Monday Blues: Without the Blue...

The whole point of going to a race, of watching from the sidelines, is to watch the action, the moment of competition, right? Well, yes, and then again, no. What I mean is, while I can't imagine being at a race and not watching the action, what happens before and after, can be interesting as well. How the riders relax beforehand, how they warm-up, interact with teammates, team staff, even spectators. The same goes for when the race is done.

In May I posted some photos following the finish of stage three of the Amgen Tour of California. The stage, ending in Santa Clarita, was long, hot, and included some considerable climbing. I took some photos of riders from the United Healthcare Pro Cycling team outside their team bus. There was a lot of blue in those photos, if you remember. Often times, after races, the riders will disappear into the buses before the drive, however long, to their hotel. This time however, the next days stage would start from the same city, so the UHC riders (as did those from other teams) rode back to their hotel as a way to cool down. I took these, somewhat, candid photos as the guys gathered, waiting until everyone was ready for the cruise back to their rooms.

If you watch the sport, or have followed the team's progress via one outlet or another, you may have noticed that the boys in blue have collected quite a tally of wins and placings, both across the nation and abroad thus far during the 2013 season. I see no reason to doubt there will be more to come.