A Weekend at the Races with Lance, Levi...

Chris, Philip, Kristin and almost 600 road-racers of international and local fame. The town was a-buzz with riders, fans, officials and media. It was the 23rd Tour of the Gila and the community put on its best. One of the most frequently-heard comments live and in the papers was some version of the following, “…and the Silver City people were all so nice to be around.” That quote is attributed to Kristin Armstrong (no relation), the young woman who won the Women’s Pro, surely an achievement right up there with the 2008 Olympic Gold Medal she also took in Bejing! Of the race itself, Lance is quoted as saying, “…an American Classic.” But the comment that was most telling about our town and the people here was reported in the paper early in the week, “People here are so nice—they let you into traffic!” Surely a big-city racer used to negotiating the streets of DC or Phily or LA.

So who won? You should need to ask? Levi, Lance take top spots… the Sun-News reported on Monday. But I get ahead of myself...

On Saturday, we went to the Criterium, which is the name of the in-town street race. It was a big square with the legs: Bullard (Silver’s ‘main street’), College, Cooper and Broadway. The start and finish line was at 6th and Bullard, but the best places to watch the big-kids races were the corners of Bullard and Broadway, and Broadway and Cooper. First, however, there were the Citizen’s races, starting with adults and working down the age groups to the littlest racers, with the youngest racers aged 3-5 and still riding training wheels and tricycles. And if you think these pictures are cute, check out my videos


And here’s where Lance ran over my hat! Maybe not, but at least half of the 150 plus Men’s Pro 1 did. Here’s what happened: I was wearing my blue Gila Wildlife Rescue ball cap just like I promised. The wind kicked up and was blowing in very strong gusts. Just as the big kids turned the corner from Cooper and down Broadway, the wind kicked my hat off right off my head and into their path. It bounded and flipped and skittered in front of and underneath the riders. My heart was in my throat that the hat would catch in spokes and upend one person, starting a chain reaction. But I and they were lucky – the cap was eventually tamed and run over, leaving tire tracks both on the inside and outside of the crown and in zig-zags across the bill. As I retrieved it, hoping the cameras were following the riders and not the ride-busting cap, someone yelled, “Say, how much you want for that hat!?” You might have missed the cap on ESPN under the Isaac’s sign, but look for it on eBay; Lance’s tiretracks are almost as good as his signature and, having seen his signature on some fan’s jersey, at least as readable.
If you wonder what it’s like to watch 150+ riders at break-neck speed make a 90degree turn with a strong tail-wind, take a look.
My final great picture of the day: Lance and Chris making a cool-down lap at the end of the race: So on we went to Pinos Altos on Sunday for the finish of Stage 5, the Gila Monster Race. The different classes rode different distances, but all rode UP! Because to get to Pinos Altos, that’s the only way – UP! The Men’s Pro 1 rode over 100 miles and climbed a total of >9,000 feet. That wasn’t 9,000 all at once, mind you: we don’t live on the moon, after all, nor even Everest. But the course climbs and dips and climbs and dips and so the total climbing came out to 9,000. Pinos Altos is a small place, as you saw if you checked out the story at the link above. But it was full and bustling and busy with racers, food vendors, fans and locals. The riders didn’t come in as a pack, the way they rode in the Criterium. They stretched out and came riding in, in ones, twos and threes, with only a couple of groups coming in together. We saw the winner of the Women’s Pro, Kristin Armstrong, but didn’t recognize her until people were yelling, but by then she was past and finished. We did see the front three of the Men’s Pro 1 ride with, with an Aussie in the lead – or at least he was riding for an Aussie team – Levi second and Lance third. Chris came in 4th or 5th. Even though Phillip of the Aussie team won the day, Lance’s team took overall first and second places.


I put together my best set of images of both races here on Flikr. Hope you enjoy them. We had just a great weekend. And May is a busy month: we have the Blues Festival, the Rodeo and a house tour. Wonder what we’ll do for June – or the rest of the summer!