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T-Mobile International - 1.3
San Francisco, USA, September 12, 2004
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Big fun by the bay expected for San Francisco's T-Mobile International
By Tim Maloney-European Editor / San Francisco, CA.
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As the T-Mobile International Presented By BMC Software media event took place in front of the 1,000th T-Mobile retail store opened in the USA, T-Mobile Vice Chairman and avid cycling fan Bob Stapleton told Cyclingnews that "There are a lot of claims as to which race in America is great, but I think that this race is the best. It's a spectacular event, with huge crowds and great community involvement. You couldn't ask for more."
Although as race title sponsor, Stapleton may be biased in his view, truth be told that his perception isn't wrong. With crowds in excess of half a million expected to cheer on six time Tour De France winner Lance Armstrong and the rest of the peloton on the testing course up and down the hills of San Francisco, in four short years, the T-Mobile International race has become the equivalent of any classic race anywhere in the world in terms of spectacle and impact.
For 2004, the parcours of the T-Mobile International has been improved as a flat, windy dogleg section through the Presidio has been eliminated, while an extra lap of the 8km final short loop as been added to keep the overall 174km. distance similar to years past. The extra short loop means another trip up Taylor Street and the elimination of the flat section means the climb up Fillmore Street will now come much sooner in the lap. With the heatwave that has hit the SF Bay Area in the last few days subsiding, the weather for Sunday's race should be excellent; 30 degrees Celsius and sunny, with afternoon west winds.
