News of the Arroyo


Title:

Cycling event to end next week at Rose Bowl

Subtitle:

Cycling south

Date:

2008-02-17

Summary:

February 17, 2008 - The Amgen Tour of California will end with a 30 mph race about the Rose Bowl.

Author:

Keith Lair, Staff Writer

Publication:

Pasadena Star-News

Content:

\"Amgen\"
KICKER: Levi Leipheimer, yellow jersey, of Discovery goes through a
turn during the second lap of stage 7 at the Amgen Tour of California
in Long Beach on February 25, 2007. The tour will end in Pasadena
this year. (Staff file photo)

* Web link: AMGEN\'S 2008 TOUR OF CALIFORNIA

There will be no leisurely bicycle rides around Brookside Park in
Pasadena Feb. 24.

Instead, some of the world\'s best pro cyclists will be circling, at
up to 30 mph, next to Pasadena\'s most famous landmark, the Rose Bowl,
in a final shootout to determine the Amgen Tour of California
champion.

It will be the culmination of eight days of racing in which 136
riders from 17 international teams, most who make regular appearances
in the world\'s top cycling events, including the Tour de France, will
complete a 666.5-mile course that starts in Palo Alto today.
\"It\'s the largest race in the U.S., so I\'m excited to be a part of
it,\" said Mike Lange of Golden, Colo., who will be making his debut
with the Jelly Belly Cycling Team. \"It\'s important because a lot of
cycling fans can watch us and it\'s even more important because we
receive attention from the general public.\"

The third annual race will feature prologues, individual time trials
and numerous mountain climbs. It will go through urban areas, along
scenic ocean vistas, vineyards, forests and farmland, including rides
along Highway 1, Lake Casitas, the Angeles National Forest and down
Angeles Crest Highway.

In the Angeles National Forest, the riders will reach the Millcreek
Summit, at 4,906 feet, the highest elevation the riders have reached in event history.

Organizers claim more than 1.6 million Californians lined streets and
highways last year, making it the most-watched event in the state and
the most-watched cycling event in the U.S.

\"The challenging geographical features and picturesque landscape of
California provide the perfect combination of elements for a
world-class cycling event,\" said Kristin Bachochin, senior director
of AEG Sports, which organizes the race.

\"The success of the Amgen Tour of California over the past two years
has created a very positive reputation among the professional cycling
community, which has helped to ensure the high level of competition
that people have come to expect from our race. This year, we designed
an even more challenging course and secured an incredible lineup of
teams that promise to keep the level of excitement high for the fans
and riders alike.\"

AEG spokesman Michael Roth said the event organizer knew it had a hit
on its hands on Day 1 in Year 1.

\"With so many people there in San Francisco,\" he said, \"we knew we
hit on something big here.\"

The race is set up just like the Tour de France. In addition to the
overall winner, there will be King of the Mountain and sprint races
and champions. The leader, and winner, will wear a yellow jersey. The
sprint leader will be in a green jersey and the King of the Mountain
winner will be in an orange-and-gold jersey. The most aggressive
rider will be wearing red and the best young rider will be in blue.
Each eight-member team will form strategies during the race with the
help of a team manager, who will be in a chase car following the
pack, called the peloton.

Like the Tour de France, there will be familiar team names from the
cycling world. There\'s Denmark\'s CSC, Belgium\'s Quick Step and
Luxembourg\'s Astana, all which consistently feature the top Tour de
France teams.

There are also two German, two French, a Spanish, Dutch and eight
American-based teams.

Lange spent last week training with his Jelly Belly team in San Marcos.
\"This is the beginning of the season for everyone,\" the 24-year-old
said. \"We\'re getting to know each other. Right now, we\'re trying to
get the bike to fit, get our equipment right, just getting everything
right and learning about each other.\"

Levi Leipheimer of Astana, and a Santa Rosa native, will be back to
defend his title. Last year, he won the prologue and individual time
trial. CSC has won both Amgen Tour team titles.

There are three Tour de France stage winners, a Tour sprint winner,
seven world champions and four Olympic champions entered, including
top Americans and Tour de France regulars Bobby Julich and George
Hincapie.

Belgium\'s Tom Boonen of Quick Step won last year\'s Tour sprint title
and two stages. Switzerland\'s Fabian Cancellara of CSC won two Tour
stages last year. Leipheimer also won a stage. Italy\'s Paolo Bettini
of Quick Step has won an Olympic medal and a world title.
There are 14 California natives in the race, including Whittier
native Antonio Cruz, who will race for BMC.

Today\'s prologue, through Stanford and Palo Alto, will be the
shortest of the eight days. It will be a 2.1-mile individual time
trial in which riders will leave at staggered times and will take
each less than five minutes to complete. There will be a 96.8-mile
stage from Sausalito to Santa Rosa and then a 115.8-mile stage from
Santa Rosa to Sacramento. There will be a first-time women\'s
criterium in Santa Rosa after the second stage.

Wednesday\'s third stage will be a new 102.7-mile route, between
Modesto and San Jose, and will include a 26-mile twisty course up the
back side of 4,360-foot Mount Hamilton. The fifth stage will be the
longest, at 135.3 miles, along Highway 1 from Seaside to San Luis
Obispo, passing Hearst Castle. It will feature three King of the
Mountain competitions.

Stage 5 will be a 15-mile individual time trial in Solvang.
The mountainous portion of the race takes shape on the final two
days. Stage 6, Saturday, will be 105.4 miles from Santa Barbara to
Solvang. There will be four King of the Mountain and three sprint
competitions in the stage. The route will venture into the foothills
just above Santa Barbara to hill climbs around Lake Casitas and Ojai,
including a steep ride up Balcom Canyon. It will finish with a
three-lap sprint around Santa Clarita\'s Town Center.

The final stage will be 93.4 miles, starting in Santa Clarita at
noon. The first 25 miles will be to Angeles Forest Road. The route
will hit Millcreek Summit and then descend into La Ca ada Flintridge
along Angeles Crest Highway. It will then go along Commonwealth and
Berkshire streets before finally descending into the Arroyo Seco off
Linda Vista.

There, the riders will take five six-mile counterclockwise laps
around the Rose Bowl and portions of Brookside Golf Course, finishing
on West Drive, just in front of the famed Rose Bowl main entrance.
The riders should hit the Arroyo at about 3 p.m. with an expected 4
p.m. final trophy presentation.

\"We want to expand the race,\" Roth said. \"We haven\'t done it in days,
but we have in cities.

\"It\'s terrific that Pasadena offers an icon like the Rose Bowl. It
makes for a tremendous finish. Plus, it\'s the first time that we can
go point-to-point on the final race. We\'re excited about that because
we have the ability to have numerous lead changes on the final day.\"
Lange said he had not studied the stage, so is unsure of what to expect.
\"I know it will definitely be tough,\" he said. \"We will have a lot of
changes by the time we get to Pasadena.\"

keith.lair@sgvn.com
(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2272

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_8283348

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