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Sacramento will be one of the featured stops on the
2007 Amgen Tour of California, the top cycling road
race held in the United States, event organizers announced
Thursday.
The 2007 Amgen Tour of California will be staged Feb.
18-25, 2007 across more than 650 miles of scenic state
highways, roadways and coastline, according to AEG,
a sports and entertainment company based out of Los
Angeles. The race will feature many of the world’s
best cyclists and teams.
Floyd Landis, a top contender in this month’s
Tour de France, won last year’s inaugural Amgen
Tour of California. The event was seen live by 1.3 million
spectators and generated an estimated $100 million in
economic growth for the state.
The 2007 Tour of California begins with a traditional
prologue through the streets of San Francisco on Sunday,
Feb. 18. The first stage on Feb. 19 takes the elite
cyclists from Sausalito to Santa Rosa. The second stage
on Feb. 20 begins in Santa Rosa and finishes in front
of the state Capitol in Sacramento.
"The city of Sacramento is excited to be one of
the stops on the AMGEN
Tour of California,” said Sacramento Mayor Heather
Fargo. “Sacramento has a strong bicycling community
as well as a history of organizing and supporting world-class
sporting events. Tour riders and bicycle race fans will
be impressed by the welcome and
attention they will receive in Sacramento."
Between the opening Prologue in San Francisco and the
finale in Long Beach, the 2007 race will visit 12 host
cities for official stage starts and finishes, while
the many communities along the route will have the opportunity
to witness the excitement of elite bicycle racing. Host
cities for the eight daily stages include: San Francisco,
Sausalito, Santa Rosa, Sacramento, Stockton, San Jose,
Seaside, San Luis Obispo, Solvang, Santa Barbara, Santa
Clarita and Long Beach.
• Prologue: Sunday, Feb. 18 - San Francisco
• Stage 1: Monday, Feb. 19 - Sausalito to Santa
Rosa
• Stage 2: Tuesday, Feb. 20 - Santa Rosa to Sacramento
• Stage 3: Wednesday, Feb. 21 - Stockton to San
Jose
• Stage 4: Thursday, Feb. 22 - Seaside to San
Luis Obispo
• Stage 5: Friday, Feb. 23 - Solvang time trial
• Stage 6: Saturday, Feb. 24 - Santa Barbara to
Santa Clarita
• Stage 7: Sunday, Feb. 25 - Long Beach circuit
race
Event organizers are finalizing the routes of each
stage, but the second stage will feature a thrilling
finish down Capitol Mall. The specific routes will be
announced this fall.
Sanctioned by the UCI (Union Cycliste International)
and USA Cycling, the Amgen Tour of California will attract
the attention of the world cycling world as well as
first-time spectators, making it one of the most anticipated
events on the international cycling calendar.
This marks the first time since the now-defunct Coors
Classic pedaled through the streets of Sacramento in
1988 that Sacramentans have had the opportunity to watch
world-class cycling in the capital city.
The Sacramento Region Sports Education Foundation,
the 501-c-3 non-profit of the Sacramento Sport Commission,
reached an agreement with AEG to host this finish stage
last week.
The agreement calls for SRSEF to conduct the event
staging in cooperation with Medalist Sports and AEG,
a wholly owned subsidiary of The Anschutz Company. SRSEF
secured the support of the City and County of Sacramento
to assist in much of the logistics ranging from street
closure, police services, and permitting among the myriad
of requirements to stage such an event.
“We recognized the need to work hand in hand
with the City and the County at the outset to properly
conduct this exciting international level competition,”
said John Nunan, chairman of the Sacramento Sports Commission.
“They have been at the core of each of our successful
events, and this partnership might be the one where
their tremendous resources are most needed.”
“This event will be an enjoyable undertaking,”
Nunan said. “The components AEG requires are in
place with the SRSEF staff with respect to marketing,
event management, volunteer recruitment, hotels, and
the many other requirements and staffing needs required
to host this event.”
Amgen is a leading human therapeutics company in the
bio-technology industry. The Fortune 500 company will
leverage the race to raise awareness and support for
people affected by cancer through the Breakaway from
Cancer education and fundraising initiative.
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