With Rose Parade in between, Amgen Tour of California thrills Santa Rosa crowd

Santa Rosa pulled it off.

The city’s bid to host a highly prized stage of the nation’s biggest cycling race, featuring men’s and women’s fields, and the 122nd running of the Rose Parade on the same day went off without any major issues, according to organizers, and thrilled a crowd of thousands that descended on downtown to celebrate both athletes and hometown entertainers - the remarkably fast and the decidedly slow.

While early forecasts predicted showers and even thunderstorms, the day was touched only by brief midmorning showers after the women were underway and before the men set off. Slick roads were dry by the time the women returned from the coast to the tight, sprint finish about noon.

And the afternoon had plenty more in store for spectators.

“To have two professional races and the Rose Parade and threat of rain and to have it be so successful, you can’t ask for anything better,” said David Guhin, a city department head and co-chairman of the local organizing committee. “It literally went off without a hitch.”

At one point, Guhin said he was standing on Mendocino Avenue under menacingly cloudy skies, looked up at a huge television screen broadcasting live action from the coast and was awestruck by the scene: a line of cyclists making their way through a rugged emerald landscape, and the sea beyond.

“The coverage was absolutely stunning with the blue skies and the terrain they were riding,” Guhin said. “It was definitely a moving postcard.”

Saturday marked the return of the nation’s premier multiday cycling race to Santa Rosa and Sonoma County after a two-year hiatus.

The tripleheader envisioned organizers just last year unfolded with precision.

Moments after the women finished behind Dutch champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Marianne Vos’s sprint win, the Rose Parade began its journey through the same streets used for the bike race.

Marching bands and traditional Mexican dancers made their way down E and Fourth streets where they were greeted by the same fans lining the orange barricades who cheered the racers.

“The logistics are amazing,” said Scott Parr of Concord. He came for the bike race but was enthusiastically supporting the parade. “How much stuff is going on here and how well organized it is? This is great and I go to a lot of races.”

Parr said that the ambitious combination made sense.

“You are going to close the whole downtown anyway,” he said. “Do it big.”

There were some early signs that the rain and chilly morning temperatures had affected turnout.

The VIP areas didn’t seem as crowded as they had been in years past. And the bike parking area in the city’s Third Street garage - set up to handle nearly 500 bikes - was less than half full by mid-day.

“It’s a little disappointing,” said Eric Penn of the turnout. The 50-year-old Santa Rosa electrical engineer and avid cyclist said the crowds seemed smaller compared to previous years. In years past, the barriers along Fourth Street were jammed with spectators. On Saturday, there was plenty of room to view.

“I just don’t feel like there’s much enthusiasm going on today,” Penn said.

But there were plenty of other signs that the threat of rain and closed streets, limited parking and other hassles associated the downtown uber-event hadn’t dampened spirits or affected turnout.

“I’ve been slammed all day long,” said Charles Bell, owner of the Wurst Restaurant in Healdsburg whose vendor booth served up grilled sausages to a long line of eager eaters in Old Courthouse Square.

And, per usual, the crowd at the finish was tightly packed and boisterous. Spectators stood on light post bases, clustered on elevated patches of grass on the square and were five and six deep along Third Street.

There were a few complaints about the ubiquitous barricades that they prevented mostly parade-goers from getting from one spot downtown to another.

“I’m here for the parade only. I’m totally irritated by the bike race,” said Cyndy Hilton of Santa Rosa.

Hilton attends the Rose Parade every year - she marched in it as a student at Lawrence Cook Middle School. But, despite all the fanfare in recent months, she didn’t know the bike races were being run on the same day and found navigating detours difficult.

“They can take the race and go around the parade next year, but not in my parade,” she said.

Rose Parade officials shortened the route this year and started the parade later than in years past to accommodate both the men’s and women’s cycling events. They said the shared event was a success.

“For as many people as we dealt with today, I think it went very well,” said Judy Groverman Walker, manager of the parade.

She said the key to the day was troubleshooting the hiccups.

“There are too many people for there not to be people in the wrong spot,” she said.

A daylong festival at the center of Old Courthouse Square and several blocks of Mendocino Avenue drew thousands of visitors to food and cycling booths.

Nathan Kimari of Sebastopol, 25, isn’t a competitive cyclist, but got to feel like one at the Lexus booth. Astride a stationary racing bicycle and wearing virtual reality goggles, Kirami pedaled hard along an imaginary but highly realistic road course, hitting a top speed of 42 mph.

“That was cool,” said Kimari as he dismounted. “I kept wanting to lean into the corners.”

Rene Bigornia of Santa Clara was trying to take in as much as the four little ones in her care could handle on a busy Saturday.

“We caught some of the race, but we’re here for the parade,” he said.

Bigornia and his wife, Amberly, brought the children to the parade and caught the end of the women’s race.

“The transition was really smooth, actually. I was surprised,” he said.

Nine-year-old Miles Bergum of Santa Rosa said that while the bike race was cool, the parade was even better, with its steady flow of interesting mini-shows.

“There’s more action,” he said. “There’s a lot of cool stuff that you get to see here.”

Marching bands, per usual, were a big hit Saturday.

Perhaps the largest band was courtesy of a combined effort of Slater and Rincon Valley middle schools who played together.

As with any large event, good vantage points were at a premium.

“We scored!” said Jennie Bransford as she and her husband, Patrick, and 2-year-old daughter Presley ate lunch at what had to be one of the most relaxing vantage points for the parade, a corner table on the patio at La Rosa Tequilleria & Grille on the square.

“We’re just having a good time hanging out,” Patrick Presley said.

For Myron Melnarik of Santa Clarita, proximity to the stars of cycling is one of the biggest draws of the Tour of California. Melnarik wore a Green Bay Packers-style cheesehead emblazoned with “Go Sagan Go!” - encouraging words for popular Slovakian cyclist Peter Sagan, who finished second in the men’s race to Norwegian Alexander Kristoff.

Melnarik saw a portion of the race in Occidental then got in his car and was ready to take in the finish.

“For the fans, you can’t go to any other spectator sport and touch Joe Montana,” he said, who gave Santa Rosa and Sonoma County praise on the day.

“Parking was really good, there are good places to eat. The action seems good, the crowd is pretty thick, enthusiastic,” he said. “I was surprised at how many people were in Occidental.”

There were a few emergency responses in downtown during the day, but all were unrelated to the race or parade.

Bikes, meanwhile, were everywhere Saturday, as the sport of the hour and transportation constraints gave spectators even more reason to break out their rides.

A band of hipsters sported custom, elevated bikes that dropped jaws and at one point earned a sharp rebuke from race organizers when they rode down the middle of Fourth Street as the women’s race was finishing. They returned later and meandered through the parade route.

Brothers Eric and Mark Proto turned plenty of heads on their elaborately long, low custom beach cruisers, complete with 3-inch wide rims, motorcycle inspired headlights and 3-speed hubs.

After the brief shower that hit downtown, Mark Proto, 47, was still glowing about the day.

“I wish the weather was better,” he said, “but this is still awesome.”

You can reach staff writer Kevin McCallum at 521-5207 or Kevin.McCallum@pressdemocrat.com and Kerry Benefield at 526-8671 or kerry.benefield@pressdemocrat.com.