Tour de France, California version...
'Deceptively difficult' race route
From coastal flats to tough inland climbs, course to wind 600 miles down state
By KERRY BENEFIELD
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Called "deceptively hilly" by course officials, the inaugural Amgen Tour of California will take 128 of the world's best professional cyclists along 600 miles and down the length of the state.
Beginning with a prologue in San Francisco on Sunday, riders will head north to Santa Rosa, then travel south through San Jose, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Thousand Oaks and Redondo Beach, among other cities.
By Feb. 26, riders will have covered more than 600 miles of California's roads, racing over rolling hills, steep climbs and wicked descents.
The following are highlights provided by the race's technical director, Chuck Hodge:
Prologue, San Francisco (Sunday):
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Riders will tackle the 1.9 miles between Embarcadero Plaza on the waterfront to Bay Street, up Stockton and Lombard streets, up Telegraph Hill to Coit Tower in Pioneer Park.
The results of the prologue will determine the seeding of the racers and who will wear the sprint and overall leader jerseys into Santa Rosa.
Stage 1 - Sausalito to Santa Rosa (Monday):
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"What will be very interesting at this stage is that for a lot of guys, this will be the first time that they have raced all year," Hodge said.
Sprint points will be available in Point Reyes Station as riders head east into town.
The toughest climb of the 81.5-mile Stage 1 will be over Jonive Road in western Sonoma County, but the true challenge of the stage will be the 14-corner, 3-mile circuit around downtown Santa Rosa. Racers will arrive in Santa Rosa around 2 p.m. and complete three laps. The finish line is on Third Street at Santa Rosa Avenue.
"The American riders tend to do a lot better on the finish circuit," Hodge said. "They are more used to it than the European-based riders. This will definitely play into who wins the stage - it's who wins the turns. I like one of the American teams for this stage."
Stage 2 - Martinez to San Jose (Tuesday):
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Hodge called this 94.9-mile stage "deceptively difficult."
"There are a lot of rollers on the course, very up and down, a lot of tight, narrow, two-lane roads," he said. "The riders are going to be pretty tired coming into San Jose. The course is going to wear them out, then we throw a really tough climb at them up Sierra Road. It's one of the more difficult climbs we have all week."
The 3-mile climb is expected to be a draw for spectators. From the peak, riders have 18.5 miles of relatively flat roads to the finish line.
"The riders who get away on that climb are going to try to hold that," Hodge said.
Stage 3 - San Jose individual time trial (Wednesday):
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The 17-mile time trial is being called the key stage of the 600-mile race. The rider who takes this stage is a favorite to wear the gold jersey Sunday in Redondo Beach.
Coming out of the start house, riders will see the biggest climb they will face over the 17-mile ride.
"They are going to look straight up at the ridge right in front of them," Hodge said.
Riders start in reverse order of their overall times - meaning riders with the fastest overall times will race last and know the times to beat.
Stage 4 - Monterey to San Luis Obispo (Thursday):
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At 130.9 miles, Stage 4 is the longest stage of the tour.
Following Highway 1 along the coast and rolling through Los Padres National Forest, the route promises unparalleled views and totally unpredictable weather.
"There are a couple of sprint locations, a lot of up and down and weather will play a factor," Hodge said. "Wind or heavy rain could make the race much more difficult."
Stage 5 - San Luis Obispo to Santa Barbara (Friday):
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"This stage has got a stinger in the tail," Hodge said.
The 105.3-mile stage is a bit flatter than earlier portions of the race, but ends with a climb over San Marcos Pass coming into Santa Barbara.
"It's a category one climb - very tough," Hodge said. "Then there is a pretty screaming downhill."
Riders who break away on the climb will attempt to hold their lead over a little more than 15 miles to the finish.
Stage 6 - Santa Barbara to Thousand Oaks (Saturday):
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At nearly 90 miles, Stage 6 is one of the shorter routes in the eight days of racing. Two notable climbs hit riders in Ojai and Santa Paula and there are a number of sprint points to be won along the route.
The race ends in downtown Thousand Oaks in a circuit similar but not as technically difficult as Santa Rosa's.
