Amgen announces 2016 Tour of California hosts; Nevada City, Grass Valley not

Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton was so stoked to hear that the 2016 Amgen Tour of California will start in his hometown that he rode his custom bike – with a Grateful Dead paint job – from his home near Balboa Park to the news conference on the waterfront.

Stage four will take place between two first-time hosts, Morro Bay and Monterrey County, before the GC riders tackle a long day of climbing on stage five between Lodi and South Lake Tahoe which will feature the highest elevation ever included in the Tour of California, a whopping 8,600 feet above sea level.

Stage 2 will begin in first-time Host City South Pasadena, with much of the race contested in the Angeles National Forest, ending with the stage conclusion in veteran Host City Santa Clarita.

Organizers have announced the route for the 2016 Tour of California, including the race’s first-ever start in San Diego and first-ever finish in Sacramento.

The Stage two finish for the 2016 Amgen Tour of California, presented by AEG, on Monday, will be held on May 16, 2016. The race span almost 800 miles between 12 host cities through California’s breathtaking roads and sceneries, May 15-22. Stage Three will begin on May 17th as the cyclists will run the a mountain top course from a Thousand Oaks to Santa Barbara that surely will separate the men from the boys.

All four stages of the women’s tour will coincide with the final four stages of the men’s tour.

Stage 6: Folsom – An individual time trial for the men, and a team time trial for the women. Lodi and South Lake Tahoe were also named as host cities.

Bradley Wiggins, who won the race for Team Sky in 2014, will return to the event. The women will compete in a team time trial on the same course.

Stage 7: Santa Rosa – Includes a portion of the popular Levi’s GranFondo, with the men and women competing on different courses. “The race also helps us connect cancer survivors to important resources through Breakaway from Cancer(r), as well as engage local communities in activities that support healthy lifestyles and highlight the importance of cardiovascular disease management”. For more information about the Amgen Tour of California, including sponsorship and VIP experience opportunities, please visit amgentourofcalifornia.com. In 2013, the tour wrapped up in Thousand Oaks.

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