days. These are two riders worth following! There have been many repeat winners in this category.
The leader and overall winners by points in mountain climbs are awarded the red jersey. It was orange in the past, but has been changed to conform to worldwide standards. He is called the race’s “KOM” – “King of the Mountain." This is one of the areas that Levi Leipheimer has excelled. Here again, there have been multiple winners and many repeat winners.
The race encourages new faces. The racer who is under 23 years of age and is the leader and overall winner by time on a cumulative basis for various stages and the entire race will be awarded a silver & blue jersey. In prior years it was white. Robert Gesnick of the Netherlands and the Rabobank team won it for three straight years. He won a total of 16 stages in 2007 (3), 2008 (5) and in 2009 he won (8). This year he is over 23, so he an not be the winner.
The final award classification is the “most courageous”. This is an award that is given at the end of each of the eight stages. The jersey is blue, but it used to red. No one has won more then once.
So now you know what to look for, and unlike years past, the jerseys should be easy to spot because in February, the race experienced rain, snow, sleet, ice and fog. This year the tour meteorologist has predicted the month of May shall be chamber of commerce weather. Indeed, April showers did bring May flowers this year
“Gezundheit!”
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