Brisk and Sunny in Ol' Fresno

It was a truly beautiful day yesterday as we waited in Old Town Clovis for the cyclists of the Amgen Tour to hit the finish line. I'm sure everyone was quite proud of what a great day was offered to the riders with lots of sunshine and snow on the mountains.

Clovis was totally on the ball with free shuttle service for the crowd. Some shops were open with delicious treats like The Robin's Nest, my favorite antique store on Pollasky, and some shops were closed with their keepers on the street with the rest of us. The only downside was giving hundreds of little kids yellow chalk to write in the streets...we weren't expecting to see the exciting end of the race in a cloud of yellow smoke that choked everybody, and you know it had to wreak havoc with the riders as well.

So, the good lord must have been listening, because not only did Tom Boonen ride, but he came in second. My mother was elated. She proudly waved her Flemish Lion, and she even had press members come up to see if she was really Belgian. Needless to say, she was on cloud nine, and even more excited to get home and watch the race in its entirety. We got as close to him as we could as he talked to the press and he waved when he saw the flag.

Cavendish, an American for the Colombian team, was the overall winner of the stage. Needless to say, trying to grab a good shot in the flurry of riders and chalk dust was not really going to happen.

There was a huge showing of the LiveStrong Army as well, with my friends from the Mofo Party Band and their families there to show support.

Amgen Tour of California

Today is the big day that world cycling enthusiasts gather to see the peloton cross the finish line in Clovis, California. They are predicting the riders will arrive about 3:30 this afternoon in front of 25,000 people. Riders will include Belgium's Tom Boonen, last year's winner Levi Leipheimer, and that other guy, Lance Armstrong. I'll be taking my mom, Josie Caraveo, who is an avid race fan, where we'll be cheering on Tom, who won 75 races last year alone.

If you are truly a cycling enthusiast, then you should know about the National Cycling Museum in Roeselare, West Flanders, Belgium, called the Nationaal Wielermuseum. As far as I know, this is the only museum in the world dedicated to bicycle racing.

My mother's family has a long history of cyclists, and at the turn of the century (last century) my uncle's father was the National Champion of Belgium, and that is why this museum is in their home town. His name was Hector Martin and some of the artifacts you see here were donated by my uncle's family.

When I visited the museum in 2006 cycling star Freddy Maertens was the curator and he was more than genial. I even had permission to take a few photographs.The museum has a permanent exhibit of cycling through the years, and also has new rotating shows such as photography exhibits and, when I was there, the famous Tour de France yellow jersey.

So now you know, Belgium is not just about beer and chocolate, beautiful lace and incredible artwork. And for you Americans who don't get out much, no, they don't serve Belgian Waffles for breakfast, so don't ask.