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| Patterson residents turn out en masse for cycling race |
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| Written by Maddy Houk & Jonathan Partridge / Patterson Irrigator | |
| Saturday, 23 February 2008 | |
 The Amgen Tour of California passed between the palm trees of Las Palmas Avenue on Wednesday, providing this picturesque view looking west to the Diablo hills. What was less pretty was the climb up Del Puerto Canyon, where spectators watched as some of the best cyclists in the world gasped for air and reached deep to complete Stage 3, which finished in San Jose after beginning in Modesto. Cody Manning and Elias Funez/Patterson Irrigator Still, those few seconds garnered lots of attention, as thousands gathered in Patterson to check out the race — including clusters of local school children. “I’m so excited,” Patterson Parks and Recreation Director Adrienne Chaney said. “Look at the turnout. I’m so pleased the schools worked with us to get all the kids out.” Western Stanislaus County played host to a large portion of Stage 3 between Modesto and San Jose, with riders traveling through town before heading into Del Puerto Canyon and eventually making the difficult climb over Mt. Hamilton. Residents gathered on East Las Palmas Avenue, in downtown Patterson and even in Del Puerto Canyon west of town. Perhaps the loudest group of fans could be found at the sprint line near Las Palmas Elementary School. Ready with cowbells, balloons and signs, thousands of students and teachers lined the street to cheer on the racers. The young fans included students from Patterson Unified School District, Sacred Heart Catholic School and Berean Christian School. Youngsters cheered for every car, motorcycle and truck that went by in anticipation of the speeding bicyclists racing through California. And there were plenty of vehicles — particularly of the law enforcement variety. “Today would be a tough day to rob a bank,” joked spectator Gary Moore, indicating the slew of police who escorted the bikers. “Never seen so many sheriffs and highway patrolmen in all my life.” School’s out for racing  Students from area schools line Las Palmas Avenue on Wednesday morning as they wait for cyclists in the Amgen Tour of California. Photo by Maddy Houk / Patterson Irrigator “I’m very excited,” said Michael Boschi, 9, before the race. “I think it’s going to be fun.” Northmead School fifth-graders in Jolene Eddings’ class gathered across the street from the school near the baseball fields. Brianna Palafox said she was looking forward to the bikes zooming by. “I’ve only seen a race on TV,” she said. “It’s exciting. They go by kind of fast.” When their teacher asked them if they wanted to become bike racers, though, they gave a resounding “no” — “because you can fall off a bike,” one girl added. Still, Eddings said the race might inspire students to become athletes. Jordyn Johnson, a Patterson High School senior, said she was excited because she’d had no idea the tour was coming through town. “I’m training for a bike trip with a church in Elk Grove,” she said. “This is my third year, but this (race) is way more professional than anything I do.” Las Palmas School Principal Jennifer Benjamin-Yacoub described the event as an “exhilarating experience.” “The kids are so excited,” she said, “and when they watch it on the news, they’ll get a chance to say, ‘We were there. We were right there.’” She said she was thankful the city Parks and Recreation Department organized the student event, providing cowbells, clappers and balloons. Up the canyon Meanwhile, up in Del Puerto Canyon west of Patterson, many fans stood along the road to watch the event, particularly at the Stanislaus-Santa Clara county line.  Race Day: The peloton — the main group of racers — rounds a boulder in Del Puerto Canyon. Stage 3 of the tour led from Modesto to San Jose via Patterson and the hills to the west. Photo by Elias Funez He gave kudos to the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department, which he said quickly put a stop to spectator problems. Some deputies wondered why the roads hadn’t been closed to non-canyon residents in the first place, he said. Meanwhile, canyon resident Sue Conyers, who invited spectators to watch from her driveway, said she enjoyed the race. “I thought overall it was really cool,” she said. She said the people she met were friendly, including one spectator with a U.S. flag who kept an ice chest full of beers in a baby stroller. In fact, she said, she even learned from a visiting geologist that Del Puerto Canyon was the first place in California where dinosaur bones were found. A solid day of racing Race course director Eric Smith said he was pleased with the third leg of the seven-stage tour. “It was one of the best days we’ve ever had for sprints,” he said, adding that the sound of the cheering children on West Las Palmas Avenue sent a chill through him. He said there relatively few spectators in Del Puerto Canyon and even fewer on San Antonio Valley Road. Next year’s course has not yet been determined, but Smith said the climb through the hills between Patterson and San Jose, including Mt. Hamilton, made for exciting racing. “The racers were tired,” he said. “They thought it was a really tough stage.” Patterson Unified Superintendent Patrick Sweeney, who watched the race with the Patterson High kids, said it was a great overall event. “What a wonderful opportunity to see people excel in what they do,” Sweeney said. “We’re blessed to have had the beautiful day and a great race for the young people to see.” Irrigator reporter John Saiz contributed to this report.
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