Sincitycycler

Pretty good for a virgin effort.

Fortunately, the weather was perfect for an inaugural event - Californians are fair-weather fans (literally) for the most part because they are spoiled by having the best weather in the country! If it sucks outside, it's like why even bother?

Here's a short list of what I'd like to see:
1.) At least one sustained high mountain stage like the Giro or TDF!
2.) Lose those lame Clif Bar skits
3.) Hot podium girls - help give skinny lycra-clad athletes a more manly image for NASCAR/ NFL Nation
4.) Helicopters for TV
5.) Better leader jersey. Yuk!

Pico

What the heck was with the Specialized Angel? I just don't get it.

Sincitycycler

Yeah, she was like a Flower Child of the 60's, blowing kisses at the riders, no explantion of her functon from Bobke or Sir Paul whatsoever. We should all email Specialized as to WTF?

I think Larry Flynt should sponsor the T of CA to add a little spice. This one was sooo sterile...

my58vw

Less beach, more hills!

What sucks is this is a TT specialist event... i.e. the winner of the itt at stage 3 was the overall winner... that was a bit annoying. Maybe a trip into the mountains up north or something... there is more to Cali than coast!

And for the "hot" podium girls... nah!... plenty to like with some of those HOT riders

Sincitycycler

I was think the same thing, but isn't there snow in No Cal this time of the year?

botto 

Landis is not just a TT specialist, he's a GC rider.

I guess you're new to bike racing. You win Stage Races in Hills and in the TTs.

Ever hear of Greg Lemond? Miguel Indurain? Jaques Anquetil?

brminpin

Best way to improve the ToC is to get a better TV deal. 1AM time slot really sucks for the people in EST.

my58vw

Actually I am not, but I believe TTs should be the clicher, not the seperation in racing. Now if someone in a stage race was close on GC when they went into the TT and then they won in the TT then I can say the TT was worth it. When the TT is the only realy deciding factor I can not say it was worth it.

It is true that GC is won in the hills and on the TT bike, but every part is important. For all the stage races I have seen, the best races are won by someone who can hide for 90% of the race (flat stages) and do good in one or the other stages... look at zabriskee... TT specilist but high in GC (If I remember right). It seems like the GC riders are good in TTs too... and that is why they win the GC...

It is a special breed like hincapie, etc who can climb well and win itts... no more Lance though!

botto 

it's far too early in the season for a mammoth mountain stage, so that's why the TT was the main factor.

Don't forget that Landis was one of only two who could follow Liephiemer when he made his move the day before. He wasn't hiding, he just wasn't getting the press that Julich, David Z, George were getting.

Yes, no more Lance, but a GC rider is an all-rounder. They can climb, they can TT, and they hammer.

Hincapie is a sprinter/rolleur who's become a good climber, and only in the past few years has pushed himself in the TTs. IIRC previously he used the ITT (at least in the TdF) as a 'rest day' - if that's really possible.

roadwarrior

It was a interesting race that was a nice warmup for the international riders and showed the local guys how much they have to learn in order to even get noticed by the top teams...Julich was pretty outspoken about how some of them rode...it also showed some beautiful areas of California and (believe it or not) probably helped tourism (since the ads were for California or Amgen), another byproduct of this type of race.

The American domestic teams really did not fare well at all against many "B" level pro teams. I was surprised at how Heath Net performed.

Improve it? Going to the Sierras is not an option this time or year...for any climbing it's either the coast or the east side of the state. With some minor variations, my guess is that's pretty much going to be the course. Maybe include a southern dash by San Diego or north of there.

It's a nice warm up to Paris-Nice and the upcoming classics season.

56/12 and 22/28

They need more free stuff in the starting and finishing towns.

That'll give my mom another reason to take me.

headwind_hater

One thing that would make it better, is ESPN2 showing it at a decent hour (instead of 1AM in my area)!

Thulsadoom

I'd have to agree that it needs something to shake up the peleton. Some of the climbs were pretty serious, but it seemed like the finishes were always in the towns below. That seemed to give the peleton the opportunity to recover and come back together, to some extent. Maybe if they had a couple of finishes right at the top of some of those climbs, it would have shook some of the guys up. It ain't like Floyd would have gotten dropped on any climb, though, and might have gained time. The other top ten places might have gotten joggled around a little though, with a mountain top finish.

I thought the gold jersey was cool. Just a little different, which was fine. What's wrong with gold?

Hipcycler

Still, all in all I thought it looked like a great event and is nothing but a positive step for the sport in this country.

Bravo Cali.!

