The Race is On

Stage 5 of the Amgen Tour of California will finish in Paso Robles tomorrow! I've been watching it on TV all week and this morning there were flags from all the participating countries flying on the Niblick Road bridge. That brought it home for me. I'm so excited that quiet little Paso Robles will be on a world stage!

Yours Truly will be a course marshal. Look for me on Charolais Road, near River Road where the cyclists will turn right. They'll go right past the Kennedy Fitness Center, which is where I work out. I've run on Charolais Road many times, including a few weeks ago when I was feeling especially masochistic and did hill repeats with Bunny.

SD is getting in on the act, too. He's participating in the Tour of Paso Robles Bike-A-Thon, put on by Justin Winery. It's a 17 mile group ride from Justin Winery, up Adelaida Road and into Paso. He'll actually be able to ride across the finish line prior to the pro's arrival. So the tables are turned and I'll be photographing him crossing the finish line.

This ride is a fundraiser for the Central Coast Wellness Community, which provides free support to people battling cancer and their families. There will be a reception afterwards for the fundraisers and none other than Mr. Livestrong himself will be in attendance! SD told me I could go in his place, but today they said that you have to be on the ride to get in. :-(

I would have signed up, but I didn't know what time I needed to be at my spot. Turns out I would have had plenty of time. If I could have raised $1000, I would get a magnum of Justin Isoceles wine and a commemorative jersey. All I wanted was the jersey, and was thinking about selling glasses of wine for $100 each. Oh well, maybe next year.

The weather should be beautiful and will show off the green hills where I run to their best advantage. I'm hoping to get lots of pictures, but I'm hoping SD will be able to get really good shots at the finish line. Meanwhile, I'm cramming to learn all the facts I'll need to know about the race. As course marshal, the spectators will be expecting me to have all the answers and I don't want to let them down. :-)