2016 Tour of California Leader Jerseys Revealed

As the Amgen Tour of California (May 15-22) and the Amgen Breakaway from Heart Disease Women's Race empowered with SRAM (May 19-22) draw near, cycling fans and pros alike know that a new race season means new jerseys to earn, covet and collect.

LOS ANGELES (April 22, 2016) - As the Amgen Tour of California (May 15-22) and the Amgen Breakaway from Heart Disease Women's Race empowered with SRAM (May 19-22) draw near, cycling fans and pros alike know that a new race season means new jerseys to earn, covet and collect.

Leader [or classification] jerseys are a time-honored tradition in the sport and are awarded in five categories at the California race to signify the best performers each day. The 2016 Amgen Tour of California jersey lineup will feature designs unique to the men's and women's races from Champion System, the race's exclusive jersey provider for the fourth consecutive year.

"The Amgen Tour of California and its elite field provide a tremendously high- profile display for Champion System's leading edge technical apparel," offers Champion System co-founder and president Scott Kaylin. "Every rider in the field vies for the honor of wearing and defending this year's edition. As fans, we can't wait to see them claimed by the best riders and teams this May."

The five classification jerseys that will be awarded daily at the Amgen Tour of California, America's largest and most prestigious professional race, each represent a different skill or achievement: overall race leader, "King of the Mountain/Queen of the Mountain," best sprinter, best young rider and most courageous rider. These five jerseys will be presented daily on stage near the finish line during a special awards ceremony where the recipients will be zipped into custom classification jersey designs. The jerseys will be personalized with the leaders' names printed on the back, a tradition that began at the 2013 Amgen Tour of California.

The coveted classification jerseys are refreshed each year, and for the first time feature designs unique to the separate men's and women's events, including:

Amgen Race Leader Jersey: The hotly contested "yellow jersey" will be awarded to the rider with the lowest cumulative time over the entire race as of the end of each stage. Traditionally yellow, this jersey often changes hands from stage to stage as each day's results are added into the equation. It is possible for a rider to win the Amgen Race Leader Jersey without winning a daily stage since the jersey takes into account overall race times, not stage finish results.

Amgen Breakaway from Cancer ® Most Courageous Rider Jersey: This meaningful jersey will be awarded daily to the cyclist who best exemplifies the character of those engaged in the fight against cancer - courage, sacrifice, inspiration, determination and perseverance.

Lexus King of the Mountain (KOM)/Queen of the Mountain (QOM) Jersey: This jersey will go to the peloton's strongest climber each day - the rider who collects the most points at designated KOM/QOM locations at the tops of mountains and hills. Only the first three cyclists to reach the top on rated climbs will receive points toward this award.

Visit California Sprint Jersey: The "green jersey" is awarded to the rider who accumulates the most bonus points based on Sprint Line performances and finishing the stage in the top ten. Cyclists who specialize in bursts of power and speed, or consistently finish near the top of each stage, have the best chance to wear this respected jersey. Visit California has been a jersey partner since the race's inception in 2006.

SRAM Best Young Rider Jersey: This jersey will be awarded daily to the young rider under the age of 23 with the least amount of elapsed time over the entire race to that point. The wearers of this jersey are best bets to become future cycling stars.

"Every day of the Amgen Tour of California is filled with epic battles and, ultimately, amazing triumphs," said Kristin Klein, president of the Amgen Tour of California and executive vice president of AEG Sports. "We are thankful to Champion System for helping us honor the moments these extraordinary athletes train the whole year - and really, their whole lives - to accomplish."

For fans who want to ride in Amgen Tour of California style, leader jerseys just like the pros will wear are available now at amgentourofcaliforniastore.com, and will be at the Amgen Tour of California Lifestyle Festival near the finish line each day of the race. Also available is a commemorative 2016 Amgen Tour of California limited edition jersey in sleek black, white and gray with modern graphic styling including the fan-favorite California cycling bear.

Experience the race as a VIP through exclusive behind-the-scenes experiences and access into an all-inclusive hospitality tent, featuring a premium location, full food & beverage and lounge-style seating. To purchase VIP Experiences and Passes or for more information, visit amgentourofcalifornia.com/vip.

Interested in exhibitor opportunities for your brand within our daily Finish Line Festival Expo? Visit amgentourofcalifornia.com/festival for additional information.

About the Amgen Tour of California

The 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 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. Amgen Tour of California is listed on the international professional cycling calendar (2 HC, meaning "beyond category"), awarding important, world- ranking points to the top finishers. More information is available at amgentourofcalifornia.com.

This year, the men's course will cover nearly 800 miles over eight days through 12 host cities, including San Diego (first-time host), South Pasadena (first-time host), Santa Clarita, Thousand Oaks, Santa Barbara County, Morro Bay (first-time host), Monterey County, Lodi, South Lake Tahoe (first-time host), Folsom, Santa Rosa and Sacramento. The Amgen Tour of California Women's Race empowered with SRAM will run for the latter half of the men's race (May 19-22) as the U.S. debut event on the inaugural UCI Women's WorldTour (WWT).

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 biologics manufacturing 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.

About AEG 

Founder and operators of the Amgen Tour of California, AEG is one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world. AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Anschutz Corporation, owns or controls a collection of companies including facilities such as STAPLES Center, StubHub Center, Sprint Center, The O2, Mercedes-Benz Arena, Microsoft Theater, L.A. LIVE and PlayStation Theater; sports franchises including the LA Kings (NHL), two Major League Soccer franchises, two hockey franchises operated in Europe, management of privately held shares of the Los Angeles Lakers; 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.