Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 8, 1994 TAG: 9405080099
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CATHRYN McCUE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: FREDERICKSBURG LENGTH: Long
But the two friends, age 6, stuck to the traditional lemonade for their sidewalk stand.
"It was my idea. Well-l-l-l, my Mom's, really," said Peyton, whose mother runs the deli on Caroline Street. They added sandwiches and bite-size oatmeal cookies to their menu, however, and managed to snag several customers.
"None of them came over," Peyton said, referring to the world-class cyclists. They were busy warming up, psyching up and gearing up for the 1 p.m. start of the third stage, from downtown Fredericksburg to Richmond.
Despite the rain, a good-size crowd turned out to watch the race, including Kevin Graham and Stefan Yencha, who were after more than blurry snapshots and split-second peeks at the cyclists.
"I got Lance, Raul, and a lot of nobodies," Graham said, holding a white jersey with autographs scrawled all over it.
Yencha, himself a beginning racer, had shaven legs and wore the trappings of the growing international sport - helmet, colorful jersey, black spandex thigh-long shorts, and the clunky, funny-looking shoes that snap onto special racing bike pedals.
He had one better than his pal. He caught Greg LeMond, three-time Tour de France winner, drinking coffee at the Java House, and got the racer's autographs on the back of his jersey. In permanent marker.
Joe Parkin, a racer with the Coors Light team, said he was looking forward to the time trial and two stages in Southwest Virginia starting Monday.
"That's when the race really begins," he said. As for the tortuous, twisted climb up to Mountain Lake in Giles County, Parkin said, "Yeah, I don't like that one at all."
Good luck, Joe.
All along the 115-mile route, pockets of people gathered in the off-and-on rain to cheer the cyclists on. They sat in cars at the end of their driveways. They hung out on porches, in the backs of pickups, or just stood on corners, under umbrellas, waiting for the mass of steel and muscle to flash by their homes.
THORNBURG - Next stop on the Tour DuPont. Although, of course, the racers don't stop. The route took a sharp left here, bypassing downtown Thornburg.
On to Snell.
SNELL - "This is downtown Snell," Larry Pizarro loudly proclaimed, sweeping his arm around. A crossroads, a general store, another store, closed, and a few homes.
Pizarro, his friends and family, Budweisers in hand, turned the Tour DuPont into a good excuse for a party as they waited for the bikers, who were delayed by rain.
"We've got a couple coolers, so that's OK," Rob Ritz said. "We're having a barbecue about a mile up the road after the race, if you want to come."
The gang has celebrated the race in this fashion for several years, since it comes right through Snell. Pizarro said they had made a "Welcome Tour DuPont" sign on a sheet one year, but he doesn't know what happened to it.
PARTLOW - Janice and Joe Sacra had a great view from their back stoop, off Virginia 738. Joe stood watch, chatting with a friend, and Janice poked her head out of the kitchen every so often.
"We just enjoy watching them, ever since they've been coming through here," Janice Sacra said.
A few miles down the road, Tim Waller, his dad Carter and some friends sat on the side porch, knocking back a few cold beers and taking swigs off a bottle of something a little stronger.
They figured they'd mosey on out to the road when the escort vehicles started coming by.
"We're sitting here chilling, right now," one said.
"I'll hand them a beer when they come through, perk them up for the hills," Carter Waller said.
Doubtful the racers would take it. One, they don't drink beer while riding, and two, it wasn't the official brew sponsor, which is Coors Light.
COATESVILLE - At 3:15 p.m., Matt Nuckols, 11, stood at the edge of his grandfather's field at the corner of Virginia 671 and 631.
He had never seen the racers before, and was very excited. He hoped to get a couple pictures.
His favorites for the race? "The ones in front."
Across the road, about a dozen folks stood on the embankment, including Brigit Young.
"I came to Coatesville because I knew I would find a place to park," she said. Young had seen the start in Fredericksburg, hopped in her car and raced out of town to get in front of the pack and see them again. Sort of a Tour DuPont de Leap le Frog.
TRAFFIC JAM, VIRGINIA 54 and 671 - Alice Hicks and her daughter, Darlene, had no intention of watching the race.
At 3:50 p.m., they had no choice.
"I can't believe this. We came at the right time, didn't we," Darlene joked. They were trying to get home, which happened to be in the direction that 111 cyclists were speeding up 671. But there was no getting around an international event that had taken months to plan and millions of dollars to put on.
Alice Hicks turned the engine off, and her daughter took out her camera.
"Yeah, we figured we'd just get the camera out and get a couple of pictures," she said.
Might as well.
Three cars up sat Brenda and Bob Dyer, on their way to a pig roast, stalled by the roadblock.
"So, this is the Tour DuPont thing," Bob Dyer said.
"If we're gonna be parked here, I'm glad we're parked where we can see them," his wife said, and shrugged.
Don't worry, folks. The Tour DuPont thing will be over soon.
by CNB