Rapha at the Amgen Tour of California

_{PHOTOS: John Watson - Prolly Is Not Probably}  

Rapha has been involved with the Tour of California before. Last year, we provided the AEG staff with some tops to help make their week-long tour lean towards the stylish side of things. This year we have offered a bit more in the way of sponsorship by bringing along not only the clothing, but also a fully Mobile Cycle Club. This has been a great place to connect with people, including the professional racers who have taken to stopping by for a quick shot of espresso before their starts. We have also explored the race as straight-up fans; rushing from the start over the hills and through the woods to try and make sight of the finish. All in all it has been a fun and pleasantly Rapha-filled Amgen Tour of California with a few more days to keep the excitement alive.

With that, we offer you the three "C's" of the Tour of California. Coffee, Competition and Coverage. The Coffee is a given, it comes from La Colombe and with the Starts, KOM's and other locales that the Mobile Cycle club has placed itself it has also been an interesting endeavor. Competition is self-explanatory with all the racing that has taken place over this great state in the past few days and the Coverage, well, that is a bit more comprehensive. Additionally, check John Watson's Prolly is Not Probably for expanded gallery's of the photos that you see here.

The Mobile Cycle Club, or 'Hennie' as he is affectionately called has done well to make the rounds at the ATOC. There have been two days of KOM appearances (making the televised coverage on day one) as well as one from the start pavilion. On Wednesday there were reports at the top of the KOM that the riders coming through cleaned out the entirety of Hennie's Coca-Cola reserves in one fell swoop. Plus, there was one rider who actually stopped for an espresso before heading down to the finish. We were also set up yesterday within the Team Area of the Bakersfield Time-Trial.

Competition - the Racing. We can't stay away.

Chris Jones - United Healthcare Cycling Team - he's been a fan favorite throughout the stages. His heroic battle at the front for teammates Rory Sutherland, Jeff Louder and Marc de Maar have been well documented here as well as elsewhere. His crash on the second day left him with stitches and bandages all around, but he continues to be a positive force in the peloton.

Jens Voigt - Radio Shack - With a second place in the time trial (all the while munching on a bee that stung his lip) Jens has continued to baffle the flames of his celebrity. It does not hurt anything that he hi-fives and signs autographs for every fan that asks.

Tejay Van Garderen - BMC Racing - Today was the day that we have all been waiting for - someone to really take this race from the cold grip of Peter Sagan. We know that it can and should be Tejay, so this is when things should really start to get interesting.

Team - AG2R - They stopped by the Rapha Cycle Club today for espresso and to try on the Grand Tour Shoes (we only have one display pair in the Cycle Club and they all tried them on.) The international flair that they lend to the race goes a long way to helping build this race for the coming years.

Team - Colombia Desportes - These guys are just plain great. They must rely on each other much more being that they do not have the same support as the huge van (and caravans) that the other teams lean on so heavily. And after we lambasted them in the Day 3 post they attacked and climbed like we all knew they could. (Some of them even managed to grab a coke through the final KOM from Hennie.)

Coverage - Well, this would be the actual clothes.

If you are in attendance to any of these stages and look closely there are a number of both our City Riding pieces as well as our Jerseys and Jackets sprinkled throughout the AEG staff. If you do not know AEG, they do a good job with sporting events throughout the world. But, what it really means is that everyone that is traveling and working on this tour is looking great in their Rapha kit. However a few of the most prominent people in the entire Amgen Tour of California have been spotted our gear. Of course two of those would have to be the Podium girls, no surprise there. They look great and could give any European Podium presenters a run for their money. The one that we think looks downright awesome in Pink? Well, that would have to be the one and only Bob Roll.

There are still three more stages including two long days with steep climbs and one crazy circuit race through downtown Los Angeles.

Keep in touch with Rapha North America on twitter/instagram @Rapha_N_America and Hennie the Mobile Cycle Club @RaphaMCCNA for the rest of the week as we chase, keep pace and ultimately race the peloton down the length of California all the way to Los Angeles.