VSB MEDIA CONTACT:
Michelle Rodriguez, Director of Communications
805.966.9222 ∙ [email protected]
Santa Barbara, CA (February 12, 2013) — Changing direction for the first time in its eight-year history from south to north, America’s largest and most prestigious professional cycling stage race, the 2013 Amgen Tour of California, will bring riders and spectators first-time destinations, unprecedented climbs and demanding sprints on the approximately 750-mile course. This year marks the fourth time Santa Barbara will host the race. Santa Barbara was named an official host city of the 2013 Amgen Tour of California in November. Other host cities include: Escondido, Murrieta, Greater Palm Springs, Palmdale, Santa Clarita, Santa Barbara, Avila Beach, San Jose, Livermore, Mt. Diablo, San Francisco and Santa Rosa. The Race will land in Santa Barbara midway on Wednesday, May 15th for a Stage 4 finish on Cabrillo Boulevard, and on Thursday, May 16th riders will commence Stage 5 in the same scenic location. Santa Barbara will also be host to the Breakaway Mile on May 15th, a celebratory one-mile walk across the finish line of the Tour that’s part of Amgen’s Breakaway from Cancer® National initiative.
“Cabrillo Boulevard is the perfect backdrop for an exciting finish and start for both riders and spectators. I am delighted to see that the race will be showcasing our majestic coastline,” comments Helene Schneider, Santa Barbara Mayor.
“With the race coming to town we will see a direct economic impact in the number of rooms for both participants and spectators, as well as long term PR exposure worldwide,” said Kathy Janega-Dykes, President & CEO of the Visit Santa Barbara and Film Commission.
As one of the most anticipated professional cycling races on the international calendar, the Amgen Tour of California draws top cyclists from the ranks of Olympic medalists, Tour de France competitors and world champions including current world champion Philippe Gilbert. This year marks the fourth time Santa Barbara will host the race. Santa Barbara was named an official host city of the 2013 Amgen Tour of California in November. Other host cities include: Escondido, Murrieta, Greater Palm Springs, Palmdale, Santa Clarita, Avila Beach, San Jose, Livermore, Mt. Diablo, San Francisco and Santa Rosa.
Highlights of the Santa Barbara portion of the route are:
Stage 4: Wednesday, May 15 – Santa Clarita to Santa Barbara
Start Location: Theater Drive and Town Center
Finish Location: Cabrillo Blvd.
Start Time: 12:35 p.m.
Stage Length: 84.7 miles
Veteran Amgen Tour of California racers will recognize this stage from past races, but they’ll be riding it in reverse. After the desert terrain of Stage 3, they’ll welcome ocean breezes as they descend to the finish in coastal Santa Barbara. They’ll have their work cut out for them: punishing headwinds are a regular feature along the route to Santa Paula, site of the first sprint of the stage. A sprint in Ojai will be preceded by the K.O.M. and technical descent of Dennison Grade. Past Ojai, the race stays on Hwy 192 past Carpinteria High, up Toro Canyon and through Montecito where it turns left on Hot Springs followed by a right turn, down to the roundabout and onto Cabrillo Boulevard. After 84.7 miles of racing it is expected that the peloton will all be together for an exciting sprint finish on Cabrillo Boulevard in front of The Fess Parker: A Doubletree by Hilton Resort. There is no question that this stage will favor the sprinters.
Stage 5: Thursday, May 16 – Santa Barbara to Avila Beach
Start Location: Cabrillo Blvd.
Finish Location: Front St.
Start Time 11 a.m.
Stage Length: 116.4 miles
The start location for the 116.4 mile route to Avila Beach is near the previous day’s finish on Cabrillo Boulevard. Following a sign-in ceremony and presentation of the national anthem, the racers will head west on Cabrillo in a parade-like formation until reaching Shoreline Drive at Castillo. From there the race is on to Cliff Drive where they turn left and then right onto Las Positas Road, left onto Modoc and over to Hollister and Highway 154.