R900

I enjoyed the races, even if I taped them for later viewing. Just finished stage 7 this morning. I thought the coverage was good and well produced. The Clif bar stuff will go away, otherwise a good hour of TV. CA did an outstanding job of hosting the race. My complaint was that the race was decided 4 days ago. I guess that is just bike racing, (not much different then the TdF). It would be nice if the final days had more meaning for the overall winner. Again I thought it was a great event, just fun to see more people have a chance to win it all. I know bike racing is a team sport, but it's more fun to see a team go after a win rather then protecting a lead.

John

patentcad

By getting on the media radar screen. See my 'WHAT Amgen Tour of CA?' thread....

profkrispy

Move the TT to stage 6.

Mo'Phat

1. They needed mountaintop finishes. The two 'major' climbs (Sierra Road and San Marcos Pass) gave all the dropped riders ample time to catch up at the end. Bunch sprint finishes are great for the viewers at the end, but with all the riders getting the same time, there's rarely ever any change in the GC.

(I was so proud of my Cali brethren...the top of San Marcos Pass looked like Pla d'Adet)

2. Helicopters. Too many jumpy and staticky images from the motorcycles and too many shots of the camera panning up the side of the road and off into space. Plus, the helicopter could show the peloton from above, the finish sprints from above, and the Monterey-to-SLO coastline in all its glory.

3. No Clif Bar ads.

4. Better selection of race to actually cover. Too many segments were of a breakaway that was just rolling along, with the guy in back munchin' a powerbar. Summits, descents, breakaways, pacelines, chases, bonks, and finishes are key.

5. Clocks. I don't remember ever seeing an 'elapsed time' clock or a mileage counter at all. With the jumpiness of the telecast, before a commercial they were just starting a circuit, then when they get back, they were on the last lap.

6. 'Wired for Sound'. Like how the NFL puts mics on players. Even though what Salvodelli is saying to (some rookie on Jelly Belly) might not be too interesting, it would be a nice break in the Bob-can't-say-'Hincapie'-without-saying-BIG George-before-it-Roll yammerings.

7. Less California Highway Patrol cars almost sideswiping the leaders. One car almost took out the Leipheimer breakaway. THAT would have been some great TV, but disastrous for the ToC itself.

Mo'Phat

Yes, but you knew it was the SPECIALIZED Angel. For non bikers, it's just eye-candy, for bikers, it's eye candy and effective advertising.

cyclintom

The ToC is too early in the year for real climbs. It would simply blow the field to pieces and more than half would be disqualified in the time cut. And then the organizers would have to allow them to complete the race anyway and the time differences would be huge and the race would look more like a joke.

The way it was, on the climbing stages, the Mexican national team were so far off of the back that most people didn't even know they were part of the race.

I'm all for more podium girls. And if you don't know what the Specialized Angel is all about you don't have any blood pressure.

No Clif Bar ads? Are you guys whacked completely out? Do you have the slightest idea what a European tour is like? There's 5 minutes of cars coming through throwing all sorts of stuff at the spectators like - like - JUST LIKE CLIF BAR DID. Lose Clif Bar? Hell, cheer them on and ask for MORE advertisers like them.

The one thing that is ABSOLUTELY necessary is decent TV coverage and that sure as hell isn't a one hour wrap-up at 11:00 pm on some obscure channel that only satellite subscribers get.

Perhaps they'll get some marshals who can tell the difference between driving behind a group and watching them and driving in front of them and giving them draft to catch up to the leaders......

voltman

Toyota United was impressive.

patentcad

>>The ToC is too early in the year for real climbs. It would simply blow the field to pieces and more than half would be disqualified in the time cut. And then the organizers would have to allow them to complete the race anyway and the time differences would be huge and the race would look more like a joke.<<

I disagree. That big climb where Levi tried to close the gap on Landis was clearly not hard enough to make the race competitive after Floyd crushed the field in the decisive TT. Time cut considerations are easy to resolve by making the time cut limits a bit looser for the February early season timeframe. That's up to the organizers. But let's see some VERTICAL so that a climber like Levi can be in the hunt if he has a so-so day in the TT. It's only a 8-9 day event- you need one tough climbing day to make it interesting. Not quite tough enough for that caliber of cycling field in my opinion.

Like these guys ever get out of shape. They all looked pretty fit to me....

bluecd

in a race like this, without a lot of hard climbs, i say drop the TT and see what happens on the road in a group. that would at least make it more interesting. for me anyway.

Mo'Phat

I'm all about advertising and giveaways, but the Clif Bar skits with the grass were just weird. Granted, I ffwd through all of them, so they might have been cute...funny, even...but I'd have preferred 3 more minutes of race coverage with a little 'Clif Bar' logo in the upper corner for an hour.

Mo'Phat

Actually, Clif Bar should have sponsored a helicopter. "The Clif Bar Helicopter is giving us these spectacular shots of the final sprint!!!"