LOS ANGELES, CA – The host cities for the record-setting Amgen Tour of California professional cycling road race were announced this morning via a Twitter exchange that took place shortly before 9 a.m. PT between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and some of America’s most accomplished cyclists, including Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, Dave Zabriskie and George Hincapie. This marked the first time an event of this stature has ever been announced via Twitter.

Along with the overall announcement of the race, the four cyclists also revealed their intentions to participate in the fifth-annual event, considered to be America’s most important and prestigious cycling race.

Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong’s announcement of his intent to compete in the fifth-annual race was met with enthusiasm from race organizers and fans. After mounting an incredible comeback to professional cycling in 2009, competing in the Amgen Tour of California and other top races around the world, including finishing third in the 2009 Tour de France, Armstrong will start the 2010 season on his newly formed Team RadioShack. Returning to the Amgen Tour of California for the second consecutive year, Armstrong is expected to be a top competitor in the race.

The 2010 Amgen Tour of California will travel to 16 host cities throughout the state over the course of eight days from May 16-23. After four years of being positioned in February, the date change will allow the Tour de France-style road race to visit locations that wouldn’t have been possible in February, including the very first mountain-top finish in race history.

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Stage 8 top-five finishers:
1) Fränk Schleck (LUX), Team Saxo Bank
2) Vincenzo Nibali (ITA), Liquigas
3) George Hincapie (USA), Team Columbia-High Road
4) Rory Sutherland (AUS), Ouch Presented by Maxxis
5) Grischa Niermann (GER), Rabobank

Final General Classification:
1) Levi Leipheimer (USA), Astana
2) David Zabriskie (USA), Garmin-Slipstream
3) Michael Rogers (AUS), Team Columbia-High Road
4) Jens Voigt (GER), Team Saxo Bank
5) Thomas Lövkvist (SWE), Team Columbia-High Road

Check out the full Amgen Tour of California Coverage here…

Defending Champion Levi Leipheimer Races to Win Individual Time Trial in Solvang for Third Consecutive Year - Fans lined up ten deep in some places along the 15-mile individual time trial route in Solvang to welcome world-class cyclists from 17 professional teams for the critical Stage 6 individual time trial of the 2009 Amgen Tour of California. After completing the longest day of the race yesterday, the riders were faced with a course that was dominated by Levi Leipheimer (USA) of Astana for the third consecutive year. Read More here…

Post Stage 6 Quotes - I’ve won this race before and you really have to appreciate the work that your team does for you Read More here…

Tom Zirbel is the only domestic rider to crack the Solvang Time Trial Top 10 - By Lyne Lamoureux
Bissell’s Tom Zirbel improved his time trial result by a whopping 58 seconds over last year’s showing in the Solvang Time Trial at the Tour of California. Zirbelicious finished in seventh spot at 39 seconds off the fastest time of Levi Leipheimer (Astana) and was the highest placed domestic rider. Read More here…

Photo Galleries -
kwc gallery: Solvang Time Trial - See it here…

The 2009 Amgen Tour of California continued Sunday with Stage 1, a very awful, wet, and miserable stage from Davis to Santa Rosa.

Second Annual Tour of California Women’s Criterium Won by Emilia Fahlin - By Stephanie Gutowski
“In this kind of conditions it’s not a surprise for a break to succeed. So many teams with a lot of horse power were trying to drive it. In these conditions when it’s cold and raining it becomes hard for the girls. We had a plan to get Martina set up for the sprint.” Read more here…

Rock Racing’s Fancisco Mancebo Wins Stage 1 of the 2009 Amgen Tour of California
“Record crowds were, once again, on hand for Stage 1 of the 2009 Amgen Tour of California to watch the world’s top cyclists travel from Davis to Santa Rosa, culminating with a climactic finish in downtown Santa Rosa.” Read more here…

Photo Galleries -
kwc gallery - Stage 1 Women’s Crit
Stage 1: Davis to Santa Rosa - Photo Gallery

Follow us at http://reviews.roadbikereview.com/tour-of-california/ as there will be more to come as the race unfolds!

The 2009 Amgen Tour of California started today with a Prologue in Sacramento today and RoadBikeReview was there to bring you daily coverage! As we will throughout the 8 day stage race.

Tour of California Prologue roundup:

Pre-Race:

Time trial, finishing speed and aggressivity for the Bissell team at Tour of California by Lyne Lamoureux
Lyne met up with the Bissell team at their pre-season training camp to talk about the upcoming season and the Tour of California, “We’re definitely going to go all guns blazing in the prologue and then it will probably take one or two stages to shake out who’s doing what and then who’s aiming for what with every team but then after that, we definitely will be targeting a few stages. Obviously trying to save Ben and Tom a little bit for the time trial,” Read more here…

Team Bike: Astana Trek Madone 6.9
Ben Coates took time out of his busy day during Astana’s pre-season camp in Santa Rosa to show us Chris Horner’s Trek Madone 6.9. Watch the video here…

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LOS ANGELES, CA – Details about the fourth-annual Lifestyle Festival taking place adjacent to the finish line each of the nine days of the 2009 Amgen Tour of California were announced by race organizers AEG. The Lifestyle Festival is an interactive, nine-day, free-to-the-public “festival” that will travel once again with the internationally sanctioned professional cycling stage race.

