Patterson abuzz as Tour of California zips through town

PATTERSON -- They shut down City Hall for 45 minutes Wednesday, watched from second-story windows at Oak Valley Community Bank and put hair appointments on hold to witness an event never before seen in these parts.

Townsfolk young and old lined Las Palmas Avenue and the great roundabout at Plaza Circle to watch the world whiz by on two wheels when the Amgen Tour of California blew through. Stage 3 was a 102.7-mile ride that began in Modesto and ended in San Jose, and the course went through just one city in between: Patterson.

"This is the chance of a lifetime, to see something like this," said Carlene Cook, who didn't mind being seen with her hair rolled up in aluminum foil.

Cook was getting blond highlights from her hairdresser, Maria Kilbride, at Classy Touch as the peloton -- the main group of riders -- approached on palm tree-lined Las Palmas with a police escort and team cars honking horns.

"This is the biggest thing that's happened in Patterson in a long time," Kilbride said.

"I have the whole thing on video," Cook said.

Donna Codero of Patterson asked her boss at Pacific Drywall for permission to take a break and take in the scene. She was joined by Laurie Guenther.

Codero said she learned about the event by watching the news on TV and reading the newspaper. Guenther said signs announcing the tour were "all over town for a week."

"We want them to know we support them," Codero said. "This is fantastic."

Said Guenther: "It's exciting. We want to cheer them on."

"There was a pretty good buzz," said Bryan Whitemyer, assistant city manager. "It was pretty neat to see them come through. It was nice to show off Patterson to people who have probably never come this way before."

Fans rang cowbells and pounded thunder sticks, and the cheers began to crescendo as three leading riders in a sprint approached, steered right as they entered Plaza Circle, then left and right again onto Las Palmas.

The peloton arrived a little more than a minute later, and disappeared in a few seconds.

The streets emptied, and everybody resumed their day. The event lasted only a few minutes, but the people of Patterson have something to talk about for a long time.

Bee Sports Editor Bill Poindexter can be reached at bpoindexter@modbee.com or 238-4588.