World Champions, National Champions, Olympians and Tour de France Stage Winners Converge in Sacramento for the Start of America’s Greatest Race on Sunday
AEG, producer and presenter of the 14th annual Amgen Tour of California, announced rosters for the 2019 weeklong professional cycling race that begins Sunday, May 12 in Sacramento.
Nineteen men’s teams of elite professional cyclists representing 33 countries will contest 773 miles of California’s most scenic highways, mountain roads and coastlines, visiting 13 cities throughout the state for stage starts and finishes, concluding in Pasadena on May 18.
The peloton of 133 riders will include three World Champions, including three-time titleholder Peter Sagan (SVK), who also holds the record for Amgen Tour of California stage wins (16) and the 2015 race title. America’s Greatest Race will showcase 25 U.S. riders, as well as six current National Road Race Champions from around the world.
Known as a battleground destination for sprinters, the all-star lineup of Sagan, Team Dimension Data’s Mark Cavendish (GBR) (winner of 30 stages of the Tour de France, second of all time), Cofidis Solutions Crédits’ Nacer Bouhanni (FRA), Trek-Segafredo’s John Degenkolb (GER) and Team Jumbo-Visma’s Danny van Poppel (NED) will be challenged from young riders like UAE Team Emirates’ Jasper Philipsen (BEL), Astana’s 2018 Tour de France stage winner Magnus Cort Nielsen (DEN), and development team talent from the Israel Cycling Academy’s debut, the U.S. National Team and other top Pro Continental teams in the race.
All-arounders and climbers like Jumbo-Visma’s 2017 race champion George Bennett (AUS), Trek-Segafredo’s Richie Porte (AUS) and Tom Skujins (LAT), EF Education First Pro Cycling’s U.S. trio of Tejay van Garderen, Lawson Craddock and Taylor Phinney and Bahrain-Merida’s Rohan Dennis (AUS) will look for their chances on the weeklong route that includes the longest road days and most climbing in race history.
Final rosters for the Amgen Tour of California Women’s Race empowered with SRAM will be released in advance of the race, which takes place in Southern California May 16-18.
FAVORITES IN POPULAR CATEGORIES INCLUDE:
General Classification (Overall Contenders)
· George Bennett (NZL), Team Jumbo-Visma (TJV)
· Tejay van Garderen (USA), EF-Education First Pro Cycling (EF1)
· Richie Porte (AUS), Trek-Segafredo (TFS)
· Felix Grossschartner (AUT), BORA-hansgrohe (BOH)
· Lawson Craddock (USA), EF Education First Pro Cycling (EF1)
· Peter Stetina (USA), Trek-Segafredo (TFS)
· Rigoberto Uran (COL), EF Education First Pro Cycling (EF1)
· Tadej Pogacar (SLO), UAE Team Emirates (UAD)
Sprinters
· Peter Sagan (SVK), BORA-hansgrohe (BOH)
· Mark Cavendish (GBR), Team Dimension Data (DDD)
· Travis McCabe (USA), USA Cycling National Team (USA)
· John Degenkolb (GER), Trek-Segafredo (TFS)
· Rick Zabel (GER), Team Katusha Alpecin (TKA)
· Nacer Bouhanni (FRA), Cofidis Solutions Crédits (CDF)
· Fabio Jakobsen (NED), Deceuninck – Quick-Step (DQT)
· Davide Ballerini (ITA), Astana Pro Team (AST)
· Jasper Philipsen (BEL), UAE Team Emirates (UAD)
· Cees Bol (NED), Team Sunweb (SUN)
· Kristoffer Halvorsen (NOR), Team Ineos (INS)
· Ivan Garcia Cortina (ESP), Bahrain-Merida (BRN)
Climbers
· George Bennett (NZL), Team Jumbo-Visma (TJV)
· Richie Porte (AUS), Trek-Segafredo (TFS)
· Rigoberto Uran (COL), EF Education First Pro Cycling (EF1)
· Tom Skujins (LAT), Trek-Segafredo (TFS)
· Tejay van Garderen (USA), EF Education First Pro Cycling (EF1)
· Lachlan Morton (AUS), Team Dimension Data (DDD)
· Lawson Craddock (USA), EF Education First Pro Cycling (EF1)
· Rob Britton (CAN), Rally UHC Cycling (RLY)
Stage Wins
· Peter Sagan (SVK), BORA-hansgrohe (BOH)
· Mark Cavendish (GBR), Team Dimension Data (DDD)
· Travis McCabe (USA), USA Cycling National Team (USA)
· John Degenkolb (GER), Trek-Segafredo (TFS)
· Zdenek Štybar (CZE), Deceuninck – Quick-Step (DQT)
· Rick Zabel (GER), Team Katusha Alpecin (TKA)
· Nacer Bouhanni (FRA), Cofidis Solutions Crédits (CDF)
· Fabio Jakobsen (NED), Deceuninck – Quick-Step (DQT)
· Davide Ballerini (ITA), Astana Pro Team (AST)
· Jasper Philipsen (BEL), UAE Team Emirates (UAD)
· Cees Bol (NED), Team Sunweb (SUN)
· Kristoffer Halvorsen (NOR), Team Ineos (INS)
· Ivan Garcia Cortina (ESP), Bahrain-Merida (BRN)
· George Bennett (NZL), Team Jumbo-Visma (TJV)
· Richie Porte (AUS), Trek-Segafredo (TFS)
· Tom Skujins (LAT), Trek-Segafredo (TFS)
· Tejay van Garderen (USA), EF Education First Pro Cycling (EF1)
· Lachlan Morton (AUS), Team Dimension Data (DDD)
· Lawson Craddock (USA), EF Education First Pro Cycling (EF1)
· Rob Britton (CAN), Rally UHC Cycling (RLY)
· Evan Huffman (USA), Rally UHC Cycling (RLY)
· Maximilian Schachmann (GER), BORA-hansgrohe (BOH)
Fans can stay up to date on the race via daily live airings on NBC Sports Network with the May 18 conclusion live on NBC, and via the free Amgen Tour of California App. The Amgen Tour of California Women’s Race empowered with SRAM UCI WorldTour race showcasing the world’s best women cyclists will run concurrently beginning in Ventura May 16-18.
Amgen Tour of California fans can connect with the race through all of their favorite social media platforms and use #AmgenTOC to join the conversation.
