“California is a cyclist’s paradise,” said Caroline Beteta, President & CEO of Visit California. “The annual AMGEN Tour is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to velo culture in the Golden State. Throughout the region, inviting destinations beckon travelers with bike-friendly itineraries of all shapes and sizes, set against a backdrop of beautiful scenery and a climate perfect for outdoor activity on a year-round basis.”
The 2013 AMGEN Tour launches with a grueling 102.6-mile leg starting and ending in downtown Escondido in San Diego County. Though this is the first time the race has started in Southern California, the AMGEN tour ended in Escondido in 2009. Festivities for the 2013 tour will kick off on Cinco de Mayo, a week prior to the start of Stage 1, and include culinary experiences, cycling demonstrations and activities for all ages. On May 12, Mother’s Day and Stage 1 race day, fans will enjoy a full-day festival with live simulcast of the race on jumbo screens. Cycling enthusiasts visiting Escondido may want to tour the area’s wineries by bike. Routes can be customized to suit any endurance level, with Sunshine Mountain Vineyard and Bella Maria Winery to the north, Ferrara Winery in the center of town, and South Orfila Vineyards, Altipiano Vineyard and Winery, Artifact Vineyard and Winery and Cordiano Winery to the south. For those looking to test their cycling stamina with a longer ride, there are more wineries in Rancho Bernardo, approximately 12 miles south, and in Ramona, 18 miles to the east.
On May 13, Stage 2 of the race will cover 124.3 miles from Murrieta in the Inland Empire to just west of Palm Springs in California’s Deserts region. Murrieta is a city of parks, and visiting cyclists will want to take advantage the area’s 300 annual days of sunshine by touring some of the more than 50 public parks located in Murrieta and in surrounding communities. With plenty of variety to please any outdoor enthusiast, highlights include the Warm Spring Park and Preserve, featuring a large catch-and-release fish pond, located just east of the center of town, and the sprawling Ronald Reagan Sports Park, located eight miles south in nearby Temecula, where cyclists will find picnic areas, a skate park and a children’s play area.
Travelers will find a hotbed of art and design at the conclusion of the second stage in the Greater Palm Springs area. Cyclists will want to take advantage of the sunny climate and visit Palm Springs’ wealth of art galleries. They currently number almost 50, and visitors can hit as many as they like over a seven- to eight-mile ride following one of several north-to-south routes. Any of these routes can be customized to include a visit to the world-class Palm Springs Art Museum, and – no matter which path cyclists choose to take – they will pedal past prime examples of Palm Springs’ iconic mid-century architecture, further adding to the cultural experience.
Though Palmdale and Santa Clarita in Los Angeles County have been frequent hosts of past AMGEN races, this year’s Stage 3 on May 14 follows a completely new, 110.4-mile path along San Francisquito Canyon and through parklands bordering Castaic and Hughes lakes. The race route itself is quite intense, but amateur cyclists of all levels can explore the area’s beautiful surroundings by biking to one of the lakes near Palmdale and Santa Clarita. From Palmdale, the Bouquet Reservoir is a 17-mile ride due west, and Lake Elizabeth is roughly 18 miles to the northwest. Riders looking for a more challenging route can ride 22 miles north and east from Santa Clarita to the Bouquet Reservoir. Those seeking a leisurely day tour by bike can head north 14 miles from Santa Clarita to the area’s largest body of water, Castaic Lake.
Stage 4 of the AMGEN Tour 2013 runs 83.6 miles west from Santa Clarita to the Central Coast capital of Santa Barbara on May 15. No visit to Santa Barbara would be complete without a tour of the city’s lush gardens. With many options and routes to choose from, cyclists can create their own itinerary customized to their ability and preferences. Lotusland, a 37-acre collection of exotic plants and horticultural marvels ranging from ferns and succulents to orchids and cacti, is a standout. With 230 acres of greenery, Ellings Park is the largest privately funded park in the nation and features ultimate Frisbee, tennis, BMX racing, paragliding, hang-gliding and amazing ocean views. Another inviting option is the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden, a 78-acre living museum dedicated to the research, education and conservation of native California plants, with historic landmarks, nature trails and a retail nursery.
