Biking Bis - Bicycle Touring

Route specifics disclosed for 2012 Amgen Tour of California

Gene Bisbee — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:34:00 -0800

Amgen Tour of California fans can now begin staking claim to their favorite roadside vantage points for this year's bike race.

Organizers on Wednesday published the detailed stage maps and course profiles for the eight stages of this year's race, rolling out of Santa Rosa on May 13 and ending in Los Angeles on May 20.

The details are full of surprises, such as a visit to towering Mt. Diablo in Danville on the Stage 3 ....

Amateur cyclists can ride tough Tour of California stage

Gene Bisbee — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 19:08:00 -0800

Borrowing a theme from its French cousin, le Tour de France, the 2012 Amgen Tour of California is taking the toughest stage of next year's bike race and turning it into a ride for every day cyclists.

Called L'Etape du California, the bike ride for amateur cyclists will be Stage 7's assault on Mt. Baldy from Ontario in southern part of the state.

The amateur ride is scheduled on Saturday, April 28. The contested Stage 7 for the pros in the Tour of California is the penultimate stage and rolls out May 19.

Registration is due to open in December ....

Host cities named for 2012 Amgen Tour of California

Gene Bisbee — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 07:22:00 -0700

Organizers for the Amgen Tour of California announced the 13 cities that will play host to the eight stages of next year's bike race that rolls across 750 miles of scenic landscape from May 13-20, 2012.

Starting in Santa Rosa, the route generally heads southward to the San Francisco Bay area, then east into the Mother Lode. There's an individual time trial in Bakersfield, then two stages in the southern mountains before the final criterium in Los Angeles.

The route meisters are avoiding the high mountains of Northern California, considering the snowy conditions that canceled the first stage last year ...

2011 Tour of California is one for the record books

Gene Bisbee — Sun, 22 May 2011 17:11:00 -0700

After the Amgen Tour of California started with some big surprises, the 6th edition of the week-long race ended Sunday pretty much as expected.

The 82-mile Stage 8 bike race from Santa Clarita to Thousand Oaks ended in a mass sprint -- won by Matthew Goss of HTC Columbia.

And yellow jersey leader Chris Horner (RadioShack) protected his gap to take the championship ...

RadioShack scalps the peloton on Mount Baldy

Gene Bisbee — Sat, 21 May 2011 16:20:00 -0700

Here's a sight that not many would have predicted when bike race organizers announced the most difficult mountain stage ever in the Amgen Tour of California:

Three-time champion Levi Leipheimer setting the pace for yellow jersey leader Chris Horner in the final kilometers to the finish on Mount Baldy.

Their RadioShack teammates had destroyed the field by setting a high pace throughout the 80-mile Stage 7, and the last rivals had dropped off the back before Leipheimer and Horner rolled across the finish line with a victory salute.

Unless something goes horribly wrong in the final Stage 8, Horner looks to be assured of a victory ....

Teammates vie for yellow jersey in Solvang

Gene Bisbee — Fri, 20 May 2011 17:10:00 -0700

Sixth place was good enough for Chris Horner (Radio Shack) to hold onto the yellow jersey after Friday's individual time trial concluded in Solvang at the Amgen Tour of California.

Dave Zabriskie (left, Garmin Cervelo) won the stage, setting a record over the 15-mile course. The previous record holder, Levi Leipheimer (RadioShack) finished second, 14 seconds behind Zabriskie.

While Horner remained in 1st overall, he lost time to Leipheimer who now trails his teammate by 38 seconds. This could result in some interesting team tactics on the summit finish of Mt. Baldy on Saturday. ....

Hump day win for Sagan at 2011 Tour of California

Gene Bisbee — Thu, 19 May 2011 23:36:00 -0700

Slovakian cyclist Peter Sagan (Liquigas) won a mass sprint after a grueling 134-mile bike race over four climbs on Thursday.

The Stage 5 race from Seaside to Paso Robles had been rerouted off the scenic Route 101 along the Pacific Coast several weeks ago because highway crews were still trying to clear landsides that blocked the road.

With the abandonment of Stage 1, the stage on Thursday served as the hump day. Only 3 stages remain....

"Old man" has best legs at Tour of California finish

Gene Bisbee — Wed, 18 May 2011 16:00:00 -0700

Smiling all the way to the top of the Sierra Grade, Chris Horner catapulted himself into the lead of the Amgen Tour of California on Wednesday.

The veteran cyclist was part of a RadioShack group that appeared ready to help deliver team leader and three-time ATOC champion Levi Leipheimer to a victory on the mountainous Stage 4 bike race.

But when it came to the 9.4% grade on the Sierra Road, Horner set a pace that even Leipheimer couldn't follow ....

Sky's got no limit at Tour of California

Gene Bisbee — Tue, 17 May 2011 16:59:00 -0700

Sky Procycling captured its second sprint finish at the Amgen Tour of California on Tuesday, this time as Greg Henderson powered over the finish line.

The 34-year-old New Zealander usually sets up his teammates for victories, like Monday's sprint win in Sacramento by Ben Swift. But as he approached the finish line in front of the lead group in Modesto, he didn't see any teammates behind him so he kept hammering hard.

It made for a long sprint, but the trailing Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervelo) couldn't quite reach his back wheel. JJ Haedo (Saxo Bank) finished second with Hushovd in third ...

Tour of California celebrates swift finish after delay

Gene Bisbee — Mon, 16 May 2011 17:14:00 -0700

A British cycling speedster earned the overall leader's jersey at the Amgen Tour of California on Monday by winning the mass sprint finish in Sacramento.

No, Mark Cavendish (HTC-Columbia) didn't return this year. He's battling for stage wins at the Giro d'Italia this week.

This is another sprinting phenom from the UK, Ben Swift for Team Sky. The victory in Sacramento marked the 23-year-old's fifth win this season.

After a Stage 1 snow cancellation at Lake Tahoe on Sunday, the weather continued to threaten ....