What was laid out as being a stunning coastal stage from Seaside to Paso Robles has had to be rerouted at this year’s Tour of California, although the organisers have assured that the new parcours will be equally spectacular.
“After working closely with Caltrans and assessing our options, we have determined that it is necessary to re-route Stage 5 of the 2011 Amgen Tour of California,” said Andrew Messick, president of AEG Sports, in referring to a number of landslides this year. The original route along Highway 1 has been closed because of the issue, and an alternative has had to be found.
“We appreciate the hard work of all involved, including Caltrans and our Stage 5 start and finish Host Cities, to make this route change a seamless one,” Messick continued. “We are looking forward to showcasing a portion of California that the race has never visited, and a stage that will feature challenging terrain and a remarkable day of racing.”
The change will affect racing on May 19th. The stage will continue to start in Seaside, and will cover 135 miles between there and the finish. Significantly, it will also see the riders slug it out over four King of the Mountains climbs, resulting in nearly 10,000 feet of climbing that day.
The new route will take in places such as the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, the location of the Sea Otter Classic, Carmel Valley River, Greenfield, King City and San Lucas, as well as over the aforementioned climbs.
The finale is lumpy and should encourage plenty of attacks. So too the length of the stage;’ with over six and a half hours of racing, cracks will show towards the end and time gaps could well open.