Stage 7 - Redondo Beach circuit (Sunday):
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Riders will battle each other through 10 laps on a 7.65-mile circuit.
"It's really, really fast," Hodge said. "We have three mid-race sprints."
A $1,000 prize will be given to the winner of each of the sprints.
"The teams are really going to be duking it out for the stage win," he said.
www1.pressdemocrat.com
TV coverage has everybody happy
By KERRY BENEFIELD
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
The U.S. daily television coverage of the inaugural Tour of California is unparalleled in cycling - but the folks most excited about the airtime are not the cyclists.
Sponsors, host cities and cycling promoters are hoping the hour-long recap show shown nightly on ESPN2 will draw a wide audience as yet unfamiliar with the sport outside of the now-retired Lance Armstrong.
"Most races in America do not have television coverage," said James Raia, a Sacramento-based journalist who has covered domestic and international cycling for 20 years.
In addition to exposure for the sport and its top teams and riders, the cities along the race route are expected to get valuable airtime as cyclists make their way down the state.
San Francisco will host the opening prologue Sunday, followed Monday by a finish in downtown Santa Rosa, and subsequent stops in San Jose, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Thousand Oaks and Redondo Beach.
"It's a travelogue for the cities," Raia said. "Some of the cities realize the importance of it to promote the city, not so much a bike race."
Santa Rosa will be featured in a 30-second commercial Monday night, the day the tour rolls into downtown.
The Santa Rosa Convention and Visitors Bureau created the ad, hoping to capitalize on airtime in front of a national audience. Monday's highlight show will air at 11 p.m.
"We have never had a commercial," said Mo Renfro, executive director of the convention and visitors bureau. "It focuses on Santa Rosa - Charlie Brown and Courthouse Square. It's Wine Country; 'Cycle on one of our beautiful country lanes, sip a state chardonnay.' "
Team sponsors also hope to tap the television exposure.
"This just might be the most important race (this season), it's the home state for the team and home state for the title sponsor," said Jeff Sobul, communications director for Health Net Pro Cycling, the top U.S. team.
If a Health Net rider leads a break, or wins a stage, he could grab valuable television time - something sponsors covet. "It's a marketing investment - they are trying to gain a wider exposure for their brand and their company," Sobul said.
The involvement of the veteran commentating team of Bob Roll and Paul Sherwin will help educate an American audience about the strategy of the sport, according to Sobul. Roll and Sherwin host Tour de France coverage for cable's Outdoor Life Network.
"It's a more intricate sport than perhaps people perceive. Most people think you get on your bikes and ride," Sobul said. "The Tour de France coverage has kind of explained that it's a lot more than that. Hopefully, by the end of the week, people will start to understand it."
For Levi Leipheimer, having media coverage considered huge by domestic standards is a way to pull back the shroud of mystery that sometimes cloaks the world of bike racing.
Leipheimer, the sixth-place finisher in the 2005 Tour de France and perhaps the biggest star in the California race lineup, lives and trains in Santa Rosa. He said television coverage is a way to show off not only scenic California, but the riders as well.
"I think any American is going to look at this race as an opportunity to show themselves," the Santa Rosan said.
It also will give sports fans a peek into the world that Leipheimer and other elite cyclists on the European circuit live in for more than half the year.
"It's really like bringing that whole world from there to here," he said. "It's going to be a great event."
Sunday, ESPN2, 10-11 p.m. Prologue (San Francisco )
Monday, ESPN2,
11 p.m.-midnight, Stage 1 (Santa Rosa)
Tuesday, ESPN2, 10-11 p.m., Stage 2 (San Jose)
Wednesday, ESPN2, 10-11 p.m., Stage 3 (San Jose)
Thursday, Feb. 23, ESPN2, 10-11 p.m., Stage 4 (San Luis Obispo)
Friday, Feb. 24, ESPN2,
10-11 p.m., Stage 5 (Santa Barbara)
Saturday, Feb. 25, ESPN2, 10-11 p.m., Stage 6 (Thousand Oaks)
Sunday, Feb. 26, ESPN2, 10-11 p.m., Stage 7, (Redondo Beach) |
