Here are photos of some of the personalities from the TdG:
Nobody knew who these guys were. They were among the first to show up at the sign in. But you couldn’t tell that from the reaction they got from the fans. These people went crazy for anyone in a cycling kit.
Bobby Julich was a crowd favorite. He took a lot of time with the fans signing autographs. Frankie Andreau, whom you will see in just a moment, interviewed Julich and asked him about the weather. At the time, race officials were reporting snow on top of Brasstown Bald. “We’re used to this type of weather this time of the year in Europe,” he said. I didn’t realize Julich is as tall as he is. He’s got to be six feet, maybe a tad more.
This, of course, is Floyd Landis. Like Julich, he was also a crowd favorite. At the time, Landis was the race leader. You can see the leader’s yellow jersey under his Phonak vest. The fans loved “Phloyd.” Is it just me, or does Landis look like a '70’s porn star?
This is the red x you might be seeing above. Frankie Andreau was interviewing the riders he knew for OLN, and took a little time with Floyd Landis. While Frankie was in between interviews, I took the opportunity to speak to him. I dropped a Tom Demerly bomb on him, and he responded to each question I asked him. His answers were short and terse, but far from rude. Actually, I consider his demeanor toward me to be quite pleasant given the circumstances. I’m sorry for dropping your name, Tom. I couldn’t help it. I’m such a Tom D. groupie. One more thing: Frankie looked very fit, and not too far removed from the peloton.
I saw those LPI guys at the conclusion of stage 5 at Brasstown yesterday. Which was awesome, by the way. As soon as they finished the stage, which was a beyond category climb, they crossed the finish line and then descended the climb while other riders were still coming up. They looked like they were under control but they were probably descending at around 40 mph in the reverse direction of the other finishing riders and the crowds had their backs to them because they were watching the final riders in front of the broom truck.
I thought for sure that someone was going to get hit. Their team bus was evidentally at the bottom of the climb. Just thought it was kind of careless.
That Brasstown stage is one great place for a race. As a cycling advocate, you can ride a 3 climb loop of about 50 miles, then get to the finish line and watch the rest of the race on close circuit TV. Then when the riders are within a couple minutes of you, you can run to the road and watch them come by. That’s the way to see a race.
I walked down the mountain after the race, and I saw people descending as well. Mind you that these weren’t racers, just spectators who had ridden up the mountain before the race. Some of those guys (and girls) came down the mountain very fast as well. I thought a couple of riders were going to take out cars. Some of them looked pretty careless, too.
Brasstown is an awesome climb. I’m a flatlander, and I can’t imagine even attempting Brasstown. And the though of having to do Unicoi and Hogpen in front of Brasstown makes my legs ache and lungs burn. Yesterday’s stage was something else.
As I started walking down the mountain, I slipped around the back of the mountain where the team tents were. Most of the teams had left, but I stuck my head in the tents to see if there was any swag left behind. There wasn’t, so I struck out back to my car. As I was leaving, I noticed a van filled with riders. It was the Phonak van, and sitting in the front passenger seat was Landis. At first, I didn’t know who he was. When I realized it was Landis, I nodded at him, and he nodded back. He was not smiling then; he had just lost the leader’s jersey to Danielson. But even with a scowl, he looked like a porn star. A mad porn star, but a porn star nonetheless.