The popular Lifestyle Festival gives cycling enthusiasts a place to experience the spectacle of race day in the hours leading up to the exhilarating stage finish. Located near the finish line of each daily stage, the festival will feature race-day activities such as health screenings, cancer awareness education, live music, food, entertainment, sweepstakes drawings, bicycle safety, family activities, and interactive displays and presentations featuring more than 38 participating vendors.

“The Lifestyle Festival is a very important piece of the Amgen Tour of California,” said Andrew Messick, president of AEG Sports, presenter of the race. “It provides the perfect opportunity for many of our partners and many more dedicated companies to share the message of health and well-being with the race communities and fans, as well as gives race goers a place to meet and experience the free entertainment the festival has to offer.”

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., – The BISSELL Pro Cycling Team has finalized its eight-member roster for the 2009 Amgen Tour of California. Team leaders Ben Jacques-Maynes and Tom Zirbel will equally play critical roles in the success of this high-profile race.

Ben Jacques-Maynes returns to this tour with a history of strong results. He placed 16th overall during last year’s Tour of California, and for two consecutive years has placed in the top ten for the time trial.

Zirbel will also battle in the time trial. In 2008, he placed 2nd at the USPRO and 8th at the Stage 5 Tour of California time trials, and also boasts a 1st place victory Tour of Utah 2008 Time Trial. Zirbel is also well-known for his memorable breakaway in last year’s final stage of the Tour of California.

After six years of racing on separate teams, Andy Jacques-Maynes joins his brother Ben in California for his first race back in the pro ranks, following a successful 2008 season. He ranked 2nd in the road race and 3rd in the time trial at Elite U.S. Nationals last year. The BISSELL Tour of California roster will also include New Zealanders, Jeremy Vennell and Peter Latham. Vennell adds to the team’s time trialing strength as the 2009 New Zealand Time Trial Champion. Latham, new to the team for 2009, was a member of the New Zealand Olympic and World’s Track Championship teams.

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Professional cycling races have a long-standing tradition of awarding special jerseys to daily overall race leaders in several categories. In keeping with this popular tradition, the 2009
Amgen Tour of California will signify standout performances each day by presenting specially designed jerseys in the following categories:

The Amgen Race Leader jersey is awarded to the rider with the least amount of elapsed time over the entire race. Depending on each day’s results, the rider wearing the Leader Jersey can change from stage to stage. Because the overall winner is based on lowest cumulative time, a rider can ultimately win the Amgen Race Leader Jersey without winning a single daily stage.

Each day, the most courageous rider will earn Amgen’s Breakaway from Cancer™ jersey. It will be awarded to a cyclist who best exemplifies the character of those engaged in the fight against cancer. The jersey will not necessarily be awarded to the fastest or best cyclist of the day, but rather to the rider who best demonstrates courage, sacrifice, inspiration, determination and perseverance.

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For the First Time Ever, VERSUS will Air Live Weekday Coverage of the United State’s Top Cycling Event and Lance Armstrong’s Second Race of the Season

NEW YORK, N.Y. —VERSUS, the network that celebrates real competition and the home of professional cycling in the United States, announced today it will air wall-to-wall coverage of the fourth annual Amgen Tour of California, Lance Armstrong’s second race of the 2009 cycling season. Now in its third year of televising the race, VERSUS will air all nine days of the event, including live coverage of the middle stages for the first time, beginning February 14 at 5 p.m. ET.

The recently expanded 750-mile, nine-day race from Sacramento to San Diego County will feature the world’s top professional cyclists and teams including: Lance Armstrong in his first Amgen Tour of California competition, two-time defending race champion Levi Leipheimer and top U.S.-based teams Garmin-Slipstream and Team Columbia-Highroad. VERSUS’ on-air broadcast team of Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen, the undisputed voices of cycling, will call all the race action.

“The Amgen Tour of California has become one of cycling’s most prestigious events and we’re excited to offer cycling fans nine straight days of all the intense competition the race usually delivers,” said Jamie Davis, President of VERSUS. “With strong U.S.-based teams and Lance Armstrong competing in the race for the first time, it is undoubtedly a marquee year for the race and we’re extremely proud to be able to showcase each weekday stage live for the first time.”

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SAN JOSE, CALIF. – Hotel Valencia Santana Row is excited to welcome the largest road cycling event in America, the AMGEN Tour, by offering a special incentive for sports enthusiasts! AMGEN spectators and participants will enjoy the “Stay and Play” package on Monday, February 16. “Stay and Play” includes a discounted room for two and a deluxe carbo-load breakfast buffet the next morning. Rates are from $249, per night, exclusive of tax.

“Hotel Valencia is proud to offer an exclusive package for this year’s spectacular AMGEN Tour,” said Bonnie Best, General Manager of Hotel Valencia Santana Row. “Stay and Play” is a unique offering among San Jose Hotels and we’re thrilled to support the racers, their families and fans.”

The morning of the race, guests can partake in the deluxe carbo-load breakfast buffet. With plenty of fresh pastries, delicious berry blintzes, oatmeal, a variety of cereals and granola, fresh and dried fruit, as well as eggs, sausages and more, sports enthusiasts and racers can have an energy packed meal before heading over to the starting line of the third leg of this legendary race. For those that prefer an even wider variety of breakfast goodies, Hotel Valencia provides a separate breakfast menu with additional morning treats to begin the day.

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