Nineteen Elite TEAMS ANNOUNCED FOR 2011 AMGEN tour of California PROFESSIONAL ROAD CYCLING race

 LOS ANGELES (March 17, 2011) – A world-class field of professional cycling teams, rivaling every other stage race in 2011, has once again been assembled for the upcoming Amgen Tour of California, the largest cycling event in America, which will travel nearly 800 miles throughout California from May 15 – 22, 2011.  Announced today by AEG, presenter of the race, the lineup of teams includes 19 elite international and domestic squads, ensuring a spectacular racing competition for the sixth-annual event.

With the race’s move on the calendar to May last year, the Amgen Tour of California has further solidified its position as one of the most important cycling races in the world by continuing to draw the strongest and most talented field of teams ever assembled for a U.S. cycling race. This year is no exception.  

The 19-team field is comprised of a collection of the world’s best professional cycling teams, including HTC-Highroad, the most successful team of the peloton with more than 400 wins since 2008, featuring sprint sensation Matthew Goss and promising young American Tejay Van Garderen; Team Garmin-Cervélo, one of the most powerful teams in the pro peloton with Americans David Zabriskie and Christian Vande Velde on the roster; three-time Amgen Tour of California champion Levi Leipheimer’s team, Team RadioShack; Sky ProCycling, which features last year’s overall Amgen Tour of California winner Michael Rogers; Saxo Bank Sungard, whose prolific sprinter Juan Jose Haedo will be looking to add to his five Amgen Tour of California stage wins this year; Rabobank Cycling Team, which includes Australian U23 world champion Michael Matthews; and BMC Racing Team, with veteran racing pro George Hincapie at the helm.

The 2011 Amgen Tour of California roster includes the following 19 teams:
UCI ProTeams

• Sky ProCycling (GBR)
• Rabobank Cycling Team (NED)
• Team Garmin-Cervélo (USA)
• HTC-Highroad (USA)
• Team RadioShack ( USA)
• Liquigas-Cannondale (ITA)
• Saxo Bank Sungard (DEN)
• Leopard Trek (LUX)
• BMC Racing Team (USA)

UCI Professional Continental Teams

• Team NetApp (GER)
• Team Type 1-sanofi aventis (USA)
• Team Spidertech Powered By C10 (CAN)
• UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling (USA)

UCI Continental Teams

• Movistar Team (COL)
• Jamis-Sutter Home (USA)
• Kelly Benefit Strategies – Optum Health (USA)
• Bissell Pro Cycling (USA)
• Jelly Belly p/b Kenda (USA)
• Kenda/5-Hour Energy Pro Cycling p/b Geargrinder (USA)

“The caliber of teams participating in the Amgen Tour of California seems to grow with each passing year, which is a great testament to the status of our race on the professional racing calendar,” said Andrew Messick, president of AEG Sports. “Beyond the incredible talent of Tour de France competitors, world champions, Olympic Champions and internationally known cyclists, is the amazing talent of up and coming American cyclists, like Peter Stetina of Team Garmin-Cervélo, Ben King of Team RadioShack and Tejay Van Garderen of HTC-Highroad. I am thrilled that our race gives them the opportunity to build their profile among cycling in the U.S.”

There are a total of 14 teams returning to the Amgen Tour of California for 2011, including: Bissell Pro Cycling; BMC Racing Team; HTC-Highroad; Jamis-Sutter Home (formerly Colavita-Sutter Home); Jelly Belly p/b Kenda; Kelly Benefit Strategies-Optum Health; Liquigas-Cannondale; Rabobank Cycling Team; Saxo Bank Sungard; Team Garmin-Cervélo, Team RadioShack; Team Spidertech Powered by C10; Team Type 1-sanofi aventis; and UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling.

"The Amgen Tour of California has become one of the world’s great sporting events,” said Bob Stapleton, owner of HTC-Highroad. “With its epic stages in Tahoe, the central coast and Mt Baldy, it's a spectacle only exceeded in cycling by the Tour de France. Our home state provides a stunning setting for athletes, spectators and a world-wide television audience."

Teams new to the Amgen Tour of California roster include Kenda/5-Hour Energy Pro Cycling p/b Geargrinder; Leopard Trek; Movistar; Sky ProCycling; and Team NetApp.

“The Amgen Tour of California is one of world’s greatest showcases for professional cycling full stop. The atmosphere, the fans and the race as such is something truly special and we are very happy to participate with a strong line-up for Leopard Trek,” said Brian Nygaard, general manager of Leopard Trek. “It is without a doubt one of our big goals of the season, and we look forward to racing one of the most scenic and attractive races of the season with the highest ambitions.”

