An Exciting Start to the 2010 Amgen Tour of California

The 2010 Amgen Tour of California was off to a fast start on Sunday, May 16, taking off from picturesque Nevada City, a gold rush-era town nestled into the pine trees in the Sierra foothills. On a warm, sunny day the riders raced mostly downhill, losing almost 3,000 feet of elevation as they barreled toward Sacramento, located in the flat Central Valley of California.

While the media attention often goes to Lance Armstrong, seven time winner of the Tour de France, and most influential athlete of 2010 according to Forbes, the odds-on favorite to win this year's Tour of California is his Team Radio Shack teammate Levi Leipheimer. Leipheimer, who has the advantage of living in Santa Rosa, the end of today's second stage, is the three time and reigning champion of the Tour of California and recent winner of the Tour of the Gila in New Mexico..

Yesterday's stage, the first of eight stages, favored fast sprinters, and it was no surprise that the confident Mark Cavendish of Team HTC-Columbia, known for his sprinting skill, was the winner of the stage, entitling him to wear the coveted yellow jersey today. Cavendish has sprinted to 10 stage wins at the Tour de France in the past.

Johan Bruyneel, manager of Team Radio Shack was seen at the conclusion of the first stage in Sacramento smiling and talking with the crowd. Sitting in a car surrounded by well wishers he paused for awhile as a young girl interviewed him. Throwing his head back with laughter he looked at her father and said, "She's good. She's really good." Apparently she knew her stuff. Bruyneel ,who has managed a record nine teams to the podium at the Tour de France, has a knack for shaping winning teams and strategizing wisely. He has worked with Armstrong and Leipheimer for many years and shares a special bond with them.

In Nevada City, Auburn and Sacramento throngs of people lined the streets and cheered wildly, waving banners and clanking cow bells. Americans are sometimes criticized by cycling enthusiasts in Europe for a perceived lack of enthusiasm, but the crowds on Sunday were knowledgeable and very proud to be hosting the most prestigious bicycle race on U.S. soil. Spectators called out names of riders they recognized: Hincapie, Armstrong, Leipheimer, Cavendish and more, holding banners and clutching route maps and timetables .

The second day of the Tour of California, a rainy and hilly day going from Davis to Santa Rosa, found Australian Brett Lancaster in the lead, with Leipheimer and Armstrong comfortably settled in a group of 20 lead riders. Cavendish finished 96th in the stage, and is now in 87th place overall.