John Campopiano provided newspaper clippings describing this race, but even
with them, it is hard to be sure which Modesto Roadmen participated. A preview
of the race said that David Steffen and Jeff Cowdrey were "expected" to
ride in the Senior event and John Campopiano was "expected" to ride in the
Junior event. David and John both confirm their participation. The Bee did
list those riders who placed in all the races, and there were no Roadmen
among them.
As with the 1967 Tour de Graceada, the person who took the only pictures
focused on David Steffen; the Junior race was completely ignored, and the
only Roadman visible in any of the pictures is David. The one exception may be
the first picture. John Campopiano provided a newspaper clipping from the
Modesto Bee describing the race which did have a picture from the Junior race.
The cover for the program of the race.
The poster Jeff Cowdrey made for the race.
A picture of the junior field from The Modesto Bee. It is not impossible
that the rider to the farthest right of the picture is John.
Based on its position in the roll and similarity of the rider's jersey
to a photograph in The Bee, we are guessing that this is a
photograph of Jose Pardilla winning the Junior race.
Probably the start of the Senior race. David is the rider in the upper right
of the picture.
David is the third rider in this group of four.
A picture of three unknown cyclists.
David is the last rider in this group of three. This and the previous
two pictures are taken at the first of four corners on this criterium
course.
This is the only picture not from the same set as the rest. It was taken
by a friend of David's sister and for decades, we had no idea it existed.
Recently she shared it with us,
believing it to be a picture of David. Actually, it's a picture of the winner
of the Senior race, John Allis, the same person shown in the
next picture.
John Allis, winning of the Senior division of the 1968 Tour de Graceada.
