Feb 17, Sunday - The Tour kicked off today with a 2.1 mile prologue that took riders from city hall in Palo Alto to a finish on the stunningly beautiful campus of Stanford University. The course was lined with spectators, an amazing number of whom rode bikes to the event. My work responsiblities include helping ensure the efficient load-in, set-up, operation, break-down, and load-out of the Lifestyle Festival vendors and exhibitors. It sounds like a lot but it wasn't too bad. After a drive north through San Francisco up to Santa Rosa, I finally landed in my hotel room just after 10 pm. We'll get up early and do it all again tomorrow. All in all not a bad way to spend my birthday.

Palm tree line main entrance to Stanford, part of the course.

The Lifestyle Festival had kids imagining they were climbing Half Dome.

The riders flew by under blue skies and pleasant temps.

Hoover Tower on the Stanford campus was visible from miles away.

Picture of fans lining a turn of the bike course taken from the 250 high foot observation deck.

Defending champion Levi Leipheimer was the last rider.