FIND YOUR FINISH LINE: Lots of exciting bicycle-based happenings roll around the Golden State each year, but the Amgen Tour of California, which always happens around the middle of May, creates some extra heat. Maybe it is because it attracts world-class competitors, the kind of cyclists that fans of the sport dream of seeing in person. Maybe because it is billed as "California's largest sporting event." Maybe it is those various stages and locations, the ones that pop up up and down the state, and the dedicated bike buffs who try to visit all of them, or at least more than one, during the course of the multi-day spokes showdown. It's top-notch, through and through, and you can bet that cycling aficionados are already planning which stages they'll see in person. And that planning just began in earnest on Thursday, Oct. 26, for the...
2018 HOST CITIES... have been announced. Not just the cities, though, were revealed, but the stages, too, and the dates, meaning that fans now know where they'll need to begin if they want to feel the action from the street (Long Beach on Sunday, May 13 is the Stage 1, Men's Overall Start date and Thursday, May 17 is the Stage 1, Women's Overall Start date in Elk Grove). On the map? Visits for the men to Ventura, Santa Barbara County, King City, Monterey County at Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca, San Jose, Stockton, Elk Grove, Folsom, South Lake Tahoe, and Sacramento, while the women will power into South Lake Tahoe with a finish in the capital city. More info, stats on years gone by, and everything you need to know to plot your course alongside the wind-fast racers may be found at the Amgen Tour's online HQ.
