Auburn Bike Company and the locals are clamoring and excitement is building for this years Amgen Tour of California.
Stage 1 kicks off with a brutal 123mi race that will include a start/finish at our beautiful state capital, showcasing some of the most common canyons at the start of the gold-rich foothills. Excitement for this race is at an all-time high, with expectations soaring for Stage 1 breakaway antics. About the only people who aren’t excited for the Amgen TOC, are those with Strava gold in those foothills, and the lonely soul that has to find a way to commute through the canyon on a sunday.
Speaking of Strava gold, there are more than a few local pro’s and Strava-philes who will likely be dethroned by the likes of Team Sky, Trek Factory Racing, Garmin-Sharp, and Omega Pharma. Can the climbers of ORICA-GreenEDGE deliver the prowess highlighted in the last Tour de France? Can Cannondale Pro Cycling put Sagan in for the sprint?
Just going through the names on the starting line of our own city is just amazing. Bradley Wiggins, winner of the Tour de France. Taylor Phinney of BMC, who at 23 years old, is fine tuning his potential to be a powerhouse in the sport. Look for Phinney to do some serious work in the Time Trial in Folsom on Monday. Thor Hushovd, Tom Boonen, Matthew Goss, Jens Voight, and Freddie Rodriguez round out just some of the top names in pro cycling that will be descending into the Auburn canyon.
Auburn Bike Company put together a small informal poll to see where local cycling fanatics will be gathering to cheer on the pros.
TOP 5 LOCATIONS TO WATCH THE 2014 AMGEN TOUR OF CALIFORNIA
1. Start/Finish. Sacramento, CA
Whether you’re sipping a beer outside 18th and L, or packing amongst the diehard fans at the finish line, downtown Sacramento is going to erupt in the excitement of the tour. The bonus here isn’t just the sprint finish, it’s getting to see them leave fresh and come back destroyed after the anticipated 4.5 hour finish. With laps around the capital and a free bike valet, you won’t even have to worry about parking to see your favorite pro’s!
2. Auburn Canyon Highway 49 Descent. Auburn, CA
How fast can they really go? Will they be in a pack still, or single-file into apexing perfection? Grab a mountain bike and hit the trails, but keep an eye on the clock and pop out for a view of the skills these men possess when it comes to bike handling. Goodbye Strava gold! A good descent here can put you into our #3 best spot to watch Stage 1, with the climb from the Confluence to Cool, CA.
3. Confluence to Cool Climb. Cool, CA
The perfect climb to see the pain of zone 5/6 breakaway power. While many say it’s probably too early for a breakaway, look for climbing antics from the UCI ranks. With just a small amount of cutouts for parking, we plan on tossing a camping chair on our backs and just riding down. With the rolling road closures, parking at the Confluence shouldn’t be too bad if you wanted to get in a hike before or after the race.
4. Salmon Falls Road Rollers. El Dorado Hills, CA
One of my personal favorite spots for riding, the rollers a few miles in on Salmon Falls Road are bliss on a bike. Look for a small team breakaway with the motors fully revved up (no, not just Cavendish’s bike!) to lay down the power here. There are one or two corners where a few fast riders just might catch some air! With aggressive braking needed to make some of the sweeping switchbacks, they’ll have to bring their A-game to make the best of this road. Parking is extremely limited, so ride in!
5. Jackson Highway / State Route 16. Rancho Cordova, CA
Wind. Pain. Near a hundred miles in at this point, this is going to be a painful place if you’re out front. We’ve been seeing almost exclusively north and westward winds in the valley, so they’ll be fighting at least some sort of head/cross wind. Look for Thor or Jens to lay down the hammer and get the group organized. Close to Sacramento, there are numerous spots to see the large peloton formation and wind maneuvering.
Auburn Bike Company is seriously excited about Stage 1, and it’s just icing on the cake to see Stage 2 just down the hill in Folsom, CA on Monday. If you’re reading this, you too probably bleed passion for the sport. Whether you’re a mountain biker, cyclocross rider, road rider, or just someone who likes to commute to work, it’s hard not to become engulfed in the excitement of seeing world-class professional cyclists in our small town. There is an intangible fire that burns inside us for cycling; the need for more! We saw Jens Voight in the grocery store and Team Sky pre-riding already.
With “locals” like Chris Horner, Paul Mach, and Trent Klansa tied into the very fabric of the area, it’s pretty tough not to get super excited! If anyone is interested in getting into triathlons, Klasna’s world class titanium bike frame is for sale here on ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NATL-CHAMP-LITESPEED-TIME-TRIAL-TT-FRAMESET-TITANIUM-2001-CUSTOM-DURA-ACE-LEMOND-/131100102780?pt=US_Bicycles_Frames&hash=item1e862cd07c . We’ve been working a lot behind the scenes recently, trying to maintain and build our inventory of new and used cycling products. We’ve had some sitdowns with some of the biggest names in the sport, from bike companies to pro racers. Look forward to a huge increase in inventory soon, but with stuff moving so fast on our new online store, it’s always best to just drop in and check it out for yourself.
Enjoy the 2014 Amgen Tour of California!
Read more at http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/05/news/stellar-field-heads-tour-california_326419#rWQCYrs7WxtjiHxO.99
Read more at http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/05/news/stellar-field-heads-tour-california_326419#rWQCYrs7WxtjiHxO.99
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