Those of you planning to attend at least one of the eight days of bike racing at the 2014 Amgen Tour of California can find detailed route descriptions and maps online.
2014 Tour of California
Organizers of the ninth edition of the bike race — running Sunday, May 11, through Sunday, May 18 — posted the details of the routes, host cities, and teams online on Friday.
Even though the bike race was moved from February to May so it could enjoy less snowy conditions in the Sierra, the route meisters avoided that mountain chain again this year, opting for major climbs on Mount Hamilton and Mount Diablo in the Bay Area.
The 740-mile stage bike race heads in a north to south direction, with racing in the Sacramento, Bay Area and Los Angeles areas.
The first two days also will feature women’s racing.
This year’s stages are:
Stage 1: Sunday, May 11 – Starts and ends at Sacramento State Capitol — 123 miles (longest stage)
Stage 2: Monday, May 12 – Individual time trial in Folsom — 12.5 miles
Stage 3: Tuesday, May 13 – San Jose to Mount Diablo State Park — 110 miles (Queen Stage, with climbs up Mount Diablo and Mount Hamilton)
Stage 4: Wednesday, May 14 – Monterey to Cambria — 105 miles (follows scenic Highway 1 along the Pacific Ocean)
Stage 5: Thursday, May 15 – Pismo Beach to Santa Barbara — 108 miles (includes San Marcos Pass)
Stage 6: Friday, May 16 – Santa Clarita to Mountain High — 97 miles (ends at Mountain High Ski Resort)
Stage 7: Saturday, May 17 – Santa Clarita to Pasadena — 91 miles (includes Angeles Crest Highway on way to finishing circuits in Pasadena)
Stage 8: Sunday, May 18 – Thousand Oaks — 84 miles (four 21-mile circuits that include Rock Store climb on Mulholland Drive)
All the route maps, start times and other stage info can be found at the Amgen Tour of California Stages webpage.
[Meanwhile,the Giro d’Italia rolls out Friday, May 9 through Sunday, June 1. The first three days of this year’s race take place in Ireland.]
Teams
Last year’s yellow jersey winner was American Tejay van Garderen, a member of BMC Racing; sprint points when to Peter Sagan (see video above) of Cannondale. Fans are likely to see both those cyclists competing in 2014 as their teams have been invited back to the race.
Here’s the list of pro cycling teams that will be participating:
UCI ProTeams:
- Belkin-Pro Cycling Team, Netherlands
- BMC Racing Team, USA
- Cannondale Pro Cycling, Italy
- Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Cycling Team, Belgium
- ORICA-GreenEDGE, Australia
- Team Giant-Shimano, Netherlands
- Team Garmin-Sharp, USA
- Team Sky, Great Britain
- Trek Factory Racing, USA
UCI Professional Continental Teams:
- UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team, USA
- Team Novo Nordisk, USA
- Team NetApp-Endura, Germany
UCI Continental Teams:
- Optum Pro Cycling presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies, USA
- Team Jamis-Hagens Berman presented by Sutter Home, USA
- Jelly Belly Cycling Team presented by MAXXIS, USA
- Bissell Development Team, USA
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