art museum fail
yesterday rotten and i headed down to the art museum. we figured a big, air conditioned building would be just the water-less way to beat the heat. we called before we left, checking on traffic information and to see if there were any ideas about a good place to park. the philadelphia international & liberty classic was taking place, and we wanted to avoid sitting in the hot sun in our car while looking for a parking place. good news on all fronts - it was easy to get to the art museum and even better, parking was available for $5 right at the museum, mere footsteps away from the back entrance. air conditioning, here we come.
before actually heading into the museum, we decided to head down to kelly drive to see the peloton storm past in the unbelievable heat. the tv helicopter was moving sideways overhead and we knew the riders were getting close. we ended up running to the road to catch sight of the breakaway, then the entire group of riders close behind. moments later they came through the feed zone, just out of sight to our right, and back past our spot on kelly drive. having never seen a pro race in person, i loved seeing and feeling the rush of the peloton as they passed. it got my competitive spirit going, along with my athletic penchant for self-induced suffering, and i certainly wished i could propel myself along at those kinds of speeds.
instead of walking back up the hill to the nice, cool museum, we decided to walk around to eakins oval to see what was going on over there. we left the shade of the trees near kelly drive and went into the full sun of the oval, ending up near the barriers next to the start/finish line. by this point the guys would be speeding through once again and we took up some prime real estate next to the media tent (thanks to them for those cold bottles of water) and saw the race come back through. thinking there would only be one more full lap and then the three shorter laps before the finish, we opted against leaving our viewpoint in hopes of seeing the sprint finish. the riders had been out for about five hours at this point and every once in a while one or two would come through without the peloton, having thrown in the towel on the race. part of me wanted to give up on watching the race; i can't imagine how hot and tired those guys must have been.
we ended up getting a bit more than we bargained for, watching two complete laps and the final three to the finish. but, we weren't disappointed with the view we had of the closing sprint. watching them race down the parkway for the final go took my breath away. rotten was left wishing he was racing again. and we shared the excitement with the girl we met during the race who was standing next to us - her husband pulled in a top-five finish.
needless to say, the sun beat down on us and i was happy to sit under some trees for a few minutes as the crowds thinned out and the cyclists rolled back to their team compounds for cold drinks and food. it is a testament to the human body and spirit that they can go so hard, for so long, on a nearly 100-degree day. it really put a race like the tour de france into even clearer perspective for me - imagine three weeks of racing, with just a few days off throughout. amazing.
we went home and cooked a light, delicious meal for dinner and watched a movie - the perfect end to an unexpectedly perfect day, sans art museum. guess we'll once again have to save that for a rainy day.
before actually heading into the museum, we decided to head down to kelly drive to see the peloton storm past in the unbelievable heat. the tv helicopter was moving sideways overhead and we knew the riders were getting close. we ended up running to the road to catch sight of the breakaway, then the entire group of riders close behind. moments later they came through the feed zone, just out of sight to our right, and back past our spot on kelly drive. having never seen a pro race in person, i loved seeing and feeling the rush of the peloton as they passed. it got my competitive spirit going, along with my athletic penchant for self-induced suffering, and i certainly wished i could propel myself along at those kinds of speeds.
instead of walking back up the hill to the nice, cool museum, we decided to walk around to eakins oval to see what was going on over there. we left the shade of the trees near kelly drive and went into the full sun of the oval, ending up near the barriers next to the start/finish line. by this point the guys would be speeding through once again and we took up some prime real estate next to the media tent (thanks to them for those cold bottles of water) and saw the race come back through. thinking there would only be one more full lap and then the three shorter laps before the finish, we opted against leaving our viewpoint in hopes of seeing the sprint finish. the riders had been out for about five hours at this point and every once in a while one or two would come through without the peloton, having thrown in the towel on the race. part of me wanted to give up on watching the race; i can't imagine how hot and tired those guys must have been.
we ended up getting a bit more than we bargained for, watching two complete laps and the final three to the finish. but, we weren't disappointed with the view we had of the closing sprint. watching them race down the parkway for the final go took my breath away. rotten was left wishing he was racing again. and we shared the excitement with the girl we met during the race who was standing next to us - her husband pulled in a top-five finish.
needless to say, the sun beat down on us and i was happy to sit under some trees for a few minutes as the crowds thinned out and the cyclists rolled back to their team compounds for cold drinks and food. it is a testament to the human body and spirit that they can go so hard, for so long, on a nearly 100-degree day. it really put a race like the tour de france into even clearer perspective for me - imagine three weeks of racing, with just a few days off throughout. amazing.
we went home and cooked a light, delicious meal for dinner and watched a movie - the perfect end to an unexpectedly perfect day, sans art museum. guess we'll once again have to save that for a rainy day.
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