EISPIRATEN

We spent Friday night at the Buckhorn Lodge and set out on foot for the ski lifts at 10:30 the next morning. There was traffic, but nothing heavy or backed up. I don't know what time the road was closed to vehicle traffic. A steady stream of short, yellow school buses passed us. I assumed that they carried race officials and VIP's since the Amgen spectator advisory stated no public shuttles. A local resident told us to flag one down and they would pick us up. About half way up, we saw people boarding one. We jumped on, too. Nobody said to get off and the next thing we were behind the finish line between the TV trailers and the VIP tents.



The finish area was not crowded in the least. We sat on a rock wall dead even with the finish just a few feet up the hillside. A tree branch was in the way. We tied it back with a piece of old rope laying on the ground for a perfect view.



Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin getting a picture with a spectator.



Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner are on the last turn before the finish. Note that the spectators are only one deep along the rail. I really expected a mob scene, but it did not materialize.



Bob Roll is interviewing Levi Leipheimer.



Levi Leipheimer and the podium girls.



Levi Leipheimer, Chris Horner, and Laurens Ten Dam are on the podium.



The peloton arrived 32 minutes after the leaders. Mt. Baldy separates the men from the boys.

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