Sports
Amgen Bike Tour to Wind Through Glendora Next Saturday
The celebrated cycling race will wind its way through Glendora Mountain Road as world class athletes compete on their way to Mt. Baldy.
One of the biggest cycling events in America, the 2011 Amgen Tour of California will be winding its way through Glendora Village next weekend on Saturday, May 21.
The event is a “Tour de France” style cycling road race which covers nearly 800 miles of scenic California roadways and highways and is designed to provide a challenge through eight rigorous stages to some of the world’s premiere professional cycling teams.
Among some of the world famous athletes competing will be American Kristin Armstrong, Olympic Gold Medal Winner and National Road Champion, Charlotte Becker, German National Road Champion, and three-time Champion American Levi Leipheimer.
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The tour is scheduled to get under way tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. with the first stage starting in South Lake Tahoe and winding down more than 118 miles later at the Tahoe Resort, while the entire race culminates on May 22 on an 80 mile segment from Santa Clarita to Thousand Oaks.
Saturday’s stage seven is scheduled to start in Claremont and finish at the Mount Baldy ski area. The riders will make the arduous trek to Mt. Baldy via the steep incline planes of Glendora Mountain Road.
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“Glendora Mountain Road is a well known section of road for cycling enthusiasts,” said Glendora City Manager Chris Jeffers, adding that the tour’s organizers wanted racers to ride up Mt. Baldy because of the added difficulty inherent in the climb.
The City of Pasadena had originally bid for this stage of the tour but lost out on the stage due to a recent station fire.
“They (tour organizers) wanted a mountain park and they looked at starting and finishing in Claremont, but now there are actually two races in one. The timed trials are the part of the race that will encompass the downtown area,” said Jeffers.
Tour organizers have said the 75.8 mile stage from Claremont to the 6.6 mile Glendora Mountain Road to Mt. Baldy Road with an elevation of 2,039 feet is the perfect finish to the event.
Additionally, according to information provided by the city, during Saturday’s stage, there will be a bonus finish line located at Glendora and Meda Avunues. Participants will turn north on Glendora Avenue from Foothill Blvd and cycle through the Village area to Meda.
Jeffers said he hoped that residents would come out to cheer on the cyclists which are expected to pass through the Downtown area by 1:45 p.m.
