LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. November 2, 2016 – Amgen Tour of California, presented by AEG, the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company, announced today that professional cycling will return to Lake Tahoe, May 11-12, 2017. The Amgen Breakaway from Heart Disease Women’s Race Empowered with SRAM will include the overall start and Stage 2 on consecutive days. The women’s competition will conclude with a third stage in Elk Grove, May 13 and the final in Sacramento, May 14.
The women will start with one of the most beautiful race routes in the USA, circumnavigating the 72-mile shoreline of Lake Tahoe with the final climb that will lead riders to the finish at Heavenly Mountain Resort. A new Stage 2 route will be announced early 2017 where riders will face summits in excess of 7,300-feet leading to what promises to be a climatic finish. The upcoming race marks the tenth consecutive year that a women’s competition is a major component of the Amgen Tour of California.
“After the 2016 summer Olympic Games women’s cycling reached a new level and watching these elite athletes here in our backyard lends a new level of appreciation,” said Carol Chaplin, president and CEO of the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority. “Tahoe South and our partners look forward to celebrating Tahoe as a cycling mecca for top competitors as well as recreational enthusiasts.”
“The Amgen Tour of California has long been the most esteemed cycling race in America. Its designation as a UCI WorldTour event will continue to expand its international exposure and attract the best teams and cyclists yet, giving fans even more to cheer about from the streets of California next spring,” said Kristin Klein, president of the Amgen Tour of California and executive vice president of AEG Sports.
The Amgen Tour of California men’s 600-mile competition is set to begin in Sacramento, May 14, 2017, and will conclude in Pasadena, May 20. The 2017 race will mark the first year the men’s race has been elevated to Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) WorldTour status, making it the only stage race in North America to receive this prestigious classification.
Returning to California in 2017 is the 2016 Amgen Breakaway From Heart Disease Women’s Race Empowered with SRAM defending Champion and current UCI Womens World Tour Champion Megan Guarnier racing for the Boels–Dolmans team.
“The Amgen Tour of California has been a superb addition to the Women’s World Tour calendar,” said Guarnier. “As an American, I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to race at the highest level on American soil. The Amgen Breakaway From Heart Disease Women’s Race Empowered with SRAM allows create the most professional platform to showcase women’s racing alongside the long-running men’s race, and the organization ensures that there is media coverage surrounding the event further elevating the exposure of our event for our current, and I dare say our future, fan base.
Amgen Breakaway from Heart Disease Women’s Race Empowered with SRAM
Thursday, May 11 Stage 1 South Lake Tahoe
Friday, May 12 Stage 2 South Lake Tahoe
Saturday, May 13 Stage 3 Elk Grove to Sacramento
Sunday, May 14 Stage 4 Sacramento
Amgen Tour of California (Men’s Race)
Sunday, May 14 Stage 1 Sacramento
Monday, May 15 Stage 2 Modesto to San Jose
Tuesday, May 16 Stage 3 Pismo Beach to Morro Bay
Wednesday, May 17 Stage 4 Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita
Thursday, May 18 Stage 5 Ontario to Mt. Baldy (Summit Finish)
Friday, May 19 Stage 6 Big Bear Lake (Individual Time Trial)
Saturday, May 20 Stage 7 Mountain High to Pasadena
Tahoe South has been recognized for scenic splendor and reputation as a leader in outdoor recreation, entertainment and dining by national media outlets including Good Morning America, Travelocity, Orbitz, USA Today, ESPN The Magazine.
South Lake Tahoe is renowned for several summer biking events, trails and a new BMX bike park that opened summer 2015. The annual America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride circumnavigates the lake, Sunday, June 4, 2017. The annual Tour de Tahoe Bike Big Blue Race, mid-Sept. 2017, offers another chance to circle Tahoe’s 72-mile shoreline also described as “America’s Most Beautiful Drive.”
Title sponsor Amgen has been a partner since the Amgen Tour of California began as a platform for Breakaway from Cancer®, its national initiative to increase awareness of important resources available to people affected by cancer – from prevention through survivorship. Last year, Amgen expanded its race role as it launched Breakaway from Heart Disease™, aimed at encouraging Americans to take charge of their heart health by understanding their family’s history of heart disease and getting active through cycling. To learn more, visit breakawayfromcancer.com and breakawayfromheartdisease.com.
To experience the race as a VIP from an all-inclusive hospitality tent or through exclusive once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, visit the Amgen Tour of California website at amgentourofcalifornia.com/vipaccess or call (213) 742-7145.