Race Day

A look at the final 10 meters of the 298-kilometer race course.
It was an early start to the day for everyone because the race was scheduled to start at 9:45 a.m. Or 10 a.m., if you were going by the race guide. Or 9:30, if you asked the riders. Or 9:37 a.m., if you went by the time of the actual start.

I got everything packed up after enjoying my second day of scrambled eggs for breakfast. At the hotel front desk, I asked them to print out 10 race cards for me. They printed them in full color, which was pretty darned impressive. (It was a five-star hotel, though.)

Scott Nydam (shown at right) and I would ride to the start together in a rental van. Unlike some other teams I've worked with, the BMC Racing Team always has its bases covered and had official race stickers for it to permit it access to the course, team parking, etc. Very pro.

The funny moment of the morning occurred just as we were leaving the hotel. Jeremiah Ranegar, one of the soigneurs, had told me he was going to "run up and get his stuff." What I (and nobody else) didn't know was that he probably wasn't completely packed up. We started rolling out, with all the vehicles making their way down the hotel drive, when suddenly one of the lead vehicles stopped. Second later, Jeremiah came running out of the hotel with all his stuff and we were off again. We nearly left him. Oops.

I sold a bunch of BMC Racing Team autograph cards right when we rolled up to the start. I went back into the bus to get more and suddenly all the fans had moved on. The "time to buy/sell" window had apparently closed. Since we had the bus, the riders were pretty cozy and away from fans until it was time to go to sign in.

Once the start was underway, I followed the motorcoach out of town. The interesting thing was taking the streets of the race route. Lots of fans and lots of cobbled streets and train tracks.

Driving from Milan to San Remo was 300 kilometers (185 miles) and three hours comparable to being on a thrill ride. Narrow roads, dark tunnels, lots of tunnels (20+, by my count), toll booths and incredible scenery. Of course, I was watching the back of the BMC motorcoach nearly the entire time since I was following it.

We were expected to be stopped by police somewhere along the route from the start to the finish. Apparently, it's a shakedown that's not unexpected every year at this race. Police set up a road block and get a jersey from every team. But there was no roadblock and no free jerseys given away, thankfully.

San Remo must be the motor scooter capital of the world. There were TONS of them. And tons of traffic. But the parking area for team vehicles was organized (if a bit cramped).

The press room was more than two kilometers from the finish line. Who does that? With that in mind, I canvassed the area for media members, most of whom were watching a TV located about 150 meters after the finish area. I also ran into Marya Pongrace, the Garmin-Cervelo media relations director, and Joachim Schoonacker, who I worked with at Toyota-United during the 2007 season.

Once the TV coverage came on (about 90 kilometers from the finish), I watched the race from the bus (interior shot at right). When they were within seven kilometers, soigneur Stefano Rubino and I went to the finish line. There, I tried my best to watch the TV from the crowded area where soigneurs and media were gathered.

The swarm (scrum) of press around the winner was of epic proportions. Imagine the media running out onto the field and tackling Tom Brady after the Super Bowl. That's what it is like. (See aerial photo in this post.)

After the race, it was fairly chaotic (photo at right was shot looking outside the bus), with an hour-drive from San Remo to Nice, France (and no check at the border) in the motorcoach. We dropped off Greg Van Avermaet at the airport, then made our way to a little hotel nearby. Fortunately, it had free wifi, but only two outlets in the entire (tiny) room. So I unplugged the coffee maker and the TV and plugged in my computer and phone.

From the Notebook:
- I typed my story on my Blackberry (again) because there was no internet on the bus (still). This was getting old.

- When Greg Van Avermaet was off the front with fewer than 10 kilometers to go, I really thought he was going to win. Some of the soigneurs on other teams even started walking back to their buses. But it wasn't to be. He was caught with 2.5 kilometers to go.

- For the first time in a long time, I didn't eat my sack lunch. Perhaps I was a bit nervous or maybe it was the big pieces of salami. I didn't eat my candy bar, either.

- Francesca Villa, our motorcoach driver, and mechanic Ronald Ruymen went to a nearby cafe to get a coffee and a pastry. It was one of those rare moments when I had a chance to get away from the race and see a bit of the sights I always seem to miss. The race hadn't yet come on TV, so we just enjoyed some coffee and a brief (15-minute) moment of relaxation.

The yellow fencing indicates this is an area to escape the course.

Nice fountain as we drove into San Remo.

A look at one of the little tunnels we drove through.

My view for the three hours.

I thought this was a pretty funny sight in Milan.

Here's the damage after filling up the motorcoach - $654.00.

My view of the race (watching TV) near the finish line.

Garmin gurus Joachim Schoonacker (left) and Marya Pongrace.

Before the race came on, "Miracle" was showing in the bus.

The finish line is adjacent to the ocean.

Before the start, Greg Van Avermaet is interviewed.

Alessandro Ballan finished fourth.