The 3rd annual Amgen Tour of California is in the books. The people from
Amgen were conspicuously absent from the race, but reports are that they are
happy and looking to continue sponsorship. Let's hope so. Here are some
random thoughts about the race.

Things I liked:

All the aggressive riding. It was full-on from day one first with the BMC Team
sending guys up the road on stages 1 and 2 and then with attacks by the likes
of George Hincapie, Robert Gesink, Dominique Rollin, that Hincapie guy again,
Michael Creed, Tom Zirbel, that Hincapie guy again, etc, etc.

The non-Pro Tour teams showing themselves in front of their bigger brothers.
These lesser weights (in UCI classification only?) didn't just hide out at the
back of the pack waiting for another beating, they raced side-by-side to the
finish.

Podium girls. Hats off to Michael Ball and Rock Racing for bringing some
much-needed feminine touches to the main stage.

Mount Hamilton. This bump helped create one of the most selective finishes
in the history of the AToC. When combined with Sierra Road this made for a
very exciting stage.

Mario Cipollini. Cipo is in his second career as a bike racer and has admitted
that he is playing with house money. But, ride he did and he was in there when
he needed to be. Bravo!

Levi's time trial ride. Guys like David Millar, Christian Vandevelde, Tom
Zirbel and Ben Jacques-Maynes rode extremely well in Solvang, but Leipheimer
delivered the knock-out punch to anyone else's hopes to win the AToC. Yeah,
he was expected to do well, but not that well. It was a drubbing.

Things I didn't like:

The AToC organizers bumping three riders from Rock Racing from starting. I
have still not seen the supposed letter from the UCI stating that there are
active doping investigations on Santiago, Oscar and Tyler. Anybody else seen
any news on the alleged open doping investigations?

Mother Nature. Maybe it was payback for kicking out the three Rock Racing
riders, but why penalize all the other racers and spectators with so much
rain? I was starting to gather a few animals, two-by-two.

Media parking. Hey, I am a journalist. I am doing a job at the AToC. Please
give me a place to park my car and don't trap me in some parking garage with
one attendant to take cash so I have to spend an hour waiting in line to leave
after the race.

Technical manual. Is it so hard to put a graphic showing the press room on
the map of the finish area?

Bruce

It appears the news that Italian super sprinter Mario Cipollini has signed with Rock Racing were a bit premature. That doesn't mean that Cipo is heading back to the land of fine wine and pasta for good. It just means that the negotiations aren't over. Where's Donald Trump when you need him? Personally, I hope Mario signs and has a presence in the US. I am sure The Donald would allow him to be a judge at his Miss America pageant.

In light of being in limbo over Super Mario's future, I thought I would recount my most favorite story about the flamboyant Italian. In 2002, I was covering the spring classic in Northern France and Belgium for Cycle Sport Magazine. It was a blast. If you have never been to the classics, you should go and don't forget to bring your bike and some warm and waterproof clothing.

Anyway, the Tour of Flanders ranks just behind Paris-Roubaix in prestige and some consider it even more difficult. This is the event to win if you are Belgian. The great Belgian cyclist Peter Van Petegem once told me that after he won the Tour of Flanders he never had to worry about getting a speeding ticket (and boy did he love to drive his Volvo 760 fast). When he would get pulled over the cops would recognize him and just let him go. Unfortunately, Belgium is implementing a lot of photo radar and Van Petegem mused that his lead-footed days were soon to be over.

Hey, but this is about Mario and here's the story. The Tour of Flanders is around 165-miles long and has about 20 named short climbs most of which are cobbled and reach grades of up to 23%. In 2002, Cipollini, who is nota noted climber and seems to disappear on all but the flattest of courses, was leading the UCI World Cup, the precursor to the current Pro Tour. As such he felt a need to defend his leader's jersey and rode exceptionally strongly to win the field sprint and finish 9th overall.

As Cipo crossed the line, a female TV reporter approached him and asked, "Do you want a massage?" Now you have to remember that Mario had just ridden 165 of the hardest miles there are in pro cycling, something that would have left lesser men near collapse. But not Cipo. He looked straight at the reporter and asked, "Are we talking a therapeutic massage or a sexual massage?" The reporter answered, "a therapeutic massage." Mario responded, "a therapeutic massage? No, not a therapeutic massage."

Man, we need this dude back in cycling!

Bruce

ps - anyone got a favorite Cipo story? Let's hear them.