SACRAMENTO ANNOUNCED AS ONE OF HOST CITIES
FOR 2010 AMGEN TOUR OF CALIFORNIA VIA TWITTER
Armstrong, Defending Champion Leipheimer to Compete
in Eight-Day Stage Race
LOS ANGELES (October 22, 2009) – With Sacramento
again playing a prominent role, the host cities for
the record-setting 2010 Amgen Tour of California professional
cycling road race were announced this morning via a
Twitter exchange that took place shortly before 9 a.m.
PT between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and some of America’s
most accomplished cyclists, including Lance Armstrong,
Levi Leipheimer, Dave Zabriskie and George Hincapie.
This marked the first time an event of this stature
has ever been announced via Twitter.
Along with the overall announcement of the race, the
cyclists also revealed their intentions to participate
in the fifth annual event, considered to be America’s
most important and prestigious cycling race.
Armstrong’s announcement of his intent to compete
in the fifth-annual race is a coup for race organizers.
The seven-time Tour de France winner will start the
2010 season on his newly formed Team RadioShack.
The 2010 Amgen Tour of California will travel to 16
host cities throughout the state over the course of
eight days from May 16-23. The first stage begins in
Nevada City and concludes in downtown Sacramento on
Sunday, May 16. Sacramento will also hold the event’s
traditional pre-race official team presentation and
gala dinner on Friday, May 14.
The 2010 race marks the fourth straight year that Sacramento
has been one of the host cities for the Amgen Tour of
California.
"Sacramento is delighted to once again be playing
a major role in the Amgen Tour of California cycling
race," said Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson. "Hosting
the pre-race dinner and the finish of the 2010 Amgen
Tour's first stage are tremendous honors.”
After four years of being positioned in February, the
date change will allow the Tour de France-style road
race to visit locations that wouldn’t have been
possible in February, including the very first mountaintop
finish in race history.
“By moving the Amgen Tour of California to May,
AEG and Amgen officials are playing to our strength,
weather-wise. It’s going to be wonderful,”
said Susan Peters, Chair of the Sacramento County Board
of Supervisors. “I’m also thrilled this
road stage from Nevada City to Sacramento will be seen
in areas beyond just downtown.”
While route specifics won’t be released for several
weeks, the Amgen Tour of California will cover more
than 750 miles of beautiful California terrain, beginning
with the first-ever visit to Nevada City, which will
also be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Nevada
City Classic, in which many notable riders got their
start. The first stage will finish in Sacramento.
“To have the first road stage in the Amgen Tour
of California finish in Sacramento speaks volumes about
the tremendous support Sacramento has given this event
the past three years,” said John McCasey, executive
director of the Sacramento Sports Commission. “To
have cyclists such as Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer
announce their intentions to compete makes today’s
announcement even sweeter.”
The eight-day race will travel through some of the state’s
most scenic landmarks, with the overall finish taking
place in title-sponsor Amgen’s hometown community
of Thousand Oaks.
The 16 official stage start and finish locations that
have been selected for the 2010 race include four new
cities – Nevada City, Bakersfield, Big Bear Lake
and Los Angeles – that will join Sacramento, Davis,
Santa Rosa, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, San Jose, Modesto,
Visalia, Pasadena and Thousand Oaks/Westlake Village/Agoura
Hills as host cities along the route.
“For the 2010 Amgen Tour of California we had
the unique opportunity to move our race to a part of
the year when we are almost guaranteed great weather
in California,” said Andrew Messick, president
of AEG Sports. “This timing will help us to better
showcase the beautiful features the state of California
has to offer, while allowing us to travel to parts of
the state that just weren’t feasible in previous
years.”
Highlights of the route brought on by the date change
and new host cities include the race’s first venture
into the Sierras and the Sequoia National Forest, creating
a new backdrop for America’s largest cycling event.
Another exciting addition to the 2010 race, the first-ever
mountaintop finish in Big Bear Lake, will give fans
the opportunity to see each and every cyclist in a grueling
battle to the Stage 6 finish line.
For the first time in the race’s storied five-year
history the route will travel through the city of Los
Angeles. Stage 7, the individual time trial, a significant
stage in the race, will take place in the heart of downtown
Los Angeles. The stage will both begin and end at L.A.
LIVE, the new sports and entertainment district that
is home to STAPLES Center, Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE and
much more.
Beginning with the inaugural year in 2006, the Amgen
Tour of California quickly became the most successful
race in the United States with regards to economic benefits
to the state, global recognition and the level of competition.
The race also continues to set records in attendance
for a single sporting event in the state of California,
as well as any cycling event ever held on U.S. soil,
with an estimated 2 million spectators in 2009.
“Choosing the host cities for the Amgen Tour of
California gets more and more difficult every year,
as interest in the race continues to grow throughout
the state,” continued Messick. “We are fortunate
to have visited some of the best cities in the state
during the last four years and the list keeps growing
with the addition of four brand new cities in 2010.”
With the timing of the 2010 Amgen Tour of California
moved to later in the year, giving the cyclists even
more time to train, the competition will be even tougher.
In previous years, the race has drawn some of the world's
most renowned and respected riders, such as top Tour
de France competitors, World Champions and Olympic medalists
that include Lance Armstrong, Tom Boonen, Oscar Freire,
Paolo Bettini, Fabian Cancellara, Carlos Sastre, George
Hincapie, Mark Cavendish and Andy Schleck.
