2009 Amgen Tour of California

[Bob Dunbar]

Traveling almost the entire length of California, the race will begin in the state’s capital, Sacramento, and end in San Diego County (a new addition to the race) with a finish in Escondido on February 22.

The largest cycling event in America, the 2009 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, recently expanded, 800-mile course from Sacramento to Escondido from February 14-22, 2009.

http://www.sandiegonorth.com/amgen/
http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/docroot/media/2009/2009-stage8-map.pdf
http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/news/press/cities-announced-2009.html
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2009/01/18/news/inland/escondido/z3d1faeb4dc8dc6428825753d00635a16.txt

[Bob Dunbar]

After a three-year hiatus Lance Armstrong’s highly anticipated return to competitive professional cycling comes to Escondido. The Amgen Tour of California will be his first U.S. race of the season.

Sunday February 22, 2009 will conclude the final Stage 8 with the tour passing Hidden Trails Road twice. There is a chance to see an overall lead change, as well as a change in the KOM jersey leader. With four climbs, including the highest point ever reached in the Tour, and two sprints, Stage 8 has been characterized as the most difficult final stage in the tour’s history. The cyclists will have to fight through the very end of the race, due to the addition of Palomar Mountain (5,123 ft.). Organizers expect a hard sprint to the finish; as with all the Grand Tours of Europe, winning the final stage of the 2009 Amgen Tour of California is a prize coveted by the riders.

Start Time: noon Total Distance: 96.8 mi. Finish ETA: 3:34-4:33 on Grand Ave.

1st pass of Hidden Trails Rd at about: 12:45
2nd pass of Hidden Trails Rd at about: 3:30