Just came across this, a nice little route change this year. Start in the south and head north. Looks like I'll be able to catch a couple of stages this year. http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.co...alifornia-Host-Cities-Announced-for-2013.html
Its been too long in coming...and about time the northern part of the state got the mountaintop queen stage finish that their supporters deserve. I can forsee Amgen stepping back and ASO taking a greater role in the promotion of this tour as a counterpoint to the Giro and as perfect racing into fitness ahead of the Dauphine...
Booo. I'm not a huge fan of the route. Nothing real close. No San Gabriels, San Berdinos, or San Jacinto. All great climbs that will be missed. However, maybe they are going Murrieta to Palm Springs by way of Idylwild?
+1 on boring. At least for somebody from Orange County. I have to drive out to Murrieta to see anything? Still, it probably costs a lot to close down roads in Orange County or Los Angeles. Oh well, I can always just watch the Giro on TV.
I'm hoping they'll hit Palomar, though it won't be a finish. The Palmdale stage will probably hit Angeles Forest Highway as they've done in the past. Reading some websites today, NorCal feels like they got screwed. I don't see a stage coming to OC - cities won't put up the $100+/'s needed to get a stage or close enough roads.
I wish they would do Palomar and Baldy to finish one year. Glad they are at least changing this thing up. I just hope the race gets good sponsors. It's great having a race like this in the USA. Not easy for the European teams to come over, but better hotels and great weather!
Mt. Diablo could be good, but I'd rather see them hit the east side of the state.. Death Valley, Tioga Pass, 395 through Bridgeport.. then cross over to San Francisco and the coast.
You're right and onto something as well -- the cost of routing a road race through most of CA is so expensive. Not to mention, can you imagine all the duck-lipped, plastic surgery enhanced housewives that would be so upset b/c they can't get their Suburban through traffic to get little Katlin to her activity? That's why racing on the road has turned into nothing but criteriums in SoCal. A lot of the great road races and stage races have disappeared on the amateur level.
Going over Tioga Pass would be awesome, unfortunately it is usually still closed from winter snow when this race occurs
It would probably by Kaitlynn - just to be different. I don't think any OC cities wanna pony up the $100+G's it costs to "host" a stage. And they won't close off roads either. This is why much of the race occurs in CA's hinterlands.
That would be great. I remember driving from San Jose to Mammoth through Yosemite one year and thinking how great it would be to see the race go through some of those roads. Yosemite would be awesome, but I understand why that's not doable. As far as OC goes, I understand to a certain extent why it would be difficult but I've seen Los Angeles traffic and they closed that down. It's doable. The biggest problem with OC is that it's not just one city, one mayor to deal with--it would have to be a coordinated sponsorship. That's why it's difficult. They'd have to get cooperation from too many cities to piece together a long enough route. They've held the Olympics in OC. Where there's a will, there's a way, and there are a lot of cycling enthusiasts in Orange County. But I won't hold my breath.