Amgen Tour

Hello world!

SonomaPets — Wed, 20 May 2009 18:30:46 +0000

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Pitfalls in the press room

SonomaPets — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 22:02:53 +0000

Since I can be fairly anal retentive about my work area, I
usually arrive at sporting events such as the Tour of California quite early.

For me, it’s important to stake out a good spot in the press
room, free from distractions, if possible.

Last week, for example, I arrived in Sacramento about two hours before the
prologue began. In a large banquet room at a Holiday Inn – the makeshift press
room for the day – I found a spot in the back left corner, facing the wall.

I settled in, pleased with myself. A choice spot.

Fast forward a few hours later. The prologue is over. The
press conference is done. I have returned to the press room to start writing.

Then, suddenly, disaster struck.

As a deafening bass began shaking my laptop, and the first
notes from a mariachi tune began to pulsate, I realized I had selected the
absolutely worst spot in the room.

In the banquet room next door – a spot separated by a thin
partition — a high-decibel wedding reception was underway and I was a few feet
from the speakers. Now, I’m not a prima donna who requires complete silence
when I write, but this was like trying to focus while someone bangs pots and
pans thisclose to you.

I tried to write hurt, willing myself to type through an eclectic
mix that segued into hip-hop and The Eurythmics.

Finally, I gave up and retreated to a distant hallway where
I sat down to write.

I thought about this morning when I arrived at a room at the
California Center
for the Arts in Escondido,
the site of the press room today.

So far, so good. I’m pleased with my spot.

Hopefully they don’t host wedding receptions.

– Eric Branch

Bye-bye, Boonen

SonomaPets — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 20:39:49 +0000

The final stage is just getting started. The biggest news so far is that Belgian star Tom Boonen, the 2005 world champion, has abandoned the race.

Boonen flew home after Stage 7 yesterday in Pasadena. A celebrated sprinter, Boonen isn’t injured, just not interested in a mountainous final stage that includes a grueling 5,123-foot climb up Palomar Mountain.

– Eric Branch

One last chance to catch Levi

SonomaPets — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 19:35:41 +0000

Well, it’s the last day of the TOC and it’s also the hardest day.
So far over 40 riders and counting have abanded this race.
Today is going to be total carnage. It’s our last day to strike out to take the overall besting Levi. Dave Z is still within striking distance along with Tommy D.
I’m excited to see what kind of form I have coming out of this race.
Next up I do Paris Nice in early March so I hope to have some kick butt form for that.
Spirits are high here in the bus this morning. The sky is our limit.
Thanks for all the reading.

- Steven Cozza

Long day & our team still has a chance

SonomaPets — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 21:28:24 +0000

Today was one long flat day.
The race started with a mellow rollout out of Visalia. The backdrop with the Serrias was scenic.
A break quickly formed and rolled up the road. Astana gave the break around 7 minutes and then left it at that.
As we made our way closer to the 101 the pace picked up. With about 30 kilometers to go, Trent and I were ordered to the front to help pull the break back for Tyler.
With 5 k to go it was going flat out and Tyler got his fourth flat of the day.
It was too close to the finish and he was never able to make it back for the sprint.
Not the best of luck day for us but our General classification riders Dave Z and Tommy D stayed out of trouble. They are both in striking distance of taking the Jersey off of Levi’s back after tomorrow’s (Friday’s) Time Trial.
Because of this I am going to ride the TT mellow along with the other guys on my team that are not GC riders.
We need to stay fresh to defend the jersey if we have it for Saturday’s and Sunday’s stages.
The only placing that matters at this level of cycling is a top 10, so if you are not in striking distance of a top 10 its best to back those on your team that are and Dave Z and Tommy D both are and going strong.
Early day tommorow. Off to sleep I go.

Thanks for reading.

- Steven Cozza

Cozza: From getting back in a peloton to Red Hot Chili Peppers

SonomaPets — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 03:04:19 +0000

Five stages into the Amgen Tour of California we posed some more questions to Petaluma rider Steven Cozza who is currently in 40th place overall:

Q – When you have a mechanical,how hard is it to get back to the peloton with no help?

SC: It all depends when you get the mechanical. If it’s near the beginning or the middle of the race then it’s not a problem getting back in the race drafting the cars in the caravan. If it’s toward the end of the race it’s a lot harder. Now when there’s a crosswind that’s a different story. It’s usually not a problem though.

Q – Rough estimate,how much does your bike cost and how many of them do you have?

SC: It cost $5,000-$8,000 depending on what wheels and set-ups are on it. We get around 6 bikes for the year.

Q- I know you said you communicate with the team during the race. Do you ever wish you could just listen to an Ipod? And if so, what kind of music would you listen to?

SC: Some guys do listen to Iods. I prefer peace and quiet out there. I listen to RHCP (Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Offspring along with other rock groups in the bus to the starts sometimes.

Q -Were you one of those little kids who rode his bike to grade school in Petaluma?

SC: Yes, everyday. I can remember bombing down my street’s big hill with my hands just frozen to the bars. I never dressed warm enough and just froze my butt off every morning. It was a great way to wake myself up.

