TandemHearts

For weeks we’ve felt like the kid in Breaking Away - “The Italians are Coming! The Italians are coming!” Actually, the best in world are coming. The Amgen Tour of California is a week long stage race from San Francisco to Redondo Beach. Several big European teams have come to enjoy the fine California weather with a few domestic teams. We went to Santa Rosa for the finish of Stage One, but the big day for us was Stage Two. Stage Two included Sierra Road, a brutal 10% grade (with a few sections even steeper) for 3.6 miles. Thom did it in 43 minutes with 10 pounds of camera gear on the bike. The pros did it in about 15 minutes.

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We spent the 4th of July at the Annual Davis Criterium. Crits are lap races, often around a few city blocks. They make great spectator events because you can enjoy a whole day of racing from one or two places. Racers compete in all levels, from as young as 12 (some looked as young as 10) up to Masters 55+. Regardless of the category, the competition is fierce. As always, the photos tell the tale.