Stage Five: Visalia to Bakersfield

After riding sweep in Stage Four, Stage Five saw me back on the early team. I was riding solo again sweeping up race notification signs. Why this job isn't give to the local organizing committee, I'll never know. They insist on the signs, why can't they pick them up? (I do realize that this would cost our team jobs...but still)

This time, much to my delight, everything went smoothly. My borrowed Mac laptop running parallels for Delorme street atlas (Delorme: offer this software in Mac format, come on already!) was error free the entire day. Now, its not easy driving 60mph+ while glancing at the laptop perched on the passenger seat, but the course helped by not being overly complicated. Few turns, and a fairly straightforward route made navigation easy.

One thing I will never understand, though, is where some of these signs disappear to. Each location was pinpointed on the map, there was also a paper back-up. I'd arrive at a given intersection expecting to find a pair of signs and often come up empty. Or find just a sandbag, or an A-frame and a sandbag, or some random combination therein. Strange, I guess people really want those A-frames. And the core-plast signs. And sandbags?

Along the way I also helped our other two vans setting out the course. There were KOM and Sprint lines to set, course arrows to post, and cattle guards to mark. I'd love to hear a rider's opinion on the cattle guards, they appear to be quite unpleasant to traverse.

The route into Bakersfield was very strange. No tree cover, no brush, nothing green of any import, but miles and miles of oil wells. And not the modern looking tower things, the cartoon-y ones that look like a drinking bird with the nose rhythmically bobbing up and down. It was a strange and unpretty entrance to town.

As usual, the 1K was placed in hell, nowhere near anything (although it was only 1000m from the finish) and down a pretty steep hill from the finish line. This meant that we couldn't really go to the finish expo, find a decent lunch (crew lunch was served, it wasn't good), or catch up with any of our friends on the finish crew.

One suggestion to the Medalist sports/Amgen organizers: Try to find a way to incorporate the 1K to go (its a huge blimp!) into the finish scheme so that it becomes a destination. Its sad that it often gets placed in no-man's land (Sacramento was an exception, and the crowds around the 1K were great--try to replicate this everywhere!) where it could be used to anchor the finishing straight. It could be so much more, and they're not doing a good job of taking advantage. At least put it where we are close to a cold beer!