The riders will continue over the steep and windy San Marcos Pass along state Route 154 before descending into the Lake Cachuma Recreation Area. The riders will then tackle Foxen Canyon Road outside of Los Olivos and pass through Orcutt and the quaint farm town of Guadalupe, which gave the race a warm welcome in 2006. A sprint in Arroyo Grande will foreshadow an anticipated massive sprint to the finish in Avila Beach. The town offers a picturesque harbor, quaint shops, a beautiful beach and the opportunity for its 1,700 residents to join thousands of race fans to watch the peloton storm down Front Street in hopes of capturing the stage win.
Breakaway from Cancer in Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara will also be host to the Breakaway Mile, a celebratory one-mile walk across the finish line of the 2013 Amgen Tour of California that’s part of Amgen’s Breakaway from Cancer®, a national initiative to increase awareness of important resources available to people affected by cancer – from prevention through survivorship.
From now until February 25, Santa Barbara community members can nominate themselves or others to be a Breakaway from Cancer Champion at the Amgen Tour of California at www.breakawayfromcancer.com/champions. An individual who has made a positive impact and acted as an inspiration to those affected by cancer within the community will be selected as the local Breakaway from Cancer Champion.
And, in mid-April, registration will open for the Breakaway Mile. Amgen invites patients with cancer, survivors, caregivers and advocates to join the Breakaway Mile. In addition to walking in the Breakaway Mile, participants are invited to view the race action from a special reserved viewing area near the finish line. Space is limited to the first 150 registrants.
ABOUT THE AMGEN TOUR OF CALIFORNIA
The largest cycling event in America, the 2013 Amgen Tour of California is a Tour de France-style cycling road race, created and presented by AEG, that challenges the world’s top professional cycling teams to compete along a demanding course from May 12-19, 2013. For more information, please visit the local website www.SantaBarbaraTourOfCalifornia.com , or the national website www.AmgenTourofCalifornia.com
ABOUT BREAKAWAY FROM CANCER
Founded in 2005 by Amgen, Breakaway from Cancer is a national initiative to increase awareness of important resources available to people affected by cancer – from prevention through survivorship. Breakaway from Cancer is a collaboration between Amgen and four nonprofit partner organizations: Prevent Cancer Foundation, Cancer Support Community, Patient Advocate Foundation, and National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship. These organizations offer a broad range of support services complementing those provided by a patient’s team of healthcare professionals. For more information, please visit www.breakawayfromcancer.com or follow us @BreakawayCancer on Twitter and www.facebook.com/BreakawayfromCancer on Facebook.
ABOUT AMGEN
Amgen discovers, develops, manufactures and delivers innovative human therapeutics. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen was one of the first companies to realize the new science’s promise by bringing safe and effective medicines from lab, to manufacturing plant, to patient. Amgen therapeutics have changed the practice of medicine, helping millions of people around the world in the fight against cancer, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, bone disease and other serious illnesses. With a deep and broad pipeline of potential new medicines, Amgen remains committed to advancing science to dramatically improve people’s lives. To learn more about our pioneering science and our vital medicines, visit www.amgen.com. Follow us on http://twitter.com/#!/amgen.
ABOUT AEG
AEG is one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world. AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Anschutz Company, owns or controls a collection of companies including facilities such as STAPLES Center, The Home Depot Center, Sprint Center, The O2, Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE and Best Buy Theater Times Square; sports franchises including the Los Angeles Kings (NHL), two Major League Soccer franchises, two hockey franchises operated in Europe, management of privately held shares of the Los Angeles Lakers, the Bay to Breakers foot race and the Amgen Tour of California cycling road race; AEG Live, the organization’s live-entertainment division, is a collection of companies dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performance, touring and a variety of programming and multi-media production. For more information, visit AEG today at www.aegworldwide.com.
ABOUT SANTA BARBARA
Voted Best Getaway by L.A. Times Readers’ Choice Awards in 2012, Santa Barbara is located just 92 miles north of Los Angeles and 332 miles south of San Francisco, on the Pacific coastline. Visitors can arrive via scenic Highway 101, Amtrak train or Greyhound bus or by flying into Santa Barbara Municipal Airport or Los Angeles International Airport. For travel and accommodation information and to request a free copy of the official Santa Barbara County Visitors Magazine, contact the Visit Santa Barbara and Film Commission at 800.676.1266, 805.966.9222, [email protected] or santabarbaraCA.com. Visitor information is also available at the Visitor Center, 1 Garden Street (at Cabrillo Boulevard).
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