Going, Going....Gone!

About noon today, the Pro Cycle Challenge whipped through Dolores, it's the revived American version of the "Tour de France"...

There was a "200 Meter Sprint Line" in Dolores, as you can see sponsored by Waste Management, in fact there was advertising plastered and wrapped around everything...

The crowds started to grow, well it's Dolores, there wasn't much of a crowd...

But the excitement started to build, everyone ringing mini-cow bells provided by a bike shop over in Cortez, Kokopeli Bike and Board...
Stage One started in Durango, Colorado, circled the town a couple of times, raced over a few passes, free of cars, the powers that be closed the highway, ( some locals were not happy).
A loud speaker announced the approach of the break away group, motivated to win the sprint in Dolores for points and $$.
The increase of support vehicles and media, excited the crowds, as well. This guy cracked up when I turned away from the excitement to take his picture...

But then a wave of cheers and cowbells at the edge of town...

signaled the challengers of the 200 sprint...

And then more official and support cars "whooshed" by with more advertising....

A little bit more of a wait and then the loud speaker declared the approach of the large race pack, called a Peloton, French for "bunch")
More official vehicles and then the pack approached....

and "whooshed" through Dolores and we hooted and hollered for them...

A heck of a lot more support vehicles "whooshed by" (another real vocab term in racing apparently)...

along with the media, he laughed again at me ...

Everyone racing up towards Telluride where the finishing lane waited. Dolores "fifteen minutes of fame" was over and everyone started to pack up...

Friends hung around to catch up, since already in town on a Monday...

Even local business used the "hoopla" for some advertising, bringing the crowd to them with some free hot dogs...

But when the front loader came to take the bleachers back to the football field, all knew the festivities are over and it was time to go home...