Amgen Tour of California Stage 6 Pasadena to Big Bear

Looks like it is going to be re-routed

Storm damage prompts change to California stage

by VeloNews.com

• April 07, 2010
• View commentsComments

Organizers of the Amgen Tour of California announced Wednesday that recent storm damage to roads in Southern California have forced a change in the route to be used in the sixth stage of next month’s race.
AEG Sports president Andrew Messick said the California Department of Transportation’s recent assessment of damage to Route 2 – known as the Angeles Crest Highway – near La Cañada Flintridge prompted the change.
“This change is being made at the direct request of CalTrans, which has notified us that due to the potential safety hazards, the road will be unable to accommodate our race,” Messick said. “Stage 6, scheduled for May 21, 2010, will no longer start in Pasadena and we are working to secure a new stage start, which we are hopeful of announcing in the coming days.
Messick said the stage will still finish in Big Bear Lake as planned and will still be routed through the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains.
“As long-term partners with Pasadena, we appreciate how graciously they have handled this difficult situation,” Messick said. “We look forward to returning to Pasadena soon.”

Read more: http://velonews.competitor.com/2010...ange-to-california-stage_110794#ixzz0kYKt9A3k
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I heard from what I consider to be a very reliable source that the stage will now start in Palmdale. It seems like that takes out an awful lot of the climbing.

Matt

 

The possible new start location is very unfortunate for Pasadena. A lot of work goes into planning an event like this. I sent Amgen an email suggesting they start in Pasadena and head east to Azusa Canyon to the 2. To me this preserves the distance and difficulty. It also requires very little change. The big difficult I see is that you now have to coordinate with about 4 new cities.

 

While the possible re-route may take out a lot of the big climbing, lets not forget that last half of the route is not exactly flat, and at altitude. Lots of smaller, punchy elevation changes that should make for good attacks.

Hate the idea of a Palmdale start...too bad they just couldn't go east through the suburbs, take in a GRR-GMR bump to warm everybody's legs up, then make a left up Lytle Creek Rd. and rejoin the route.

But I'm sure the cities along the route would cry about the co$t...forgetting the po$itive worldwide expoS$re it give$ them.

 

Yay Palmdale

I love the idea of a Palmdale start - my backyard!
They could start Palmdale or Acton go over Angeles Forest to the Crest and that's a sh1tload of climbing! Done that ride manytimes as a loop coming back to Palmdale via Wrightwood and it's about 10K gain.

 

I heard the riders were complaining the stage was just to hard, some radio shack guys sayin they weren't commin to cali for a beatdown, just some prep miles and mild weather.

 

I thought Angels Crest / 2 was closed all the way from la Canada to Wrightwood? Basically anything West of the 15 being off limits?

 

That I am not sure of. Additionally what may be closed to the public may not be closed to Amgen. For instance, Highway 39 is closed to just past East Fork Rd, however the road is in excellent condition up to about a mile past Crystal Lake and in decent condition from there to Highway 2. With some minimal road work the decent portion could be repaired. Highway 2 from the 39 intersection was just repaired and opened before the fire. Just because it's closed to the public doesn't mean it's not rideable. From what I understand Highway 2 from La Canada to at least the Clear Creek Junction is closed due to extensive road damage. The other section may be closed simply because they don't want to open it to the public (like the upper portion of Highway 39).

 

Angeles Crest is open going northeast from Redbox to SR-39.

I rode out to Cloudburst Summit from Sunland last Friday. Went up Big Tujunga, Angeles Forest Hwy, Upper Big Tujunga then SR-2 to Cloudburst. It’s an epic ride through a disaster zone. The size of the burn area is staggering. From Sunland, it’s almost completely burned all the way to Three Points. San Gabriel mountain biking won’t be the same in our lifetimes, it’s crazy.

Starting the ToC out of Palmdale seems most likely given that the event is familiar with Palmdale and Angeles Forest Hwy is open along with Upper Big Tujunga. The other option of going up Big Tujunga from Sunland would be bad because the approach roads are Chaos and are very badly maintained. Either way, this years landscapes in the Gabes will be quite different from last year.

 

Los Angeles County Press Release on Angeles Roads:

 

They could start in the Tujunga/Hansen Dam area and do Big Tujunga Cyn to the AFH to Upper Big Tujunga Cyn to the ACH.

Bypasses all of the construction areas and keeps the climbs. In fact it would make the La Canada to AFH intersection climb look punk by comparison.

Although, if the municipalities of the SGV were smart, they would campaign with everything they have to get the route going from Pasadena to Azusa Cyn and up to the ACH.

 

I found this link with more photos of the storm damage to the 2.
http://mayorsampressrelease.blogspot.com/2010/02/angeles-crest-highway-sr-2-remains.html

 

Does anyone plan on going to watch this stage? If so, anyone want to carpool up there? I was thinking about getting up there early and doing a ride, then riding up one of the climbs to watch.

After looking at those pictures, I wouldn't be surprised if that road isn't closed for several months.

 

New Route confirmed

New route confirmed, as hinted here too, will start in Palmdale and go down Angels Forest to Upper Big Tujunga and then onto the ACH. 12,000 feet of climbing! 12,000 feet of climbing!!!!!

Here is a link to a cyclingnews.com article about it:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/palmdale-to-host-amgen-tour-of-california-stage-start

 

Im glad to see they kept it the monster stage they hype'd it up to be!

 

Cool! It will take about 4 minutes to ride from my house to the start. If I remember correctly from Palmdale to Wrightwood via the race route is about 70 miles and 8K climbing or so.

Probably can ride the 32 miles and 4.5K climbing from the start up to Wrightwood at a moderate pace via Big Pine Hwy (Tejon Rd to Vayermo Rd to Big Pine) and get there before the race leaders do. Last 14 miles of Big Pine Hwy has all the climbing including 8-12% for the first 3 miles after Big Rock Creek and 11% for the last mile before Mountain High ski area.

Anybody want to do this with me?

 

I'm planning/hoping to follow the whole race this year; camping in my popup camper along the way. For this stage, I was kinda planning to camp at Lake Silverwood and find a climbe near there to watch. With this change, I might move camp to Acton where I can camp for free. Then I could watch the first climb at Mill Creek Summit like I did last year. Gotta think about it.

In my opinion, the only way to watch these guys is on a climb, even there they go by really fast.

 

We must consult the guru of mountainous single track the great Steppie for the true clutch locations! He can probably tell us how to see multiple points along the Big Bear Route while getting a sweet single track or fire road ride in between locations...heck he probably knows the rocks we could perch upon to view from upon high! Steppie come in....

 

I plan on parking my Vanagon some where on the hill. Yes wee all have to figure out where some key spots are.
:steppie: where are you?

 

Wow this really sucks. I am sure Pasadena is pissed. A lot of work by a lot of people goes into making an event like this happen. And to change things at the last minute like this means that a lot of work is now down the drain. Too bad.

In reality it's not that unfathomable really (if you are prepared and like to climb). Mulholland Challenge last weekend was 113 miles and 12,650 feet of climbing. Death Ride is 120 miles and 15,000 feet of climbing. Everest Challenge is 200 mile over two days (120/80) and 29,000 feet of climbing.

Unfortunately I just found out I will be on vacation in Yellowstone and Grand Teton NP during stage 6. No riding that stage for me. Sucks.