Q – Where is your absolute favorite place to ride in Sonoma County?

SC: All over Sonoma County. I like heading out to the coast and up into the Russian River area.

Q – How difficult is it to control the time trial bike compared with standard road machine?

SC: It’s about the same. The wheels on the time trial bike are deaper and we run a full disk in the back so if there’s crosswind you can turn into a kite.

- Steven Cozza

You try climbing 11,000 feet … yes, I’m tired

SonomaPets — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 17:43:58 +0000

Yesterday (Wednesday) I was smoked after the stage.

We did over 11,000 feet of climbing over and all around the Sierra foothills. We even road through some snow. It was constantly up or down till about 50 kilometers to go.

This stage was 195 kilometers.

All day there were crashes. I think guys are just getting tired and not as focused because of it.

VDV got taken out and crashed. He’s alright, just a bruised knee.

Despite all the climbing the race came down to a field sprint. Our sprinter Tyler Farrar came in a good 5th place. This was another great result against the best sprinters and sprinter lead-out trains in the world.

Another good day for Garmin.

Today is the longest day of the tour at 220 kilometers. It’s pancake flat so we will give it another go in the sprint finish.

Sunshine is here too. Yes!!!

- Steven Cozza

Is this cycling or scuba diving?

SonomaPets — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 07:03:02 +0000

I’m starting to feel like a scuba diver out there.

The skies dropped more water on us today (Tuesday). I had a day of survival. My legs felt like cement today.

I hear its clear skies tomorrow (Wednesday) so that will be a nice change of pace.

Dave Z and Tommy D kept out of trouble today. I swear the Astana team was dizzy or something. About 70k into the race Chris Horner went down hard, then 20k later Levi crashes. Everyone was alright, but guys were pretty nervous today I guess.

I was back at the car grabbing bottles for the guys. I had 4 Musset bags. That’s 8 bottles plus the two on my bike and food. My guess is an extra 15 pounds.

Trent came by and grabbed two bags as we hit the last climb of the day. Mussets are like purses for a cyclist. The straps started wrapping around my neck on the climb. I started choking so I pulled over to toss them. I was so tangled up in them that it took me a few minutes to unwind. Ha Ha!

It must have been so funny as a fan to see all of this happening to me. I know my director, Whitey and Dr. Shannon, were cracking up in the car. This was not my day at all. Ha Ha!

Total survival for me today.

The last 70 k was all flat, windy roads to the finish. Tyler was feeling good and getting in position to give the sprint finish a go.

With 20 k to go we all did our best to stay near the front and out of trouble. Coming into Modesto there was one lap and then the sprint to the line.

Tyler played his cards on Team Colombian so he was spot on Mark Cavandish’s wheel. They screwed up the last 1k or so making Tyler come from way back. He still managed to pull off a 4th-place finish.

Tomorrow’s (Wednesday) the longest day of the tour.

Thanks for reading.

- Steven Cozza

Do teammates communicate during the race? Yes.

SonomaPets — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 01:32:21 +0000

Here are some questions we posed to Petaluma rider Steven Cozza after today’s Stage 2 of the TOC:

Q – During the race can you communicate with the other members of your team? Like a QB in the NFL wearing a headset maybe? Hand signals? Hollering at them? Or no way?

SC: Yes, we all have race radios even the directors in the car that follow the race. We get advice on the terrain ahead including warnings on dangerous sections.

Q – What do you eat if anything?

SC: We eat Cliff Bars (one of our sponsors) which are actually based out of Berkley. Eating and drinking as much as possible is essential especially when it’s cold.

Q – Going to the bathroom, are you just out of luck there?

SC: No, when you gotta go you gotta go. I usually go about three to six times a race.

Q – Garmin (Cozza’s team is Garmin-Slipstream) makes GPS devices, right? Ever try one on a bike ride to tell you which way to turn on one of those country roads?

SC: We use the Garmin 705 Edge everytime we’re on our bike. It’s the same thing as the Garmin Nuvi made for the car but smaller and made to mount on the handlebars.

- Steven Cozza

Long, but good ride for the Garmin boys

SonomaPets — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 00:37:44 +0000

I’m close too being to tired to report so I’m going to make this short.
Today was an epic day across the Golden Gate Bridge and a 115 miles down to Santa Cruz.
It rained the whole day except for the last 5 miles of the race.
A couple times I thought I was seriously drowning. It feels really great to be laying in my hotel bed right now.
Today’s mission was to get Tom and myself inside the break and that’s exactly what we did. I wasn’t feeling the hottest so I did everything I could to help out Tom.
There was a huge climb right before the finish and this is where the climbers through down.
Tom crested the top with Levi and Jason McCartney. He followed down the decent to sprint for the win. The first win for our team.
Awesome day for the Garmin boys. Not only did we win the stage but Tom D and Dave Z kept to the front group protecting their GC position.
My day will come, but the mountain stages are not best for me now. I look forward to the 200k classics coming our way.
Great day.
Thanks for reading.

- Steven Cozza