Amgen vs. the locals: It’s all in your
perspective
Others
were lucky to find a place to park at the Old Mission Santa Inés,
some rode the bus in from Buellton, but many locals, if they could, just stayed
home.
“The
race is better organized and there are twice as many people downtown,” said Solvang
City Council member Jim Richardson. “I think it’s been a great success. Look at
all the people — it’s wonderful!”
Solvang
Mayor Linda Jackson was equally ecstatic.
“Wow!
What a day!” she said in an e-mail Feb. 25. “Except for a few rain drops — all
was perfect. I believe changing the footprint of the race made a huge
difference — for the spectators — the merchants — the traffic flow. This year
people knew what to expect — I have not received one complaint!”
She
said that she was pleased that this year merchants and restaurants reported
good business “when last year they had not. Their enthusiasm and support of the
race began with all the great window displays depicting the race.”
Jackson
added that she “was pleased to hear that hotel rooms were filled on Friday
night as well as Thursday — in fact, I believe many people stayed in Solvang
instead of heading immediately to Santa Barbara, which definitely helped us
financially.”
All
along the route local residents could watch the racers speed by. Some sat on
bales of hay, placed by race officials to protect the racers as they careened
around the corners, others watched from their front lawns, and still more
gathered at Solvang Park and on Copenhagen Drive to watch live television
broadcasts of the race on huge screens.
Residents
from Los Olivos came out in the rain, but not to
watch the race. Many were guarding their driveways so the hundreds of visitors
who came to see the race from this perspective did not park in front of their
homes.
“I
felt like a prisoner in my own home,” said one resident, a retired engineer who
wished to remain anonymous.
“I
mentioned this to the local sheriff’s deputy who was patrolling my street, and
all he did was give me a bad time about how I should be more supportive of such
a great event,” the engineer said.
“I
had to park my car blocks away so I could leave if I needed to. I like Los Olivos except when tourists come to town — that’s when I
stay at home or leave town.”
He
added that he hopes the route is changed next year to not go right in front of
his home and that he wouldn’t mind if it didn’t come to the Santa Ynez Valley
at all. “There are lots of places to ride — why right in front of my house?”
Other
residents of Los Olivos, a retired couple who live a
few blocks from the race, lamented that they were standing out in the cold and
the rain most of the day to keep people from parking in front of their home.
“I
can’t believe people think they can just drive up and park in front of my house
and then leave for hours,” said the retired carpenter. “We moved here for the
peace and quiet — not to let a bunch of tourists park
in front of our house every time we have an event,” added his wife.
Residents
in Solvang who walked to the time trials from their homes, said it was
interesting to see all the crowds and hear the bells ringing every minute when
another rider was sent down the starting chute, but some said they were there
only because they weren’t working that day — and they weren’t working because
of the Tour.
Students
at Solvang School and Bethany School were out for the day and could be seen
walking with parents around the many booths and talking to the professionals
who were warming up near the Veterans Hall.
High
school students, who were supposed to be in school, were walking the downtown
area in groups, enjoying a day outside the classroom.
One
father, walking with his high-school-aged daughter near the starting line, said
some of the high school teachers were only showing movies during class, so he
pulled her out of school for the day and brought her to see the festivities.
Earlier
in the day, residents who were trying to get across the valley to go to work or
to deliver students to the high school reported that traffic was smooth through
the detours in Solvang. “I never had any problems,” said a postal worker who
lives in Solvang and works in Santa Ynez.
“The
traffic wasn’t backed up at all,” said a Buellton resident who drives his
student to the high school on weekdays. “Everything seemed to be organized and
ready for the through traffic, even in the afternoon after swimming practice
when we needed to go home.”
A
dentist who lives in Santa Ynez but has a practice in Solvang near the route
decided to take the day off and bring his whole family of five children to see
the race. “Why not?” he asked with a smile. “Everybody
loves a day off. Celebrate.”
And
celebrate is what the estimated crowd of 10,000 did. Mother Nature, who had not
been mindful of the racers earlier in the week, let the sun shine during the
three hours of the time trials in Solvang and sent a rainbow later in the
afternoon during a light shower. A fast-moving storm settled in during the
evening, however, and greeted the Tour racers when they reached Santa Barbara
Feb. 23, and again Feb. 24 in Santa Clarita.
When
the Stage 5 winners were announced, the crowd surged toward the stadium stage
on Copenhagen Drive. Some enterprising young people climbed the nearby trees to
see the awards presentation, and one man situated himself on an adjacent roof
to see the winners come onto the stage.
Winning
the time trials during Solvang’s Stage 5 event were Levi Leipheimer,
defending champion, who kept his yellow jersey with a finish of 30:46; David
Millar, British national champion, was clocked at 31:15; and Christian Vandevelde, Lemont, Ill., completed the race with a time of
31:31.
All
three finished the Tour Feb. 24 in Pasadena in the same order, winning overall
Tour titles for first, second and third.
Leipheimer was the defending
overall champion from last year’s Tour and won again this year, 49 seconds
faster than Millar.
While
132 starters on 17 teams began the 650-mile race Feb. 17 in Palo Alto, the cool
weather, rain, wind, hypothermia and influenza took its toll and only 77 riders
finished this year’s Tour, said to be the biggest professional race in the
United States.
