Photo from www.codydownardphotography.com
I am going to refuse to go there, and instead say it was one of the most spectacular days in cycling ever, at least for me. Coming off 12 spectacular days on the road in Colorado, I was home to be the Expo director for the Beaver Creek Stage finish of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. It's been a long arduous journey the past two years working with the Vail Valley Foundation on this incredibly complicated project of bringing America's grandest stage race to our valley but somehow it all gets pulled out of a hat and just works. In a place where I ride, and 100 yards away from the place I work in the winter, my personal (as well as many others) pro peloton rider, Jens Voigt soloed to a stage victory that was nothing short of legendary, even by his standard. It's got to be one of the most memorable rides in recent professional cycling history. He went early from Aspen, and beat down his younger competition on the infamous Independence Pass climb to Leadville, then buried himself the rest of the way to Beaver Creek for the win. And so many of us got to be there screaming and pounding the barrier boards as Jens raised his hands in victory. It was like a five year old getting a Willie Mays autograph back in my youth, and it was truly a special day for everyone. The crowd was tremendous. Jens was tremendous. Jens made a 54 year old cycling fan cheer like a kid, and I'll nedver forget that moment. Ironically enough, professional photographer Cody Downard captured the moment for ever from across the finish line while I was blowing a lung on behalf of Jens Voigt, he also took the now viral image of me with the Liguigas girls in the BC Expo. And the day starts off even better than all of this when I get to meet, hand shake, and chat with Phil Liggett, an announcing legend and a person I hope to emulate in my own career someday. I am thankful, this is an incredible ride through life, and with any luck it will continue to stay upright and climb like Jens Voigt did yesterday.....damn.
But perhaps the fondest part of the entire day was shaking Jen's hand after his post race press conference, when I was certain he broke my fucking hand, it's not legend, it's true people, he is a beast. The firmest handshake in the universe belongs to Jens Voigt, not Chuck Norris.
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