Monday, October 26, 2009

Lance & Levi Set to Bike NOPA

2008 Tour of California - Stage 2 by BikeRanger.
photo by BikeRanger on Flickr

Isn't it a bit soon to have the world's top cyclists choose NOPA for a premiere tour? Have our 30 square blocks of bikes and prime livability generated that much buzz already? Ready or not, NOPA will give up several blocks of Fell Street for Stage 3 in the Tour of California set for May 18, 2010. Considered the most prestigious and important bike race in the United States, the eight-stage tour will include 16 host cities and will feature several firsts:
  • first time to be held in May instead of February to include more diverse terrain
  • first mountain-top finish in race history (stage 6 at Big Ben Lake)
  • first time to ride through Los Angeles, Bakersfield, Nevada City and Thousand Oaks
  • first time to announce host cities, stages, and dates via Twitter
Seven-time Tour de France winner, Lance Armstrong, will ride with the newly formed Team RadioShack in his second consecutive year with the California event. Three-time defending champ and Santa Rosa resident, Levi Leipheimer, recently signed on with RadioShack as well for the 750 mile tour.

Last year the Tour of California cyclists raced across the Golden Gate Bridge, but in 2010 the San Francisco stage begins at the Embarcadero and follows the Bay-to-Breakers course to the Great Highway. Thus, the race on Fell Street. Perhaps NOPA will host a few cycling spin-off events as well.


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