Tour of California presenter AEG has announced the first details of what will be the 2012 L’Etape du California, which will be open to amateur riders. The event will take place on Saturday, April 28th, two weeks before the international stage race, and will follow the route of stage seven, between Ontario and the summit finish of Mount Baldy.
“Last year’s L’Etape du California was received with so much enthusiasm, we knew we had to do it again in 2012,” said Kristin Bachochin, executive director of the Tour of California. “We have such passionate cycling fans in America, and here in California in particular, so it only makes sense to host this event in conjunction with our race. We were thrilled to see so many people tackle the Mt. Baldy climb this past May, and we look forward to an even more spectacular event next year.”
Stage seven also finished atop the fearsome climb to Mount Baldy in 2011, where RadioShack duo Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner rode away from the field, with the former taking the stage victory and the latter cementing his overall race lead.
Exact details of the stage have yet to be announced; last year’s event was won by Californian Jonathan Hornbeck, on a course of just under a hundred miles that featured almost 10,000 feet (~3,000 metres) of climbing.
“We are excited to be bringing this once-in-a-lifetime experience to amateur cyclists and applaud AEG for continuing this cycling tradition,” said Jack Caress, President and CEO of Pacific Sports, the producer of L'Etape du California. “Stage 7 of the 2011 Amgen Tour of California was one of the most talked about stages, and it was watched by people from around the world, so we know interest for this year’s L’Etape du California will be even greater. We’re looking forward to a fantastic race.”
Unfortunately, like in 2011, there will only be 2,500 places available when registration opens in December. More details can be found at www.letapeducalifornia.com.