2018 Tour of California Host Cities Revealed
The Tour of California (May 13-19) has become an unmissable event on the international calendar. The 2018 host cities of the World Tour stage race of the have been revealed
After several weeks of waiting, the host cities of the next California Tour are now known. The opening stage will start as usual with a race reserved for sprinters. This time it will be in Long Beach.
From the second stage, it will become more difficult with the climb of Gibraltar Road. It was in this ascent that Julian Alaphilippe built his victory in 2016. This is already a decisive step for the final overall classification.
Next, the riders will take on an individual time trial from San Jose to finish in Sacramento.
Last year's winner was George Bennett from team LottoNL-Jumbo . The New Zealander beat Julian Alaphilippe and Peter Sagan .
Next year, at the same time as the men's race is the women's race. It will compete for three days and take in the same final stages as the men's race.
The Tour of California continues to grow steadily to become an important rendezvous for Pro cyclists despite dates clashing with the Giro d'Italia. Its integration into the World Tour has been a great success.
2018 Amgen Tour of California host cities - May 13-19
Stage 1 - Long Beach
Stage 2 - Ventura - Santa Barbara County (Gibraltar Road)
Stage 3 - King City - Monterey County (Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca)
Stage 4 - San Jose (Time Trial)
Stage 5 - Stockton - Elk Grove
Stage 6 - Folsom - South Lake Tahoe
Stage 7 - Sacramento
2018 Amgen Tour of California Women's Race with SRAM host cities - May 17-19
Stage 1 - Elk Grove
Stage 2 - South Lake Tahoe
Stage 3 - Sacramento
VIDEO: 2018 Tour of California Host Cities Revealed
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.
