Show Me The Tour - Part Deux

Next stop on our Tour of Missouri bike race - the charming village of St. Charles. Aubs started the day with a quick nap as Jackie, Murph and I claimed a prime spot by the finish line to set up shop. As the tour went on, we became very adept at the art of arranging - and protecting - our viewing area to prevent the rush of late-comers who tend to push the crowd forward just before the cyclists arrive.




We discovered that by carefully positioning our chairs and stroller, we could quickly create a mini luxury suite that surrounded us as we prepared to watch the action. Once our spot was secured, we were free to leave and see the sites while we waited for the cyclists to arrive after completing the 127-mile trek from Jefferson City.


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To pass the time, we toured the race expo that featured the latest cycling technology, and tour swag. Here. Jackie finds a Felt wide-tire beach cruiser to her liking that's styled after a New York City taxi cab.



Big-screen monitors throughout the finish area proved to be the perfect gathering place - and alerted us to the fact that the peloton would be shortly arriving in St. Charles.



We rushed back to our seats, where Murph quickly pulled out the long lens and captured a great shot (see below) of American Danny Pate of Team Slipstream celebrating his victory as he rides toward the finish line.







If all goes as planned, Danny Pate is scheduled to ride in the Tour de France next year.






Danny Pate breaks away to claim victory as a small chase pack follows from behind.





Murph captures another great shot of the peloton and the race for the finish.





American Levi Leipheimer of Team Discovery wears the stars and stripes jersey as national champion. (Can you tell that Murph's photos are just a bit better than mine???)

Finally, just as we were leaving the venue after the race, we were interviewed from a reporter from the Kansas City Star who was writing an article about the last ride of Team Discovery. Check out the last paragraph of the story at: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/story/277217-p3.html

Next stop, the grand finalé in downtown St. Louis. We'd have to get up early the next morning to claim our viewing spot near the finish at Union Station. Little did we know that it was the calm before the storm - for the cyclists and for us! You simply can't miss the action-packed finish to "Show Me The Tour", coming this Friday, only at Roberts On The Run™!

Talk to you soon. Until then, pick up the pace and run your own race.

- Jeff