La Vuelta is one of the coolest cycling events ever and I've been lucky enough to be able to see it firsthand for a couple of years now. As I make my way home, each year, I have plenty of time to sort through the thousand or so photos I've shot and relive the experience while the memories are still fresh. As an observer, I can only imagine what it must be like to actually participate in the event, but I'm pretty sure my many of the things I love about it would rank pretty highly on the riders' lists as well. So here goes:

How could that have happened? Seems like we just left (says the guy who got to complete the course in an air-conditioned truck). The sunrise on Sunday rivaled the beauty of the sunset on Saturday, which is to say it was something pretty special. The final day is a leg-punishing mix of steep climbs, steep descents  and some long flat sections featuring some stunning coastal riding where headwinds and crosswinds are plentiful. And then, of course, comes the triumphant charge into San Juan.

Day Two is one of my personal favorites. After a quick pre-dawn romp on the highway, the course plunges into some of the most remote, unpopulated and gorgeous parts of the island.

Day One of La Vuelta is one of the three most challenging days of the tour. At 155 miles, it's the longest and also has contains longest climb, which can get a little nasty in sections. "Epic" is a reasonable way to describe it. Regardless, the Puerto Rican weather gods must have thought this year's crop of riders was looking a little too fit, a little too ready, a little too clean and a little too dry at the starting line this morning, so they decided to pitch in and make the day a little epicer. They began with an evil morning deluge and some gnarly headwinds. Later they served up generous portions of heat, humidity and crosswinds.