The sixth running of the Tour of California will take place from May 15-22, 2011, covering eight stages from Lake Tahoe in the Northeast down to Thousand Oaks, close to Los Angeles. The riders will cover a total distance of over 800 miles. Besides the Lake Tahoe area cities there are also Auburn, Livermore, Claremont and Mount Baldy as new stage cities in 2011.
The popular May spot was kept, ensuring that some high altitude passes could be used again in this race. "Last year we witnessed the benefits of moving the Amgen Tour of California to May – better weather, a new, challenging route and more intense competition," said Andrew Messick, president of AEG Sports, which organizes the event. "In 2011 we plan to continue to showcase the beautiful features the state of California has to offer, while also continuing to raise the bar for what it means to be the largest, most important cycling race in America."
The action will kick off in the beautiful area of Lake Tahoe, where the first day will be spent entirely. On day two, the race starts from the 1960 Olympic Games spot Squaw Valley and finishes in the state's capital, Sacramento. From there, the race goes towards the ocean again and will have one of its decisive days in Solvang, making its time trial return after a one-year absence. The race finishes in Thousand Oaks, headquarter of Amgen, which is the main sponsor of the race.
RadioShack captain Lance Armstrong said: "The 2011 Amgen Tour of California route is going to result in an exciting and compelling race. All of us at Team RadioShack are looking forward to it." His comments fuel speculation that the Texan may include the Tour of California in his limited road racing schedule for next year.
Highlights of the 2011 route include the race's first visit to Lake Tahoe, taking in more than a lap and a half around the lake. The peloton passes the famous Donner Pass (2200 meters high and named after the tragic Donner Party events) on the way to Sacramento.
The Diablo Mountains offer the first of two challenging mountain stages, before the Pacific Coast Highway leads the way down south. The final climb up to the Mt. Baldy ski area provides the mountain top stage finish in 2011.
Levi Leipheimer, race winner from 2007-2009, missed a fourth win by only 25 seconds this year, saying the race has gotten more competitive. "I was in as good of shape the past three years as I am now," he said after the 2010 race. "The difference this year is that you see a couple of riders on the same level. The competition has definitely risen." He will surely try again next year.
The 2010 overall, Australian Michael Rogers, emphasized how important the race is for his HTC Columbia team. "For our team, there's only one race more important to us than the Amgen Tour of California, and that's the Tour de France. This is a huge result for us," Rogers said after his victory in May. "We can really walk away from the 2010 Amgen Tour of California with big smiles on our faces."
Amgen is continuing to advance its Breakaway from Cancer campaign. "We look forward to collaborating with all of this year's Host Cities to spread awareness about Amgen, our mission to serve patients through using biotechnology to create medicines for people with grievous illness, and the incredible support services that are available free of charge to people affected by cancer through Amgen's non-profit Breakaway from Cancer partner organizations," said Stuart Arbuckle, vice president and general manager, Amgen Oncology.
Stages:
Stage 1: Sunday, May 15 – South Lake Tahoe to North Lake Tahoe-Northstar at Tahoe Resort
Stage 2: Monday, May 16 – North Lake Tahoe-Squaw Valley USA to Sacramento
Stage 3: Tuesday, May 17 – Auburn to Modesto
Stage 4: Wednesday, May 18 – Livermore to San Jose
Stage 5: Thursday, May 19 – Seaside to Paso Robles
Stage 6: Friday, May 20 – Solvang Individual Time Trial
Stage 7: Saturday, May 21 – Claremont to Mt. Baldy
Stage 8: Sunday, May 22 – Santa Clarita to Thousand Oaks