Mark your calendars: The 2010 edition of the Amgen Tour of California is scheduled for May 16-23.
This change could be a good or a bad thing. The race previously has been scheduled in February for its first four years.
Good: May is a much more weather-friendly month in California than February. In fact, a couple of stages in the past two years have been downright miserable.
Bad: The dates put it smack dab in the middle of next year's Giro d'Italia, which has been the cycling world's focus in May for decades.
Good: A later date for TOC means the race route could take in the highest snow-cleared passes of the Sierra Nevada.
Bad: I'll miss the Tour of California as the exciting season kick-off for many of the major teams.
Good: Pro cyclists who skip the Giro can use the Tour of California as preparation for the Tour de France.
Bad: If Levi Leipheimer wins the Giro d'Italia in 2009, he'll have to choose between defending the Tour of California or Giro d'Italia title in 2010.
You might remember that Lance Armstrong left a Twitter message during this past year's race that the California bike race should be moved to April.
Many others agreed that February could be just too blustery in California. Andrew Messick, president of Tour of California owner AEG, said moving the bike race to May makes it a warm-up for the Tour de France. He told Cyclingnews:
“We will be head-to-head with the Giro, but frankly I don’t think that will really affect us. The Giro is a great race, but very few cyclists who are serious about the Tour de France will also race the Giro.”
I supposed he hasn't checked the roster for this year's Giro.
He also claimed there was a lack of interest in another February Tour of California, so much so that it might have been canceled.
Although Leipheimer can't commit to the Tour of California or Giro in 2010, he did tell VeloNews that bigger mountain climbs could be expected as well as bigger crowds.
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