Cycling: Stage 2 Delivers Capitol Thrills

In addition to the inclusion of spectator-friendly finishing circuits, the television coverage provided by the Versus network has been nothing short of incredible -- though some disagree. Paul Sherwen and Phil Liggett are of course untouchable, but the amount of concentrated cycling action provided made the hour of coverage almost seem like enough. The quality of Versus' coverage shows a dedication to the sport and to helping viewers appreciate the finer points of cycling, such as the subtleties of cycling teamwork.

For example, as William Frischkorn of Slipstream came over the top in fourth place to grab four King of the Mountain (KOM) points at the second KOM checkpoint on state highway 128, Phil noted that Frischkorn didn't really want the points and had no interest in the overall KOM standings. Instead, Phil explained that he was just taking those points so that his teammate Thomas Peterson's rivals for KOM would not get them. Teamwork. It's beautiful in cycling.

Or take the finishing circuit laps.

After sweeping up the last tatters of an three-man breakaway, Team Discovery Channel led the peloton down Capitol Mall to the circuit entry on the doorstep of the state capitol building, with Georgie Hincapie looking to reprise his 2006 TOC Stage 2 victory. Then it was Quick Step surging to the front in support of their man Paolo Bettini, followed by T-Mobile, then Navigators as team after team came to the fore in hopes of thinning out the field and leading their sprinters out to victory.

In front of thousands of fans who had been watching the race for four hours on giant TV screens near the finish line and one annoying Guhvernator, the teams surged and fell back in a rhythmic pulse of wheel-to-wheel combat. With each lap, the pace seemed to get faster and faster so that by the last lap, the riders were leaning precariously through the corners and hammering like Peter, Paul and Mary down the straightaways. After yesterday's 60-racer pileup right under the finishing banner on the first circuit lap, we thought the racers might be a bit more conservative, but that was not the case. It was full-tilt boogie.

Coming down the final 200 meters to the finish, CSC sprinter Stuart O'Grady slingshotted his man Haedo right through the mad flurry of flapping arms and legs and into a stage victory. Teamwork? After Haedo crossed line he wasn't thumping his chest and screaming "me, me, me," he was looking back over his shoulder to acknowledge his teammates O'Grady and Bobby Julich.

This year, Haedo is riding for the best team in the world, Team CSC, because of the attention he gained winning two stages as a total unknown in last year's Tour of California. That's right, the TOC: kingmaker, baby!

Teamwork. It's just one of the things that makes professional cycling so exciting. Same with sprint finishes, hill climbs, and physical suffering. Stage rages are marathon events though, with plot lines playing out over days and weeks instead of 15-minute quarters and halves. The future of cycling in this country depends on whether Americans have the attention span for this complex, technical, and thrilling sport. Today the course, the riders, the fans, and the race coverage went a long way toward riding cycling up to the front of the American sports peloton.

Tomorrow in Stage 3, riders face the notorious Sierra Road climb as they pedal from Stockton to San Jose. Definitely worth checking out.