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More than 300,000 fans lined the 10-mile route, which wound along the waterfront and climbed two daunting hills – the 18 percent grade up Fillmore Street and the 16 percent climb up Taylor Street. To complete the 109-mile course, cyclists had to make eight trips up Fillmore and 13 over Taylor, ascending more than 7,600 feet altogether.
The cyclists afterward had nothing but praise for the event.
'It was incredible,' runner-up Henk Vogels said of the crowd. 'The only place I've seen this many spectators was at the Tour of Flaunders (in Belgium). … It was hot out there, and I was getting goose bumps.'
Lance Armstrong, the four-time Tour de France winner, finished sixth in San Francisco but rated the course better than the New York City circuit he rode in a race earlier this summer. 'New York was also a great race, but it was too flat,' Armstrong said. 'I love the way this course challenges riders. The hills are great for attacking. It's grueling, which is why I'll keep coming back.'
The course and the vocal support from the sidewalks also impressed the winner of the San Francisco race, Charles Dionne of Canada. Taking home the $10,000 winner's check and a new car, Dionne proclaimed loudly, "San Francisco rocks."
A spirited crew of BASOC volunteers, celebrities and Olympic athletes added to the color of the event by taking a few two-wheeled turns around the city themselves. For a 1.3-mile celebrity race benefiting local non-profit organizations, swimming Olympian (and BASOC Director of Olympian Relations) Katrina Radke joined speed-skating gold medalist Eric Heiden and Olympic volleyball star Bryan Ivie. Their 'competition' also included actor/comedian Robin Williams and mountain biking legend Gary Fisher.
"It was a blast to talk to people about the Olympics and to put a BASOC pin on Robin Williams," Radke said. "We rode the actual race course – although the part we rode was flat."
BASOC also entered a four-man crew in the Corporate Challenge event, which took in a full 10-mile lap of the winding course. BASOC Volunteer Coordinator James Raybould and BASOC volunteer Mark Dolley were joined by Adam Switters and Jouzas Martynaitis, the top Californian cyclists in the 16-and-under and 18-and-under divisions,
respectively. Switters said, "My goal is to represent the United States in road cycling at the 2012 San Francisco Olympic Games. Being invited by BASOC to ride on the same course as Lance Armstrong and the world's best cyclists is not only a dream come true, but also good practice for Olympic competition 10 years down the road!"
The race itself proved a surprise, as Dionne won in just his second year on the Pro Tour. The challenging course – the toughest on the tour this year – took its toll on the field, as only 49 of the 125 riders who started the race managed to finish. That was still a sharp improvement from last year, when only 28 of 125 riders finished a course that demanded 10 climbs up Fillmore.
"(Fillmore) definitely separates the men from the boys," said runner-up Vogels. "This is an amazing event, but very demanding. If I'd gone another 2 meters, I would have curled up in the fetal position."
Dionne, 22, crossed the finish line in 4 hours, 18 minutes, 49 seconds, bursting from the pack in a furious final sprint to edge Vogels by half a bicycle length.
The San Francisco Chronicle, Contra Costa Times and other news services contributed to this report.
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