UPDATED
Amgen Tour of California will include Auburn, Foresthill Bridge
Auburn and the Foresthill Bridge have made it onto the Amgen Tour of California map. Tour organizer AEG Sports revealed route details of the epic bike race’s May 16 first stage between Nevada City and Sacramento today. While Colfax and Foresthill didn’t make the cut, Auburn, Meadow Vista, Cool, the American River canyon and the Foresthill Bridge figure prominently in race plans. And countering early reports from a local cycling expert, organizers have mapped out a route that will travel through Old Town Auburn. Riders will pass eye-catching landmarks like the giant, topless Native American women sculptures on Auburn Ravine Road, make their way through the new streetscape, pass several Downtown Auburn businesses along Lincoln Way, and pedal through Old Town and by the Placer County Courthouse. Bill Marengo, owner of Bicycle Emporium in Auburn, was one of several cycling experts who helped AEG with the route “I’m ecstatic for Auburn,” Marengo said. “The area has a chance to promote itself internationally and give people a chance to see the beauty we’ve ridden in for years.” The race will pass by Downtown Auburn businesses like Roper’s Jewelers. Harvey Roper said he’s excited and realizes that plans for the event need the area’s cooperation. “The challenge will be how to best represent the community and who them how special Auburn is,” Roper said. Marengo said the Amgen organizers were looking for a scenic and safe course that would keep costs in line. That meant choices like the scenic Foresthill Bridge and safe routes along some back roads. But it also meant limiting major-road closures because of costs and a decision that will send Amgen riders onto some little-used Auburn side roads. The map of the route shows Tour of California cyclists entering Placer County along Dog Bar Road and then moving onto Meadow Vista's Placer Hills Road. A video produced by AEG for the announcement states the Meadow Vista portion will be a sprint. The route then follows Lake Arthur Road, Bowman Road and Auburn Ravine Road to Elm Avenue, where cyclists will cross over and turn down little-used Shirley Street and onto Garfield Street. They’ll travel underneath Interstate 80 via an underpass. Emerging from the underpass, riders will cycle down Pine Street to Lincoln Way. The pack will make a turn toward Old Town along Lincoln Way and swing left at Sacramento Street before traveling back to the Downtown along High Street and Lincoln Way. From there, it's on to the Foresthill Bridge via Lincoln Way. Chris Jones, a cyclist from Auburn who participated in last year's Amgen Tour of California, announced in the video what had been widely rumored since the fall - that the 730-foot-high Foresthill Bridge will be part of the first stage. It's the highest bridge in California. The Amgen Web site states the route through the city of Auburn includes a ride through Old Town Auburn but Marengo said the mapping directs the race the other way, traveling east to cross the Foresthill Bridge. Riders will descend into the American River canyon along Old Foresthill Road. After crossing two bridges at the American River Confluence, cyclists will test their lung capacity early in the tour with a 1,500-foot ascent along winding Highway 49 to Cool. From there, they'll continue through Cool and Pilot Hill before turning right onto Salmon Falls Road. After a portion of the route that includes Grant Line Road, Highway 16 and Folsom Boulevard in Sacramento County, the first stage will finish in front of the north steps of the state Capitol in Sacramento. Distance for the first leg is 104.2 miles. The riders will continue on routes throughout the state for seven more days.
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This is great news for our community and is thanks to the efforts of our Police Chief Valerie Harris and City Manager Bob Richardson.
Hopefully we can play a more prominent role in future cycling events.
Dr Bill Kirby
Auburn City Council
Thank goodness, there some very happy residents because the route is not on "our side of the tracks" if you will. If they want to torture their bodies the canyon will prove more of a challenge to them anyway.
BH Why so cranky?
How exciting! Can't wait!
Sounds great to me.
Great news! I heard yesterday that this will bring in 8m into the region which is even better...
Good route. Way to go Bubba!
Not cranky ...just happy I don't have to deal with them.
Thanks Bill Marengo of Bicycle Emporium, and a multitude of other local cycling heroes that helped bring the race to Auburn.
