(Update Nov. 2: Tour of California bike race route and teams announced.)
Last week we learned the route of the Tour de France bicycle race. This week, the sponsors of the Tour of California are expected to announce the stops in the inaugural 2006 bike race.
Quoting its Chamber of Commerce, the San Luis Obispo Tribune jumped the gun by reporting the town will be one of the 10 stops on the 700-mile bike tour.
Organizers of the race, scheduled for February, are announcing the other stops and participating teams on Wednesday, the newspaper says.
The tour, first announced last spring, is backed by the Anschutz Entertainment Group, which has investments in hockey, basketball and soccer. AEG, owned by Colorado billionaire Phil Anshutz, is prepared to sink $35 million into the race over the next five years to see it take hold.
Although it isn't expected to be placed on the Pro Tour list of major cycling races, it is scheduled early enough in the year not to conflict.
AEG's initial Tour of California announcement didn't specify a concrete route, beyond saying it would start in Northern California, hug the coast, and finish up in a “classic” Southern California setting. The Tour of California website has been mum on the issue since March.
Other publications have speculated about possible locales, including Sacramento, Yosemite Valley, Napa Valley, Golden Gate, and the Santa Monica Mountains ringing the LA basin.
While AEG is backing the venture, logistics and planning have been turned over to Medalist Sports of Tyrone, Georgia. Medalist also handles the logistics for that other major US bicycle stage race, the Tour of Georgia.
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