Tour of California organizers聽 for the 10th annual race, scheduled to launch May 10, on Friday. It is America鈥檚 largest and most prestigious stage cycling race.
The eight-day, 700-mile race will host 18 international and domestic cycling teams, including Tinkoff-Saxo, featuring star sprinter Peter Sagan; Team Giant-Alpecin, featuring sprinter Marcel Kittel; California-based BMC Racing Team; and Trek Factory Racing, which finished in the top five last year.
This year鈥檚 Tour of California will also host an inaugural professional women鈥檚 cycling race from May 8-10 in South Lake Tahoe, and a May 15 women鈥檚 invitational time trial at Big Bear Lake.
鈥淚 have had some of my best results at the Amgen Tour of California, and I want to return every year because it just gets better and better,鈥 said returning champion of Tinkoff-Saxo. 鈥淭he Sprint competition will be tougher than ever because of all the talent this year, but I鈥檓 hoping to wear green again in the golden state.鈥
The event is a Tour de France-style road race in which the world鈥檚 top professional cycling teams compete each year along California鈥檚 most famous highways. This year the race will pass through 13 host cities, including Sacramento, Nevada City, Lodi, San Jose, Pismo Beach, Avila Beach, Santa Barbara, Santa Clarita, Big Bear Lake, Ontario, Mt. Baldy, downtown Los Angeles, and Pasadena.
鈥淥ver the past 10 years, this race has developed into the most well regarded cycling event in the nation, and beyond that, something really special that resonates with fans around the world,鈥 said Tour executive director聽.