Tour of California

This weekend, the Tour of California made its way down to Southern California, with Stage 6 running from Palmdale to Big Bear and then Stage 7 starting in Ontario just after noon today.  The race today started at the Ontario Convention Center, then came north on Euclid Avenue through the town of Upland and finally onto Mt. Baldy Rd. to climb to to 6800 feet, then head over on Glendora Mountain Road, down into Glendora, back up again along Glendora Mountain Road and back to Mt. Baldy to the finish.

My youngest and I picked out a vantage point at the top end of Euclid just as it made a sweeping left hand turn heading west toward San Antonio Dam on the west side of Upland, before the route would then head back into the canyon, loop around and head up to Mt. Baldy Road.  Last year, the route was very similar, only the start being in Claremont, CA as opposed to Ontario.  This is the second year in a row we've watched the tour.


While I don't follow cycling, it's a colorful spectacle to watch for the 30 seconds or so it takes for the peloton to whiz by.  I do find the stamina of these riders amazing, in that they finished this 75 mile segment, with two major hill climbs, one from 900 feet elevation up to 6800 feet, in just about 3 hours or so.  I'm pretty sure I couldn't ride 20 miles in an hour and these guys are maintaining a pace greater than that while climbing steep hills.  It's just an amazing feat of athleticism.