Amgen Tour route, schedule unveiled

City to host finish of the second stage of cycling race

The latest edition of the state’s premier staged cycling race will sprint into Santa Clarita in May as the city once again plays host to the Amgen Tour of California.

Santa Clarita will host the finish of the second stage of the race on Monday, May 16, according to route details unveiled Thursday.

That stage will take riders on a 92-mile jaunt from South Pasadena — a route filled with gradual climbs that organizers expect will culminate in an all-out sprint to the finish line in front of the Newhall Library on Lyons Avenue.

This year will be the 12th stage of the Tour de Francestyle race that Santa Clarita has hosted. That’s the most in race history, according to organizers.

“We are looking forward to hosting this world-class event in Santa Clarita for a 12th time,” Mayor Bob Kellar said Thursday. “It is exciting for the city and exciting for the community.”

There are also economic benefits, said Rick Gould, the city’s director of parks, recreation and community services. The race brings with it a “traveling roadshow” of spectators, cyclists and support staff, all of whom will visit Santa Clarita when the race rolls into town.

“They’re staying in our hotels, they’re eating in our restaurants, the spectators are coming and enjoying our city,” Gould said Thursday.

The city is also home to a vibrant cycling community, Gould added, which goes hand-in-hand with an event like the Tour of California.

“Santa Clarita has been a major player and part of the tour for years, and we’ve become known as a part of the tour,” Gould said. “It

gives us that international recognition.”

The 2016 Amgen Tour of California, presented by AEG, will start in San Diego on May 15 and finish in Sacramento May 22.

It’s only the second time in its history that the race will run south to north,

organizers say.

Coming into Newhall from the south “makes it a little more challenging” from a logistical standpoint, Gould said, but is also a chance to “showcase Newhall” and all the work that’s been done to revitalize the area.

“When we started (a stage) there a couple of years ago, it was a big hit,” he said. “They, the race organizers, really liked Newhall.

“It should be a fun one this year,” he added.

The Tour of California also features a women’s race, though that will not pass through Santa Clarita.