Amgen Tour of California Announces 2018 Host Cities and Race Schedule for Men's and Women’s Races in May
California’s Largest Sporting Event Will Travel from Long Beach to Sacramento with Same Day Finishes for Men’s and Women’s Races
October 26, 2017
LOS ANGELES--AEG, owner and presenter of the Amgen Tour of California, welcomes 11 Host Cities across the state for the 13th edition of America’s premier cycling stage race May 13-19. Throughout seven stages over seven days, the world’s best cyclists will contest 600+ miles of roadways, highways and coastlines from Long Beach to Sacramento. The 2018 edition will mark the third time in race history that the peloton will travel the Golden State from south to north.
“With a mix of Host Cities that highlight the diversity of California – from urban to remote, ocean to desert, forests to mountains – the race continues its tradition as a dynamic and anticipated event on the international calendar.”
The annual professional cycling events carry the distinction of being the only U.S. races on the UCI WorldTour calendar and attract some of the most renowned cyclists and teams in the world. With seven new courses between them, this is the 11th consecutive year the event has featured an international platform for both men’s and women’s racing.
The 2018 Host Cities include the return of fan and race team favorites, long-time veterans like San Jose and Sacramento, and two first-time destinations: Ventura and King City. A favored site for the women’s race, South Lake Tahoe will once again host the men for the Stage 6 finish and welcome back the women for the fourth year in a row. The peloton will revisit Stockton and Long Beach for the first time in 11 years, with the men’s overall start overlooking the beautiful Long Beach Waterfront. Folsom returns as a third-time host for an epic stage through the Sierra Nevada mountains. The exciting overall conclusion of both races on the same day in the State Capitol of Sacramento will provide spectators the opportunity to cheer on favorites across both fields.
“The 2018 Amgen Tour of California will captivate fans everywhere with all-star pelotons and new routes that showcase the incredible beauty of the Golden State,” said Kristin Klein, president of the Amgen Tour of California and executive vice president of AEG Sports. “With a mix of Host Cities that highlight the diversity of California – from urban to remote, ocean to desert, forests to mountains – the race continues its tradition as a dynamic and anticipated event on the international calendar.”
The Amgen Tour of California is designed to cover a variety of terrain, allowing different types of specialists among the field of the world’s greatest cyclists to shine throughout the week. Highlights of the men’s race will include the Queen Stage from Ventura to the summit of Gibraltar Road in Santa Barbara County; a challenging mountain stage with an uphill finish at 6,500 feet elevation in South Lake Tahoe on day six; and the highly anticipated sprinter showdowns the race has become known for on many stages. Similar to 2017, the women’s overall will be contested on the high-altitude Queen Stage in South Lake Tahoe which features one of the biggest climbs in the UCI Women’s WorldTour, while the speedy sprinters will find their opportunities on the first and last stages of the race.
Title sponsor Amgen has been a race partner since race inception. In 2005, Amgen launched Breakaway from Cancer®, its national initiative to increase awareness of important resources available to people affected by cancer – from prevention through survivorship. Amgen expanded its platform in 2016 to launch Breakaway from Heart Disease™, aimed at encouraging Americans to have a game plan to tackle heart disease by understanding their risk through diagnostic screening and by taking charge of their heart health through diet, exercise and appropriate treatment options. To learn more, visit breakawayfromcancer.com and breakawayfromheartdisease.com.
“At Amgen, our mission is to serve patients, and for more than 35 years we have reached millions of people with our medicines,” said Laura Hamill, senior vice president, U.S. Business Operations, Amgen. “Our sponsorship of the Amgen Tour of California gives us a platform to discuss, educate and empower people to have hope and believe in drug innovation to live a longer, healthier life.”
In addition to lining the race course for free, true cycling fans will once again have the opportunity to experience the race as a VIP from an all-inclusive hospitality tent or through once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. To learn about the exclusive opportunities, visit amgentourofcalifornia.com/vipaccess or call 213-742-7145.
About the Amgen Tour of California
The Amgen Tour of California and the Amgen Women's Race empowered with SRAM are Tour de France-style cycling road races created and presented by AEG. Running concurrently, the races challenges the world's top professional cycling teams to compete along demanding courses that traverses hundreds of miles of California's iconic highways, byways and coastlines each spring. The teams chosen to participate have included Olympic medalists, Tour de France contenders and World Champions, and award important, world-ranking points to the top finishers. More information is available at amgentourofcalifornia.com.
About Amgen
Amgen is committed to unlocking the potential of biology for patients suffering from serious illnesses by discovering, developing, manufacturing and delivering innovative human therapeutics. This approach begins by using tools like advanced human genetics to unravel the complexities of disease and understand the fundamentals of human biology.
Amgen focuses on areas of high unmet medical need and leverages its expertise to strive for solutions that improve health outcomes and dramatically improve people's lives. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen has grown to be one of the world's leading independent biotechnology companies, has reached millions of patients around the world and is developing a pipeline of medicines with breakaway potential.
For more information, visit www.amgen.com and follow us on www.twitter.com/amgen.
About AEG
Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, AEG is the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company. With offices on five continents, AEG operates in the following business segments: AEG Facilities, which is affiliated with or owns, manages or consults with more than 120 preeminent arenas, stadiums, theaters, clubs and convention centers around the world including STAPLES Center, The O2 Arena, the Sprint Center and the Mercedes-Benz Arenas; AEG Live, which is dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performances, including producing and promoting global and regional concert tours, music and special events and world-renowned festivals; AEG Real Estate, which develops world-class venues, as well as major sports and entertainment districts like STAPLES Center and L.A. LIVE; AEG Sports, which is the world’s largest operator of sports franchises and high-profile sporting events; and AEG Global Partnerships, which oversees worldwide sales and servicing of sponsorships including naming rights, premium seating and other strategic partnerships. Through its worldwide network of venues, portfolio of powerful sports and music brands, AXS.com ticketing platform, AXS cable television channel and its integrated entertainment districts, AEG entertains more than 100 million guests annually. More information about AEG can be found at www.aegworldwide.com.
Contacts
AEG
Michael Roth, 213-742-7155
mroth@aegworldwide.com
or
Canvas Blue
Josh Levitt, 213-335-5671
JLevitt@canvasblue.com