Chris Jones’ Diary – Special Guest Edition

Chris Jones is a second-year professional for Team Type 1 who lives in Sacramento, Calif. While he prepares for the final stage of the Amgen Tour of California, his wife, Cassie, shares her perspective on the race.

My name is Cassie Jones and I’m Chris’s wife. I am not a bike rider, but I am a bike ride supporter and in my off time I work as a pediatric nurse practitioner in Roseville, Calif.

Chris and I have been together for seven years and he started cycling after we started dating. So I’ve been going to every race of his that I can. But the Amgen Tour of California is definitely the biggest race I’ve followed him in.

Chris’ family and my family rented two motor homes for the nine days of the race. We normally either go to the start or directly to a King of the Mountain climb and watch from there. Then we load up really fast and try and make it to the finish to see Chris and give him a little cheer. Then we go to the next start city and sleep in an RV park, then wake up and do it all over again. There’s nothing like traveling around with your parents and your in-laws!

This morning, before the race, I got Chris a Cappuccino. Otherwise I try to catch him whenever he has a free minute and give him some words of encouragement. I think he’s doing well. It’s been hard with the hits Team Type 1 has taken – losing so many guys – but he’s riding his best and I’m proud of him.

That leads me to one of the more touching moments of the Tour – when people find out my husband is in the race. All I have to do is get my sign out and they ask me who Chris Jones is and why I’m cheering for him. When I tell them it’s my husband, they usually start spreading the word – and pretty soon everyone is cheering for Chris and Team Type 1.

The final stage will be a big one for Chris. We used to live in San Diego and he’s ridden Mt. Palomar several times. So I think tomorrow will be good for him. He’s very familiar with the grades and the climbs and what’s coming up next, so he should have lots of confidence. Hopefully he or one of his teammates can get into the break.

Tags: Amgen, Amgen Inc., amgen tour of california, California, Chris Jones, Mt. Palomar, Sacramento, San Diego, united states