Jake’s Journal: Fast pace before the race at Tour of California

The sun is shining, so already this Tour of California is off to a better start than last February, where the rain stopped for just one hour during my week in Sacramento, Napa Valley and the Bay Area. And though the race doesn’t start until Sunday, the area is buzzing with excitement – especially around Auburn, the home of Jim and Diane Felt of Team Garmin sponsor Felt Bicycles. Situated on a serene acreage north of Sacramento, the Felts’ home is also the launching pad for some amazing innovations in cycling. And yet while Jim is focusing on high-tech bikes in his workshop, the chicken coop, tranquil lake and Dakota the lovable Labrador are reminiscent of a low-key retreat.

And I’m guessing that after today, relaxation will be hard to find. We kicked off the ToC prep today at the Gold Country Rotary meeting, where Jim and Diane had invited me to talk about Garmin’s history and products. As I’m typing this, Jim is doing a newspaper interview, and we’re preparing for a busy Friday in which the team will do a surprise autograph session (sorry, I can’t say yet), more interviews, a full press conference and then a kickoff gala in Sacramento. Saturday brings our media day at the team hotel, where the team will talk to cycling journalists about the race, their training and how they use Edge 500 to track their progress. And then on Sunday, the race begins. Actually, I should say races – plural – because a few hours before the Tour of California starts, I’ll be running the Bay to Breakers 12K across San Francisco. And speaking of surprises, I have something up my sleeves (actually, on my sleeves) for this hair-raising run. I’ll keep you posted. After I finish relaxing.

The post Jake’s Journal: Fast pace before the race at Tour of California appeared first on Garmin Blog.