Fans

Colorful characters have been a part of bike racing for as long as I’ve been visiting races. But they used to be on the rare side. While I can’t say they are the rule, they are anything but uncommon at the Amgen Tour of California. In one 300-meter stretch of Mulholland Highway, I saw more costumed fans than I have in any two days of the Tour de France. If I didn’t know better, I might have thought a Halloween party was running long. Many photographers composed their shots to include these fans.

This centurion was asking around for the pope (check yesterday’s post) because he wanted to be blessed.

Adam and Eve, sorta.

Spectators called this fan Borat. Though sunny, it wasn’t warm; comfort must not have been a concern.

The woman on the right is dressed as a hand. When she turned around you could see white fingernails. What her connection to a banana and a beer keg is anyone’s guess.

I can’t say this guy rode this high wheeler all the way up the climb, but I did see him ride into and out of view. I also saw him riding back down the climb.

When I first saw this fellow something about his corduroy suit and shaggy handlebar mustache seemed out of place, at least, with this crowd. When I saw Jesus in the road, he began to make more sense.