Tag: Tour of California

Not quite the start that organisers of the 2011 Amgen Tour of California had hoped for as dramatic weather conditions forced the cancellation of Stage 1 – the 191km Lake Tahoe loop (Sunday May 15). Initially a three-hour delay to Stage 1 had been announced (along with a proposed shorted route) but as temperatures plummeted and freezing winds continued to rise there was growing concern amongst teams and riders that safety could be seriously compromised; leading, eventually, to the official cancellation.

 
Race officials have announced that they will continue to monitor developments overnight and will work on contingency plans for the event’s subsequent stages, including announcements on possible delays to Stage 2, due to start later today in Squaw Valley. However it is understood that at the time of writing storm conditions have already forced the closure of the Donner Pass on Highway 80, the only practical exit route out of the High Sierra Mountains. The Pass, with an elevation in excess of 2000m, gained its name from the Donner Party of East-West emigrants who, in 1844, found their way similarly snow-bound and resorted to cannibalism to survive. Cyclo wants to make it clear that, as much as we love cycling, we don’t condone any such course of action…

With so much drama (not to mention of course tragedy) unfolding at the Giro it would be easy to forget this month’s other great cycling event The Tour of California which starts tomorrow (Sunday May 15). Sponsored by Amgen – a biotech company with focus on cancer treatments – the race has grown from it’s beginnings in the mid-2000s to become the biggest pro cycling event in the USA which has largely been without a major competition since the Coors Classic ceased to be in 1988. Last year the Tour was shifted from it’s early-year February slot up to its new May dates, but despite now clashing with the Giro d’Italia it still attracts an impressive roster of teams and riders.

This year’s 8-stage event will see riders competing in the best the Western State has to offer. Challenges including Stage 1’s 191km loop around Lake Tahoe, Livermore to San Jose with a 1900ft climb over Mount Hamilton and a punishing 9.4% gradient finish (Stage 4), and the final day’s Santa Clarita to Thousand Oaks trek with a 129.1km profile almost entirely devoid of anything approaching flat.

The Tour of California runs May 15-22. For further information, live updates and daily results see: www.amgentourofcalifornia.com