Last year the Stage 7 of the Amgen Tour of California cycling race ended in Pasadena by City Hall. I went early and took photos of some of the off-course scenes which you can see here.
This year the final stage of this annual race from Sacramento to Los Angeles ended by the Rose Bowl. By the time I arrived, the racers had already ridden from downtown Los Angeles and were circling the Rose Bowl at over 40 mph for the final laps of this 650-700 mile race. The Tour of California is touted as ‘America’s Greatest Race’, which it may be, but by comparison, the Tour de France is over 3,000 miles of break-neck cycling.
I doubt very much that the Tour de France ever had a ‘snow day’. Stage 7 this year was scheduled to be a ride through the mountains just north of L.A., but the night before it snowed and the promoters decided it was too dangerous for the riders to race on snow and ice-covered roads. Instead of a mountain ride, there was a time trial race in Santa Clarita where the cyclists rode around the parking lot at the Magic Mountain theme park. (The last time it snowed in May in So. California was over 50 years ago!)
While the Amgen Tour of California is shorter than the Tour de France, it’s not just a locals-only race. Major teams from around the world were entered. Canadian Peter Sagan, an elite rider with the Russian-owned Tinkoff-Saxo Bank team, was the overall winner. Mark Cavendish, the British National Champion, won Stage 8 in what was a photo finish. And — ta-da!–the Trek cycling team won overall for teams. (I ride a Trek.)
Here is some of what I saw:
