News Blog
Amgen Tour of California Changes Course
May 3, 2011
The 2011 Amgen Tour of California has re-routed Stage 5 away from the Big Sur coast and into the Carmel and Salinas Valleys due to a collapsed section of road and a massive rock slide covering Highway 1.
Instead of a relatively level ride from Carmel to Cambria along Highway 1 the peloton will leave Seaside and make its way through Fort Ord and Laguna Seca. They will then head into the Carmel River Valley where they will follow the Carmel River up into the coastal range. After topping out at almost 2,400 ft. the cyclists will descend into the Salinas Valley town of Greenfield where they will turn south and pass through King City and San Lucas before making the last climb up to Lake San Antonio and Lake Nacimiento, finally, dropping into Paso Robles to finish the stage.
Although one-lane of Highway 1 has been repaired, allowing for traffic, a rock slide at Alder Creek is still weeks away from being cleared. Sunday saw The Big Sur Marathon forced to change its usual route along Highway 1 due to road issues. And, with the redirection of Stage 5 of the Amgen Tour, comes another blow to a Big Sur community that continues to battle through economic losses sustained as a result of road closures.
Comments
The redirection of Stage 5 of the Amgen Tour is NOT "another blow to [the] Big Sur community.
Most of the residents and businesses have expressed their opinions that the Amgen does not bring in significant revenues to our area as they pass through.
Given the disruptions we have experienced this winter and spring, the loss of the Amgen tour is a welcome relief. We do not need further disruptions, which is what the Amgen represents to Big Sur.
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