Twilight in Athens II

The women's race started at 7:45 and lasted until about 8:45.  Up next were the men (9:00-11:00) - there race consisted of 80 laps around the course!  Again, it was fun to see how fast these guys were moving and how easy they made it look.  The men were moving at speeds of 40 mph.

The race got really interesting about the 5th or 6th lap.  Two sprinters decided to take off and separate themselves from the rest of the pack.  They continued to sprint around the course and eventually (many laps later) actually caught up to the group!  It was fun to watch, and it was amazing to see all of the guys keep up that pace.

Here are a couple of videos of the men.  On the first one, you can see how fast they were going - just a blur past us.  On the second one, I turned as they came by so you could watch them go past.  For those Mississippi State fans out there, in the second video in particular, you'll hear a very familiar sound - the cowbell.  Joel and I felt right at home with the ringing of the cowbells!

Here are a few pictures from the evening.  There are a couple of the crowd/route, just so you can get an idea of the atmosphere.  Also, the sunset was really pretty.  You can see some of the beautiful downtown buildings in this picture too.

 Looking at one of the curves in the race.

 This is the crowd for the women's race - it got MUCH more crowded for the men.