Lance Armstrong kicked butt again and won his fourth consecutive Tour de France. It was back again for a cameo at the SFGP. But at least he showed up. The Acqua e Sapone team came, but without star sprinter Mario Cipollini. I figure either there wasn't enough sun for him to tan here in the foggy Bay Area, or that the course was too hilly for him to make it to a sprint finish. I put my money on the lack of sun.

Defending champ, George Hincapie, made his break too early and stayed away for several laps before being caught. Charles Dionne eventually won the sprint.

What made this year fun was my friend/ex-coworker/cycling mentor Gary Green came out from Texas to do some riding and see the race. The first day after he got here, I took him to climb Mt. Diablo, a pretty big climb that gains around 3,500 feet in about 12 miles. It averages 8% with the last 200 yards at 22%. Being from Texas, Gary's idea of a big climb is a highway overpass, so he was a bit shocked by Diablo, but he made it up, and more importantly, down.