L’Etape du California Lets Cyclists Ride Amgen Tour of California Route to Mt. Baldy

4/19/2011 – AEG, presenter of the Amgen Tour of California, is partnering with Pacific Sports, a leading sports and event management company, to produce the L’Etape du California, a race that will give amateur cyclists the opportunity to test their mettle by riding the same route as the professionals on Stage 7 of the 2011 Amgen Tour of California.

Taking place on Saturday, May 7, 2011, riders participating in L’Etape du California will cover, arguably one of the most challenging stages in the race, which goes from Claremont to Mt. Baldy.  The route, breathtaking in its beauty and difficulty, will cover some of the most famous and iconic sections of road in the San Gabriel mountains: Glendora Mountain Road, Glendora Ridge Road, and of course the sharp “beyond category” switchbacks up to the Mt. Baldy Ski Area.  By the end of the ride, participants will have climbed close to 10,000 vertical feet and ridden nearly 100 miles.

“As interest in professional cycling continues to gain momentum in the U.S., we have seen an increasing number of people who want to ride parts of the Amgen Tour of California route,” said Andrew Messick, president of AEG Sports.  

“The Tour du France created the mold for allowing cyclists to ride on the same stage as the top tour professionals on the mountains of France.  We are now doing the same with a stage of the Amgen Tour of California.  With our epic finish on Mt. Baldy, this will be the type of experience and challenge that any rider will be proud to finish.” said Jack Caress, president and CEO of Pacific Sports.

For more information, please visit letapeducalifornia.com.