Amgen Tour of California routes announced

The 2018 Amgen Tour of California has announced their race routes, giving cycling fans time to plot our their roadside viewing points.

The Women's Stage 2 and Men’s Stage 6 at South Lake Tahoe will both include iconic vistas, stunning lake views, highest summit in race history at Luther Pass, and the grueling Daggett Pass along Kingsbury Grade state Route 207 on May 18.

The men's Stage 6 presented by Visit California is a daunting stage that starts with a pass by Folsom’s newly completed Johnny Cash Trail, a unique 3-mile trail that honors the memory of the singer and his historic performance at Folsom Prison in 1968. Then 123-mile stage features more than 16,000 feet of climbing, four King of the Mountain (first athlete to reach the top of that pass) including Kingsbury Grade for the first time and an uphill finish. The elevation in Folsom is just 275’. The racers will see 8,600’ as they crest Carson Pass and will finish in South Lake Tahoe at Heavenly at 6,600’.

“These are arguably the toughest stages and another opportunity to showcase South Lake Tahoe’s scenic beauty and challenging terrain,” said Carol Chaplin, president and CEO of the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority. “It will be a highlight to watch the most accomplished racers tackle Daggett Pass.”

The Amgen Tour of California Women's Race empowered with SRAM, showcasing the world’s best women cyclists, will run concurrently May 17-19, covering upward of 187 miles over three stages.

Similar to 2017, the women’s Stage 2 presented by Visit California will be contested on the high-altitude Queen Stage in South Lake Tahoe, which features one of the biggest climbs in the UCI Women’s World Tour. The racers will head west from Heavenly Mountain Resort for the start of this 70-mile stage then turn south on CA-89 and over the 7,740’ summit of Luther Pass where they will challenge the first of the day’s three QOMs. A quick descent will take the riders into the spectacular Carson River Basin and on a loop through the Washoe Reservation before heading northeast into Nevada. A left turn will take them north on Kingsbury Grade. The “Grade” had never been attempted in any previous Amgen Tour of California stage until 2017. This 8-mile climb gains 2,700’ in elevation, with riders encountering the second QOM at an elevation of 7,400’. The descent back to South Lake Tahoe will provide beautiful views of the lake and the surrounding mountains. The final QOM of the stage will deliver the riders to the finish at Heavenly Mountain Resort.

America’s premier cycling stage race will cover 645 miles of roadways, highways and coastlines during seven stages from Long Beach to Sacramento May 13-19. Known for epic sprinter showdowns, three of the sport’s greatest are confirmed to race this year: Mark Cavendish (Team Dimension Data), Marcel Kittel (Team KATUSHA ALPECIN) and “King of California” Peter Sagan (BORA-hansgrohe), cycling’s first three-time consecutive World Champion, who also holds the California race record for most stage wins (16).

The annual professional cycling events carry the distinction of being the only U.S. races on the UCI WorldTour calendar and attract some of the most renowned cyclists and teams in the world. The Amgen Tour of California is designed to cover a variety of terrain, allowing different types of specialists among the field of the world’s greatest cyclists to shine throughout the week. 2018 will mark the third time the race will run south to north.

A visual overview of the men’s and women’s courses is viewable at www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/2018-route-overview.