Amgen Tour of California Winds Its Way Through the Bay

The largest bicycle event in the United States is once again weaving its way through the Bay Area as the Amgen Tour of California hits the pavement.

Stage 1 was held on Sunday as some of the top cyclists in the world made their way through the city of Santa Rosa. Stage 2, held on Monday, will feature a route that starts at San Francisco’s Marina Green and ends in Aptos. Stage 3 starts in San Jose and ends in Livermore. The race concludes on Sunday in downtown Los Angeles.

Monday’s stage will take riders down scenic Highway 1 through Daly City and Pacifica and into Half Moon Bay. From there, the cyclists will travel up a steep grade at Bonny Doon before traveling down Highway 17 into Aptos, finishing the race at Cabrillo College.

Stage 3 begins in downtown San Jose with a trek through Calvarea Road and Highway 84 into Livermore. The race will wind its way through downtown Livermore before heading up to Danvile and then, a first in the seven years of the race, riders will climb Mt. Diablo. The race will then make its way back down into Walnut Creek, Clayton and conclude with a sprint finish in downtown Livermore.

There will be plenty of viewing opportunities for racing fans throughout the two days and also, plenty of road closures along the route as well.  Click here for a map of the stages.

Peter Sagan, who suffered a flat tire, won Stage 1 on Sunday.

Photo Credit: Amgen Tour of California

It's simple. Keith Mizuguchi loves to write and write and write some more. After taking a hiatus from the journalism business, he has rekindled his passion for writing over the last two years, holding a job as both a web and on-air writer for San Francisco news radio station KCBS. While he enjoys the news business, his true passions are twofold: sports and food. Bay Area born and raised, he lives in San Jose, commutes to SF and loves every minute of it. You can follow his food adventures on Twitter @foodie_keith.