ToC Backstory

Next assignment: Amgen Tour of California. Here are a couple of quick links to those who can set the stage with much greater elan than I.

As a historical footnote, the 2007 Amgen ToC was our first venture into the majesty and celebrity of this event, which in itself is a page taken from the European Grand Tours, brought to US tarmac. California, with its size, terrain, climate and ever increasing fan base, is an ideal location for this 8 day stage race. There is also rumor that it will be Lance's swan song.

The under informed VBA might ask, if you shot the event in 2007, why are you going back to do it again? That would be a good question. And here is (an abbreviated) response:

1) In 2007 we were in full on R&D. We had no idea of how this farrago of video technology, computer processing, GPS data acquisition and proprietary algorithmic coding was going to work. If indeed it would work at all. Lot's of moving parts here. We had, what we thought at the time, a good idea, and that was about it. There was nobody to call and ask because nobody had done it before. We were landing on the Moon for the first time, with many small steps remaining and several giant leaps still to come. Mistakes were made (many on my watch). Rain fell. Fog rolled in on little cat feet. Equipment was changed, gear added, solutions sought. I lost half my crew to a virus. We were the lead car, up front, filming the rolling closures ahead of the peloton, every day, for over 800 miles. San Francisco to Long Beach. My back hurts just typing that. I did it all hand held. There were six hour stages that upon completion, I couldn't move my arms. One night in Lodi, I hired a bar maid to pour Guinness down the hatch because limbs were locked up and cramping. We nailed it on the fourth try.

2) The GPS data was scrambled to the point of uselessness.

3) With no riders in the action it quickly became evident that the video needed the excitement and energy of the peloton, not simply the passing landscape, albeit gorgeous.

4) Road racing has never been our target demographic, and with the subsequent popularity of the first two Triathlon RCV releases, Coeur d' Alene and Kona, we made the executive decision to process more tris to get initial marketing questions answered and sales results analyzed before expanding into the other fine forms of the cycling world.

5) We have never looked back.

Until now, that is. And I have wanted to go back and give this event the proper respect and updated RCV quality that it deserves. So I fought like a banshee to get back, with both the boss, Amgen, AEG, the event organizers, and several nay-sayers with little faith in my ability to pull it off (you know, realists).

But back we are. I have a spot in the Saxo Bank team car for the 20.9 mile Time Trial in LA on May 22. I am planning on joining up with Scott & Kari's tour three days prior to that and filming with them the rides of stages 5, 6, & 7. Visalia to Big Bear. When all is said and done, we should come away with three stages and the TT.

And the world will be, once again, a peaceful and happy place.

Now you know.