Amgen Tour of California

The third annual Tour of California is in the bag and it has proved to be an amazing bicycling event. The tour this year was primarily sponsored by AEG, the world’s largest sports promoter, and Amgen, a medical research company. Much of the proceeds from the events and fund raisers held over the course of the race will go to cancer research. This year’s lineup of riders included some of the sports biggest names, like Levi Leipheimer from Santa Rosa, who finished 3rd  in last year’s Tour de France, and Tom Bonnen, of Belgium, who won the sprinter’s jersey in that same race.  The Amgen Tour this year started with 132 riders representing 17 of the world’s best cycling teams from such countries as the United States, Germany, France, Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands, Kazakhstan, and Belgium. These teams are made up of cycling rock stars that come from countries all over the world.

The American teams this year were especially impressive.  After the dissolution of Team Discovery last year, many fans were convinced the sport was headed to some pretty bleak times in this country. Not true, the sport has continued to grow in popularity. Unfortunately,  most of the members of the Team Discovery have regrouped to Team Astana, which is sponsored in the Republic of Kazakhstan, and is no longer an American team. But there are many exciting new teams coming out of the United States, including Rock Racing, BMC and, the one getting the biggest press right now, Slipstream/Chipotle. These are first rate squads with world class riders that are worth coming out to see and cheer for. There are also many great American riders on teams from around the globe, like George Hincapie who rode for years with Lance Armstrong, and now a member of High Road in Germany.

The crowds in California have taken many in the cycling world by surprise. There was universal concern that the doping scandals of the last few years had totally alienated the American public. It is obvious now that that is not true. Even with rain falling during several of the race’s eight stages, the fans came out in throngs to watch and encourage the participants. In fact, it is estimated that over 1.6 million people waited in the rain and cold to watch their favorite riders pass.  That is the largest crowd of people ever assembled for a single sporting event in the history of the United States. Sometimes these devoted fans waited hours to catch a glimpse of their favorite stars flash by in a blur of color. That may seem like a lot of fans  in the United States, but in Europe these riders achieve rock star status.  When the Tour de France started its event last year in London, 2 million people showed up to watch. With the incredible growth of the sport in this country one has to believe that one day those same size crowds will be achieved here as well. 

Members of the California Wine Magazine team attended both stage one that ran up Highway 1 from Sausalito to Santa Rosa, and stage two that traveled from Santa Rosa to Sacramento. This is wine country, after all, and this kind of event helps bring attention from around the globe to this world class wine region. The thrill of watching this magnificent demonstration of speed and strategy live was definitely worth the effort and time involved in getting there early enough to obtain a good spot on the course. Continued ...