Tour Of Califronia, Stage 7

Stage 7 of the 09 Tour Of California, my first time watching a professional road race, was a blast. Riding up into the hills, high enough to see snow on the ground, was a great way to watch the race. Then came the fun part of following after the race passed, to bomb the final decent to the Rose Bowl. It was one hell of a steep drop, but oh so fun. Riding along the course, sometimes spectators who had set up would cheer you on even though you weren't part of the race. My favorite moment while climbing into the hills was a little boy shouted to me, "good job, ride fast, fly in the sky". That's what's it all about.

The stage win went to Rinaldo Nocentini, but Levi Leipheimer held on to the yellow jersey. After stage 8 in San Diego Levi has pulled a hat trick winning the Tour Of California 3 years straight. For complete results check out the Tour Of California website, and for my photos of the day click to view the complete set, or just enjoy some of my favorite pics below.