IT’S ALL ABOUT THE POLITICKING

Today’s route took us from the beautiful central coast through the Ojai Valley, on to Santa Clarita – just outside of Magic Mountain. Carter managed a great route – lots of climbing, cool scenery, a couple of picturesque towns and 30 bikes rolling through.

We kicked off the day with the announcement of the day one’s black jersey winner – Scott Waterman. If you tuned in yesterday, you’ll take note that he was leading the red Jersey competition. It’s probably time that I explain what this is all about.

While the ToP is NOT a RACE, there is a pseudo-competition that unfolds – and is keenly contested. This is the competition for the jerseys. Like the classic stage races that tend to make widows of our wives and significant others during the hours and hours of seemingly non-stop coverage, we “award” a red jersey for the strongest climber; a green jersey for the most consistent sprinter; a yellow for the overall most dominant rider of the trip. Now while these jerseys recognize the strongest, the fastest – it’s the great stories that take place upon the road that make the trip so much fun. For these, we award the daily black jersey. This coveted jersey is painstakingly decided in a secret meeting between Carter, Bobbo and I – what wins it can be whatever strikes our fancy (or really our funny bone).

So, why Scott you ask – as you’ll recall from yesterday, he was in the days winning break- actually he enabled the break as the only rider with the route programmed into his GPS. While the rest of us were trying to decipher Carter’s elusive directions – Scott was clear in where to go. Now, he should have been able to lead us all like Moses and the Israelites to the Promised Land – but this is where he became the winner.

As we began the first of yesterday’s climb, Scott experienced an ill-timed mechanical – this left him behind the lead group and with only Steve and Jeff around him. Next thing they knew, they were off the front and on to victory. So congratulations to Scott – ToP 2010’s first jersey winner.

So, what about today.

Like every ToP stage in our four-year history, today’s route was filled with the good, the tough, and the comical.

Today offered a choice to the riders, 87.5-mile route or a longer and considerably more hilly option. This is due to Andrew Lee’s last minute conversation with Carter.

“Andrew”, Carter asked, “can you take a look at the day’s route and tell me what you think”

“Well”, Andrew answered in a hesitant voice. “This is ok, but the Amgen Tour of California climbed up Balcom and Grimes Canyon, if we could ride these it would be the bomb!”

If you know Andrew, you can almost see him bouncing from one foot to the next in his ADD driven excitement. Carter swears that he had no choice; he had to add them in at the risk of crushing the poor man’s unbridled enthusiasm.

The lead out to the aforementioned climbs began with a very gentlemanly 15 mile group ride – the first part straight through the main street of Santa Barbara. This was more than welcome to the riders – though the nearly overpowering smell of Ben Gay was all most overpowering as we were reminded that the average age of the group was approaching 50.

Of course, nothing lasts, and this was no exception. A left turn landed us at the base of the first climb, which was like firing off a starter’s pistol. The serene and pleasant morning was over and the real ride was on.

The next 44–miles fell into a painful rhythm of hammering the hills, plunging the descents and slowing on the flats to let stragglers back on – all while slowly thinning the heard into a few separate riding groups.

Finally we were at the turn for Balcom Canyon Road, is a monster of a climb with sections exceeding 18%. To put this into perspective, the Grapevine is only 6%. This was so steep that the strongest riders were turning their pedals over at a paltry 4 MPH.

But as I mentioned, this was an option – the sane choice was to take a 4-mile jog that would make a wheat field Kansas farmer green with jealousy. Steve, John, Gene, Doc and Dave, the second group on the road were thinking clearly and sanely made rolled past the canyon turn – a look of relief in the eyes of Gene as he looked up the mountain, a shudder at the sight.

The final group, consisting of Tyler, Terry, Ted, Scotty, and Mike Witt stopped at the turn – which happened to be the van stop. Now here is where it gets a little foggy.

Reports are that Terry looked at the climb, glanced back at his bike – back yet again at the climb and practically demanded that they take the easier way. Ted, whose eyes after the past two days reminded everyone of those WWII photos – the 50-yard stare and heavy black rings of a man who has seen too much (and rode to many hard miles) immediately began pumping his head up and down like a Manny Ramirez bobble head doll. Scotty and Tyler, who by this time in the ride were no longer capable of coherent sentences, just continued to giggle like they were waiting for their escort to the padded room. But Mike, who had ridden more miles yesterday than he had last month, and being form Chicago, the longest climb he done prior was crossing over the Wabash Ave bridge, started working the crowd like he was throwing his hat into the upcoming governor’s race. He was complimenting, cajoling, and selling it like it was their destiny. One by one, they fell to the ever present peer pressure that is the Achilles heel of us all.

Up they went – three pedal strokes forward, two feet rolling back. The litany of colorful and descriptive comments from Terry once they reached the hotel was nearly a thing of beauty.

All in all, another great day on the rode. Two days down, three to go.

TOP Day 2

Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita

101.4 miles

6148 Feet of Climbing