Schleck among riders testing gear before Sunday's stage 1
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Charles Dionne (Fly V Australia) might be one to sneak in for a stage win this week.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Dave Zabriskie (Garmin-Transitions) hops on his bike to head out.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Steven Cozza (Garmin-Transitions) looks to be enjoying the warm and sunny California weather.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Dave Zabriskie's (Garmin-Transitions) TT bike is all ready for the week.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Stars and stripes on the front of Dave Zabriskie's (Garmin-Transitions) Felt TT bike.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Mike Friedman (Jelly Belly) will be leading the team this week.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Jonathan Chodroff (Jelly Belly) will be looking for a strong TT towards the end of the race.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
The Jelly Belly squad ready to head out for a ride the day before the start.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Andy Schleck's (Saxo Bank) shiny new Specialized bike showed up in time for the start of the race.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
A motivational saying on the top tube of Andy Schleck's new bike.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Tom Danielson (Garmin-Transitions) and teammate Peter Stetina wait for the rest of the guys to hit the road.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Custom paint and graphics for Andy Schleck's new Specialized.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Ben Day (Fly V Australia) heads out on his shiny new De Rosa with a different black and orange paint scheme.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Davide Frattini (Team Type 1) and teammate Valeriy Kobzarenko check out some of the team's gear before the morning ride.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Ryder Hesjdal (Garmin-Transitions) does some prep on his TT bike.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Team Type 1 staff get stacks of waterbottles ready for the week ahead.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
George Hincapie (BMC) gets ready to head out on a ride with his teammates.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Rory Sutherland (United Healthcare) drops in for a quick video interview.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
United Healthcare riders get some pre-race paperwork out of the way.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Jeremy Vennell (BMC) takes care of a last minute seat adjustment.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Ben Jacques-Maynes (BMC) grabs his bike for the morning ride.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Brothers Andy and Ben Jacques-Maynes answer some questions from the press.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Top tube detail on Andy Schleck's new ride.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Cyclingnews caught up with some of the Tour of California's racers on Saturday as they headed out for a pre-race spin for a few hours to get ready for the opening stage on Sunday.
In contrast to the wet and muddy conditions at the Giro d'Italia for Saturday's stage 7, it was sunny and warm in Sacramento.
Riders spent several hours getting their legs going and testing out equipment. Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) was among the riders testing out new rigs. Specialized built him a new bike, painted with the symbol of Luxembourg for the national champion.
Stage 1 will begin on Sunday in Nevada City and head south to Sacramento. It will travel through the Grass Valley and Old Town in Auburn. The mostly downhill stage will favor sprinters as they complete the stage with three circuits around the state's Capitol building.
Stay tuned to Cyclingnews for complete coverage of the Tour of California.
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