This event is televised on an international scale with worldwide multimedia exposure. A bike race of this magnitude brings millions of dollars to local businesses and tax coffers as spectators line the route to salute the riders and then tuck into restaurants to watch TV, so regardless whether one understands this sport, all should support the racers, sponsors, and spectators to assure their return, both for the race in subsequent years and for Auburn-centric recreational cyclotourism that can become our municipality's lucrative destiny.
BTW, someone affiliated with route prep should contact Union Pacific Railroad to coordinate train scheduling so there's not a train at the Auburn Ravine Road crossing when the race arrives.
The race could have easily bypassed Auburn by simply turning left across the bridge and heading toward El Dorado County. Instead, they chose to loop through town in appreciation of Auburn's cycling culture and charms. Let's capitalize on this decision by pulling out all the stops. Chamber: spend some dough on this event today and you will surely reap a significant return in future tourist revenue. The City of Auburn needs to follow the lead of other cities blessed with a visit from a professional bicycle race: do all in its power to decorate and prepare the town for a warm welcome to spectators and racers.
Thanks Bubba, aka as Bill Marengo, and the others for helping to make this happen! This is truly exciting.
lathwithu: Good thoughts. Let’s organize a community project day or weekend and all pitch in to spruce up Auburn this spring before the Tour. It would be fun to get the cycling community, chamber members, business owners, our youth and whoever else would like to join in to “decorate and prepare the town for a warm welcome to spectators and racers.”
It would also be fun to plan a date for cyclists to ride the route together before the Tour and make it an annual event! I think I will start training now.
On the day of the event, it would be fun to utilize the new Streetscape courtyard, maybe have some live music and get the businesses in Downtown collectively to open up their doors on this particular Sunday and join in on the fun, too!
Don't want to sound stupid, ok that already sounds stupid. What day of the week will the race commence?? and do they completly shut down 49 to Cool? Because the people in Cool would be stranded if they shut down 49 to Auburn and to the Pilot Hill area. I don't live over there, just curious.
Correction:
Have just learned that Old Town Auburn will be included on the route after all.
Have changed online story to reflect new information.
Hopefully Armstrong will get a stronger lock on his bike if he is going near Foresthill............
@ TeresaKenworthy: luv how u think.
@ Chickie: the CHP uses a 'rolling roadblock' to close the course temporarily for the time the race passes through, a few minutes to maybe a half hour tops. It goes pretty smoothly because the CHP and the race peloton with follow vehicles are all professionals-- they know what to do, especially having several years experience with the Tour of California. Please plan your day accordingly on May 16th in order to minimise potential frustration with waiting a few minutes for the race to pass.
@ Gus: although the route can change, checkout the link to 'stage log' at each individual stage from the 'Stages' pulldown on the Amgen Tour of California website.The race will go right from Pine onto Lincoln, past the Courthouse, down to Sacramento Street (Old Town), uphill to High, through Central Square, veering right up Lincoln at the clocktower, and up Lincoln all the way to Foresthill Road.
Thanks for the update Gus. A series of articles educating the public on the race, terminology, logistics, viewing points, etc. might encourage readership leading up to race day.
Men in brightly colored spandex need to stay off of the roads, stay out of traffic. Ride in bike lanes, not automobile lanes.
Great news for the Auburn area, its economy and the cyclists. The route the Riders will be taking: the Old Foresthill Rd down the American river canyon and back up to Cool is challenging and scenic. The American River Canyon offers up swimming and hiking, among many other activities. This all could have been gone if that dam was built.
I think this could be great for auburn as long as "auburn" doesn't muck it up. The route picked was a really smart idea because it showcases the best parts of our area to represent us. Hence the reason why Colfax & Foresthill were skipped.
to Teresakenworthy: I find it laughable that we should "spruce up" town for this event. Shouldn't we always want Auburn to look it's best?
I think that people should always take pride in their own yards and their downtown area. instead, like a t.v. comedy let's all get together and plant flowers that don't grow here, and rake up garbage that careless people throw around and drive the homeless people out of downtown for the Amgen tour so that we can go back to having no pride in our town after the event is over.