Leipheimer received a rousing
applause after the Stage 5 time trials in Solvang. Mayor Linda Jackson
presented him with a one-of-a-kind sculpture carved out of serpentine rock from
Figueroa Mountain by local artist John Cody, who has been sculpting in the
Santa Ynez Valley for more than 40 years.
Cody’s
works can be found in collections around the world. Probably his most famous
piece is the 20-ton Triceratops on view at Knotts
Berry Farm in Buena Park.
Another
winner was Teresa Rosales, a 5th grader at Solvang School, who received the
grand prize for her essay, “The Perfect Bike Ride,” submitted earlier in
February while professional teams were training in the area before the Tour race.
She received a Hotrock 21-speed bicycle and helmet
from Dr. J’s Bicycle Shop in Solvang, valued at $350. Rosales, 10, is the
daughter of Martin and Leonor Rosales.
Other
essay winners included Branson Mroz, 12, a
home-schooled student and son of Greg and Christy Mroz;
and Talia Fredette, 11, of Solvang School, daughter
of Steve and Cindy Fredette.
Judges
for the contest were volunteers Kathy Runge, Julie Padfield, Jim Richardson, Mary Harris and Angela Bisbee.
Other
volunteers helping with the Solvang festivities included Tim Sullivan, who was
chair for the Solvang Food and Beverage Hospitality Committee.
A
former restaurant owner, Sullivan organized two guest chefs, 40 volunteers, and
local vendors and restaurants to handle meals for the racing crews, box lunches
for 400 area volunteers, and the Media Room, which fed more than 150 guests
from the press, as well as the Starting Gate Tent — a private, catered space
located near the beginning of the race. The meals included dinner and breakfast
in the Veterans Hall with guest chefs Leonard Curti
of Trattoria Grappolo in
Santa Ynez and Kurt Alldredge from The Chef’s Touch
in Solvang.
And
how much food did it take to feed everyone for the approximate 24-hour stay in
Solvang? Sullivan’s list was long and included 1,100 fresh eggs, 100 pounds of
pasta, 65 pounds of ahi tuna steak, 35 gallons of
milk, 90 loaves of bread, 120 pounds of tri trip, 20 pounds of pancake mix, and
500 sourdough rolls.
The
Race of Truth, a fundraiser in which the 15 amateur participants paid $1,000
each to race, began at 11:15 a.m. in Solvang and ran over the same route. Mick
Hellman of Kentfield came in first with a time of 37:04. Other winners were
Matt Benko of Santa Barbara, in second place with a
time of 37:27; and Jeff Nichols, co-owner and chef at Mattei’s
Tavern in Los Olivos, who lives in Santa Ynez and
clocked in at 39:21.
The
amateur race was organized by Max Hanberg and Carol
Petersen, co-chairs of the Solvang Local Organizing Committee. The committee
also organized other fundraising events during February, anticipating the
$80,000-plus tab that it so far has cost Solvang City to host the Tour this
year.
Last
year the committee raised the needed funds, plus an extra $12,000, which was
donated to local charities.
Mayor
Jackson, applauding their long hours and effort, said, “I loved the ‘Race for
Truth’ event — giving cyclists a once-in-a-lifetime
memory to ride the route as the pros. Although the co-chairs have done this all
once before — it did not make the process any easier — so many man hours were
put into raising the bar of excellence.
“I
commend them for their volunteer hours. They made this event a five-star day.
Huge thanks also go to all the volunteers — and there is a long list. Here’s hoping that Solvang will be the
permanent Stage 5 Time Trial city.”
Jackson
added that early financial reports showed that more money came into the city
than was spent — “and that’s good news.”
Tracy
Farhad, executive director of the Solvang Conference
and Visitors’ Bureau, said Solvang was a “winner with media from around the
world.”
She
explained that positive results from hosting Amgen’s time trial “is expected to
return 1,000-fold in the years to come.”
She
also announced a $10,000 grant from Rock Racing, one of the teams racing in the
Amgen Tour, was given to the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department for its youth
programs.
She
added that the Santa Ynez Valley, which normally has very little tourism during
January, reported “an excess of 300 room nights thanks to the professional
cycling teams that trained in the area all month. This increases the city’s
total income for the Amgen Tour significantly.”
Andrew
Messick, President of AEG Sports, the presenter of
the Amgen Tour of California, complimented the city for its hospitality during
a press conference Feb. 22 after the time trials.
“Solvang
has been fantastic,” he said. “The support here is tremendous. The roads were
packed and it was a true celebration of American cycling.”
Keeping
the crowd informed about the day’s activities was Tour host announcer Jeff Roake.
Twice,
when he asked the crowd if they were having a great time, his questions were
followed by rousing cheers. His stories about the racers, the weather, and even
those who had dropped out of the competition, were non-stop as his voice boomed
throughout Solvang on loudspeakers placed strategically along Copenhagen Drive
and Mission Drive.
“In
the cycling world, the Tour of California is the buzz,” he said.
“We have eight of the last 10 road
champions participating in this tour. It’s the best cycling tour to ever come
to America; it just does not get any better than this.”