The 2010 Amgen Tour of California will make its return next year as the highlight of the USA Cycling Calendar taking place from May 16 to the 23rd. The prestigious American race can count on the support from reigning champion and three time winner Levi Leipheimer, along with none other than seven time Tour de France Champion Lance Armstrong.
The 2010 route will no longer kick off with a traditional prologue, but will instead take riders from Nevada City to Sacramento in a 78 mile stage where spectators can expect a field sprint. Stage two starts off in Davis and finishes in Santa Rosa, similar to the 2009 route that saw Francisco Mancebo (Rock Racing) take the win in a spectacular solo effort.
The third stage also repeats the 2009 stage featuring the Bonny Doon climb that saw Leipheimer attack the bunch and ride into the overall lead while the young Thomas Peterson (Garmin) took the stage. The fourth stage can be considered a transfer stage running from San Jose to Modesto. where either a long breakaway or sprint finish will determine who steal’s the day’s glory.
The fifth stage from Visalia to Bakersfield will explore unknown roads, and could end up being one of the last opportunities for a breakaway or sprint finish to take place. Stage six can be considered the “Queen Stage”, and includes 14,000 feet of climbing and a 25 kilometer final climb with several thousand feet of elevation gain. The stage will climb up to the “Big Bear” resort, and will shake up the overall lead as the riders head into stage seven, the time trial in Los Angeles. The concluding eighth stage finishes in the Santa Monica Mountains and could possibly feature the Rock Store climb.
“For the 2010 Amgen Tour of California we had the unique opportunity to move our race to a part of the year when we are almost guaranteed great weather in California,” AEG Sports president Andrew Messick said in a press release announcing the race. “This timing will help us to better showcase the beautiful features the state of California has to offer, while allowing us to travel to parts of the state that just weren’t feasible in previous years.”
