TOUR OF CALIFORNIA
PUBLIC EVENTS
The Amgen Tour of California will dominate Sacramento, Davis and Winters this weekend. About 75,000 to 100,000 are expected to view the prologue that circles the Capitol on Valentine's Day Saturday.
On Sunday, about 20,000 to 30,000 are expected to view the start of Stage 1 in Davis. A great view of the international field will be in Winters as the cyclists race from Davis to Santa Rosa. Here are other events:
Day 1 - Sacramento
Kids ride: 50 FamiliesFirst Foster children will receive bikes and helmets donated by Sutter Health. The children will receive a safety class at 9:30 a.m., get fitted for bicycles at 10 a.m., and get to try out the course at 10th Street near N at 10:15 a.m.
Community ride: Show up at 11 a.m. on race day Saturday with your bicycle
Festival: Booths, music and food will be at the Amgen Tour of California Festival starting at 11 a.m. and continuing until after the race. The festival is on 10th Street between L and N streets.
The race: Opening ceremonies are at 1 p.m. at Capitol Mall and Ninth Street. Post-race awards ceremony will be at 4:15 p.m., at 11th and L streets. During the race, spectators can view their favorites on the grassy median of the Capitol Mall or along any of the 31 blocks that encompass the downtown course.
Gala dinner: If you want to get up close and personal with the cyclists before the event, there is a gala dinner at Memorial Auditorium on Thursday. Tickets are $300 each. Each of the teams will be presented. Call the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau at (916) 808-8984.
Celebrity watch: With so many professional cyclists in town, you probably will see them on training runs on the American River Parkway or other routes in the region often used by local cyclists.
Day 2 - Davis
Parking and shuttle: Free Unitrans shuttles will run from UC Davis parking lots, near the Mondavi Center, to downtown Davis. Free valet bike parking will also be available at Davis Community Church, Fifth and C streets.
Festival: Central Park in downtown Davis will be the focal point of race-day activities, including the official Stage 1 Festival, with booths and vendors from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The park is bordered by 3rd and 5th Streets and B and C streets. Other activities are scheduled for the E Street Plaza, between 2nd and 3rd.
Museum: The California Bike Museum, at 3rd and B streets, will be open free to the public from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with Bicycling Hall of Famer Cheri Elliott appearing from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Autographs: Amgen riders will sign in and be available for autographs from 11 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. in the south end of Central Park.
Youth bike races: The Davis Bike Club will host junior criterium races from 12:15 p.m. to 2 p.m. in Central Park for racers aged 10 to 18.
Watch parties: Watch coverage of Stage 1 on streaming video from noon 12 p.m.to 5 p.m. at downtown restaurants, including 3rd & U Cafe;, Barista Brew Cafe; Bistro 33, Cafe; Bernardo, Fuzio, Seasons, Steve's Pizza, The Graduate, Uncle Vito's Slice of NY, and Woodstock's Pizza.
The Race: Bikers leave Central Park at noon and make two non-competitive loops downtown, before heading west on Russell Boulevard. The official start line is at the intersection of Russell and Arthur Street, where bikers will shoot west to the small town of Winters, another great viewing point.
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.