On May 16, riders will tackle Stage 5 of the race, pedaling 115 miles north from Santa Barbara to the charming seaside town of Avila Beach. With eight tasting rooms in town, including the appropriately named Peloton Cellars, Avila Beach is the perfect place to tour wine tasting rooms by bike. There are also two full-production wineries, Kelsey See Canyon Vineyards and Salisbury Vineyards, located roughly nine miles north of Avila Beach proper, so there is sure to be a route and vintage to please every cycling and wine enthusiast. In addition, Avila Beach is home to the Bob Jones City to Sea Bike Trail, a three-mile scenic ride from the center of town along San Luis Obispo Creek to the Pacific Ocean.
Stage 6 of the AMGEN Tour is a 19.8-mile individual time trial on May 17 that begins and ends in San Jose, the tech capital of the San Francisco Bay Area. San Jose is the perfect destination for travelers who want to bike their way through art, culture, history and cuisine found in the vibrant Asian-immigrant neighborhoods of Japantown and Little Saigon. San Jose’s Japantown is accessible via an easy ride north from downtown and features restaurants, performing arts centers, martial arts schools and the Santo Market, where travelers can find authentic Japanese delicacies in a bike-friendly setting. A quick pedal south and east of downtown is Little Saigon, home to the largest Vietnamese community outside of Vietnam. Pho and banh mi abound in this Southeast Asian enclave, and the area’s Kelley Park is home to the Viet Museum, showcasing the culture and history of the Vietnamese people.
On May 18, Stage 7 will follow a 91.4-mile course from the wine country city of Livermore to Mt. Diablo. Cyclists can trace the path of this segment of the race as they tour the Livermore Valley’s outstanding vineyards, where wine production has been a tradition for almost 250 years. More than 40 wineries operate in the area, growing approximately 4,000 acres of grapes, and visitors can easily make a circuit with a short jaunt to some of the 20 wineries in central Livermore or by venturing as far as Elliston Vineyards and Westover Vineyards, Winery and Event Center in the Sunol area, a 14 mile ride to the southwest.
The final stage of the AMGEN Tour 2013 on May 19 is an 81.4-mile leg from San Francisco to Santa Rosa. San Francisco offers everything a visitor wants in a world-class destination: vibrant nightlife, fabulous entertainment, arts and cultural attractions of all kinds, and a dynamite culinary scene. Wandering foodies who want to combine cycling with a tasting tour of the city can take advantage of San Francisco’s critically acclaimed small plates menus. With hundreds of options to choose from, riders can start their journey in Bernal Heights and head north through the Haight to Japantown and Chinatown, savoring everything from New American to Latin to Mediterranean to Asian specialties. Standouts include, but are not limited to, the Peruvian fare at Piqueo’s Limon Rotisserie, tapas favorites Olive and Amante, go-to Japanese spots Izakayi Sozai and Umi, and eclectic eateries such as Bar Crudo with its fresh off the boat, raw seafood dishes and the Champagne-centric menu at the Bubble Lounge.
The race concludes in the North Coast region capital of Santa Rosa. Nestled in Sonoma County, an area primarily known for its vineyards and wine production, Santa Rosa is also home to some of California’s best breweries. The city is an extremely bike-friendly destination and the perfect place for a brewpub crawl via bicycle. In an easy, five-mile loop, traveling cyclists can tour four of Santa Rosa’s world-renowned breweries, starting downtown at the infamous Russian River Brewery, heading North to the Heritage Public House, then BJ’s Brewery, and returning to Third Street Aleworks in the center of town. Riders looking for a longer trek can add a jaunt to Bear Republic Brewery in Healdsburg, a 14-mile ride north of Santa Rosa.
From wine tasting to art, culture and scenic outdoor pursuits, the Golden State is the ideal place to plan an action-packed cycling adventure. With year-round perfect weather and excursions tailored to cyclists of all ages and skill levels, the communities along the route of the 2013 AMGEN Tour offer cycling fans a tempting two-wheeled vacation whether they plan to visit during the race, May 12-19, or later in the sun-drenched summer.
Visit California is a nonprofit organization with a mission to develop and maintain marketing programs – in partnership with the state’s travel industry – that keep California top-of-mind as a premier travel destination. According to Visit California, travel and tourism expenditures total over $102 billion annually in California (20 percent of which is international), support jobs for 893,000 Californians and generate $6.3 billion in state and local tax revenues.
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