Tour of California: Scenes from the streets

So much for the Sycamore Slide.

While there were concerns that the extremely tight corner from Coldwell Avenue onto Sycamore Avenue might be too treacherous for speeding cyclists, all seemed to negotiate it just fine.

Modesto's Lance Ingeman joked before the cyclists arrived, wondering if the 400 or so fans were at the corner waiting to see the competitors or "a NASCAR incident."

Titus Striplin, a 1993 Beyer High graduate, is a cyclist himself, racing in the Denver area, where he now lives.

"If I were racing, I'd be nervous about the (crosswalk) paint, the (speed) bumps and the lack of padding around trees," he said.

While there was word this week that the majority of the 30 bales of hay would be at this spot, there were only three, and used mainly to hold up the umbrellas of spectators.

The first few riders in the lead pack cut it tight and didn't seem to have a problem. Cyclists in the Peloton were forced three or four wide, and came close to the far, east sidewalk on Sycamore.

But there was never a hint of problems the two times they came through.

"It was intense," said Modesto's Robin Denga after watching the riders whoosh by her spot on the east side of Sycamore. "I was a little nervous."

— Brian Clark

There is no more appropriately named team in the Tour of California than Team Ouch, whose headliner is Floyd Landis. But it was Ouch member Bradley White who carried his team colors through the climbs at the start of the race, and it was White maintaining a spot in the breakaway into the 2.8-mile Modesto loop.

He lost his share of the lead early in the lap but wasn't unhappy about the lack of a second lap and a chance to catch up.

"I think a second lap would have meant I would have fallen more behind," White said. "I think we only needed one lap. Had we come through for another lap, the bunch would have been a lot smaller. The longer we were out there banging around those corners, there would eventually been a crash out there."

— Brian VanderBeek

Before the race was over, local organizers already had started the lobby for an increased role for Modesto in the 2010 race. Already, Modesto has gone from a stage beginning in 2008 to a stage finish.

Last week, Julie Hannon of the Parks, Recreation and Neighborhoods Department, said she'd like to see Modesto be the finish of a stage and a starting point the next day next year.

"We're hoping to get a two-day event out of this next year," Hannon said. "Once all the stages and booths are up, it's much easier to keep them here."

Race director Jim Birrell, when asked about the Modesto's ambition, seemed interested.

"We have looked at stages that stay in the Central Valley, perhaps one that runs from Sacramento to Modesto," Birrell said. "You could start in Merced and end in Modesto from the east, and we have probably 13 or 14 different options involving Modesto for 2010."

When asked if he or his crew had taken a look at what would be a leg-wasting climb of Old Priest Grade Road into Groveland, Birrell smiled.

"Several people have mentioned that road to me but I've never seen it," he said. "I think I'm going to have to give it a look."

— Brian VanderBeek

BRAVO! — A dozen or so people watched the finish from the roof — make that the edge of the roof — of the Gallo Center for the Arts, their silhouettes against the backdrop of white clouds akin to the chimney sweeps in "Mary Poppins."

SNAPSHOT — Taking photos at the finish line was retired Stanislaus County Counsel Mick Krausnick, whose wife, Claudia, is Levi Leipheimer's cousin. They're following him throughout the tour.