Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Amgen Tour of California is coming to town

The Amgen Tour of California will be rolling into Paso Robles this Thursday, February 19th. Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, and Floyd Landis are among the top cyclists racing this year.
The Amgen Tour cycling event is currently the largest in America, similar in style to the Tour de France. Top professional cyclists began the 750-mile race on February 14th in Sacramento, and will be finishing on February 22nd in Escondido.

The race is divided up into 8 different stages, with Stage 5 being a 130-mile, mostly flat but very windy ride from Visalia to Paso Robles. Riders will pass by ranches, vineyards, and farms as they race across the valley floor. This is the longest stage of the race, including two sprints along the way in Chalome and Shandon. The final 30 miles along Creston Road and into downtown Paso is sure to be a wild and crazy dash to the finish! The finish line is at Spring & 11th St., and estimated time of arrival is between 3:00 and 4:22 pm.

Stillwaters Vineyard, located on Creston Road, is hosting a Tailgate Watch Party in their vineyard. Lunch and wine tasting begin at 1 pm, and then head down to the road to watch the riders pass by! Cost is $20 per person.









2 comments:

  1. Wish I could go, but I'll be working here in the Tasting Room. Come on by if you plan to attend, and do some tasting!

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  2. Enjoy the race! I'll be in Solvang tomorrow.

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