After the 2009 Amgen Tour of California, three-time
defending champion and Santa Rosa resident Levi Leipheimer
went on to compete in the Tour de France, but unfortunately
suffered a crash during Stage 12 that took him out of
the race. After a few weeks of recovery time, Leipheimer,
who recently announced that he will race during the
2010 season for Lance Armstrong’s newly formed
Team RadioShack, returned to take sixth place in the
Tour of Missouri.
Leipheimer will attend today’s 4:30 p.m. press
conference at the Firehouse in Old Sacramento.
“To win the Amgen Tour of California once, that
was huge. To win it twice, that was almost a little
bit of a surprise and almost felt like luck. But now,
to have won the Amgen Tour of California three times,
it’s the sweetest victory of all. It’s hard
to describe,” said Levi Leipheimer after winning
the 2009 race.
Returning as the title sponsor for the fifth consecutive
year, Amgen will continue to leverage the race to raise
awareness and support for people affected by cancer
through the Breakaway from Cancer® initiative. A
leading global biotechnology company with headquarters
in Thousand Oaks, Calif., one of the 2010 race host
cities, Amgen's invaluable support has helped to ensure
the continued success of the race and impact beyond
the sporting arena.
“Sponsorship of the Amgen Tour of California has
given Amgen the opportunity to educate people about
the great advances in medicine made possible through
biotechnology, and to strengthen our relationships with
local communities, cancer support organizations and
cancer survivors through our Breakaway from Cancer initiative,”
said Stuart Arbuckle, vice president, Amgen Oncology.
“We look forward to collaborating with this year’s
host cities to promote the Breakaway from Cancer initiative
in their communities.”
One of the only American races listed on the international
professional cycling calendar
(2. HC ranking), the Amgen Tour of California has drawn
the attention of both cycling enthusiasts and first-time
spectators, solidifying its position as one of the most
anticipated cycling events of the year.
Stages for the 2010 Amgen Tour of California include:
• Stage 1: Sunday, May 16 – Nevada City
to Sacramento
• Stage 2: Monday, May 17 – Davis to Santa
Rosa
• Stage 3: Tuesday, May 18 – San Francisco
to Santa Cruz
• Stage 4: Wednesday, May 19 – San Jose
to Modesto
• Stage 5: Thursday, May 20 – Visalia to
Bakersfield
• Stage 6: Friday, May 21 – Pasadena to
Big Bear Lake
• Stage 7: Saturday, May 22 – Los Angeles
(individual time trial)
• Stage 8: Sunday, May 23 – Thousand Oaks/Westlake
Village/Agoura Hills
For further information on the 2010 Amgen Tour of California,
visit www.amgentourofcalifornia.com.
About the Amgen Tour of California
The largest cycling event in America, the 2010 Amgen
Tour of California is a Tour de France-style cycling
road race, presented by AEG, that challenges the world’s
top professional cycling teams to compete along a demanding
course from May 16-23.
About Amgen
Amgen discovers, develops, manufactures and delivers
innovative human therapeutics. A biotechnology pioneer
since 1980, Amgen was one of the first companies to
realize the new science's promise by bringing safe and
effective medicines from lab, to manufacturing plant,
to patient. Amgen therapeutics have changed the practice
of medicine, helping millions of people around the world
in the fight against cancer, kidney disease, rheumatoid
arthritis, and other serious illnesses. With a broad
and deep pipeline of potential new medicines, Amgen
remains committed to advancing science to dramatically
improve people's lives. To learn more about Amgen's
pioneering science and vital medicines, visit www.amgen.com.
To learn more about Amgen’s Breakaway from Cancer
initiative, visit www.breakawayfromcancer.com.
About Breakaway from Cancer®
Founded in 2005, Breakaway from Cancer™ is a complementary
component to the Amgen race sponsorship. Breakaway from
Cancer strives to raise awareness of the important resources
available to cancer patients from prevention to education,
and patient care to advocacy and financial support.
The initiative includes charitable partners the National
Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, Patient Advocate
Foundation, Prevent Cancer Foundation and The Wellness
Community, and it also has joined forces with the Lance
Armstrong Foundation and Stand Up To Cancer. Learn more
at www.breakawayfromcancer.com.
About AEG
AEG is one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters
in the world. AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of The
Anschutz Company, owns or controls a collection of
companies including facilities such as STAPLES Center,
The Home Depot Center, Sprint Center, The O2, NOKIA
Theatre L.A. LIVE and NOKIA Theatre Times Square; sports
franchises including the Los Angeles Kings (NHL), two
Major League Soccer franchises, two hockey franchises
operated in Europe, management of privately held shares
of the Los Angeles Lakers, the ING Bay to Breakers foot
race and the Amgen Tour of California cycling road race;
AEG LIVE, the organization’s live-entertainment
division, is a collection of companies dedicated to
all aspects of live contemporary music performance,
touring and a variety of programming and multi-media
production. For more information, visit AEG today at
www.aegworldwide.com.
Media Contacts:
AEG
Michael Roth; (213) 742-7155; mroth@aeg-la.com
