Amgen Tour of California. Before the storm. Literally.

Let's start this thing with an important notice. Those of you reading who are friends, you can disregard this statement.

Those of you who have no idea who I am except for seeing my lips stuck to the cheeks of cyclists on the podium... although I may seem like some random skinny chick with long legs, I actually know what I'm talking about. I've been following this sport since I was a kid. I'd spend Saturdays and Sundays with my dad, watching VHS recordings of the Tour de France, back when OLN covered the race in tiny 30 minute clips in the wee hours of the morning. I even have my own road bike. No sugarcoating, I'm no Kim Baldwin (gah, didn't everyone just love her?), but I do enjoy a good afternoon on the Silver Comet Trail.

Alright. Glad we're all on the same page. Let's roll.

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So its Thursday evening and this little podium girl is sitting on her butt in Atlanta, Georgia.

What's wrong with this picture?

The correct answer is: I'm not in California.

After working the awards presentations at Tour of Georgia 2005 and 2006 and Tour of Missouri 2008, its tough to sit on the sidelines (or all the way across the continent) and watch.

This time around, especially. I mean, come on - Vande Velde, Danielson, Leipheimer, Armstrong (weird!), Landis, Schleck of the Frank AND Andy variety, Cancellera, Sastre, Hincapie, Cavendish... ok, I'll stop so I don't hyperventilate.

Well... then there's my personal favorite, the now 'stachless Steven Cozza. You guys can debate all day long, but he caught my eye while sporting the fully shaggy look - mustache included.

On to the race - who knows what the next 10 days will bring. A few things are certain:

Shitty weather
Incredible field
Live coverage all week long
The usual contenders
And a few veterans looking for vengeance... or something like it.

I won't be able to see any of it live until Friday in Solvang. Until then, I'll be doing a lot of couch time watching Versus live coverage. And most definitely some pouting, because I can't be there in the midst of the action (and congratulating the winners, of course). I fly out Thursday evening to Santa Barbara. There, I'll meet up with and travel to the start of the TT with Steven's family.

Steven makes it sound like everything is going well in the Garmin camp. I wonder if he would tell me otherwise though. He always says confidence is one of the most important things in cycling. I do believe he's got quite a bit to be confident about. He worked hard all winter and Garmin has chosen a great squad for this tour.

Although...

Who will take the top spot on the podium next Sunday? Ah, I could go with CVV because I've obviously got loyalty with the Garmin guys. And then... I'm a long time Hincapie fan too. But whether you'll judge or not, I'm going to put my money (or pride) on Floyd Landis. Its true.

Guess we'll see. Stay tuned. And if you're the praying type, maybe ask for some better weather?