For more information about the teams competing in the 2011 Amgen Tour of California, please visit www.amgentourofcalifornia.com.  

About the Amgen Tour of California

The largest cycling event in America, the 2011 Amgen Tour of California is a Tour de France-style cycling road race presented by AEG that challenges the world's top professional cycling teams to compete along a demanding course from May 15-22, 2011. 

About Amgen

Amgen discovers, develops, manufactures, and delivers innovative human therapeutics. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen was one of the first companies to realize the new science's promise by bringing safe, effective medicines from lab to manufacturing plant to patient. Amgen therapeutics have changed the practice of medicine, helping millions of people around the world in the fight against cancer, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, bone disease, and other serious illnesses. With a deep and broad pipeline of potential new medicines, Amgen remains committed to advancing science to dramatically improve people's lives. To learn more about our pioneering science and vital medicines, visit www.amgen.com.

AEG is one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world. AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Anschutz Company, owns or controls a collection of companies including facilities such as STAPLES Center, The Home Depot Center, Sprint Center, The O2, Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE and Best Buy Theater Times Square; sports franchises including the Los Angeles Kings (NHL), two Major League Soccer franchises, two hockey franchises operated in Europe, management of privately held shares of the Los Angeles Lakers, the ING Bay to Breakers foot race, and the Amgen Tour of California cycling road race; AEG Live, the organization's live-entertainment division, is a collection of companies dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performance, touring, and a variety of programming and multi-media production. For more information, visit AEG today at www.aegworldwide.com.

Claremont Hosts Amgen Tour of California Stage 7

Stage 7 to begin in Claremont, ascend to Baldy finish

LOS ANGELES- On May 21, 25,000 people are expected to descend on the city of Claremont to enjoy the start of Stage 7 of the premier cycling race in the U.S., the 2011 Amgen Tour of California will take place from May 15 – 22.

Stage 7 of the race, presented by Nissan, will begin in Claremont on Saturday, May 21 with the signing-in ceremony, where the cyclists will gather to officially sign in for the Stage before they start the race  at the Claremont Train Depot, located at 200 W. First St. in Claremont.Spectators may comfortably watch the entirety of the race on the Jumbo-tron at the Claremont Train Depot.

One of the more difficult stages of the 2011 Amgen Tour of California, the Stage 7 route will wind through the tree-lined streets of Claremont, visiting the Claremont Colleges and the beautiful downtown Village area, before heading north and ascending the San Gabriel Mountains to the famously steep Glendora Mountain Road, Glendora Ridge Road, Azusa Canyon, and ending with the brutal climb to the summit  of Mt. Baldy for a much-anticipated mountain-top finish.

Local media inquiries, please contact Bevin Handel, City of Claremont PIO at 909-399-5497 or Jess Block, PR/Marketing Co-chair of the Stage 7 Local Organizing Committee at 909-706-8525.

Credentialing inquries visit http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/news/media-info.html Credentialing deadline is May 9, 2011.

ABOUT CLAREMONT:
Located 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, Claremont is best known for its beautiful tree-lined streets, historic buildings, and prestigious college campuses reminiscent of old New England. Within its vibrant core, the City boasts a charming Village comprised of a variety of shopping, dining, and professional services. Historic Route 66 travels through the city and is nestled on the lower slopes of the San Gabriel Mountains. For more information visit http://www.tourofcalifornia-claremont.org.

ABOUT THE AMGEN TOUR OF CALIFORNIA:
The largest cycling event in America, the 2011 Amgen Tour of California is a Tour de France-style cycling road race, presented by AEG, that challenges the world’s top professional cycling teams to compete along a demanding course from May 15-22. For more information, visit http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com

Amgen Tour of California Cycling Route Officially Announced

LOS ANGELES- On May 21, 25,000 people are expected to descend on the city of Claremont to enjoy the start of Stage 7 of  the premier cycling race in the U.S., the 2011 Amgen Tour of California, which will take place from May 15 – 22.  Stage 7 of the race, which runs from Claremont to Mt. Baldy, and is presented by Nissan.

Stage 7 of the race will begin in Claremont on Saturday, May 21 with the signing-in ceremony, where the cyclists will gather to officially sign in for the Stage before they start the race  at the Claremont Train Depot, located at 200 W. First St. in Claremont.

Spectators may comfortably watch the entirety of the race on the Jumbo-tron at the Claremont Train Depot.

One of the more difficult stages of the 2011 Amgen Tour of California, the Stage 7 route will wind through the tree-lined streets of Claremont, visiting the Claremont Colleges and the beautiful downtown Village area, before heading north and ascending the San Gabriel Mountains to the famously steep Glendora Mountain Road, ending at the summit of Mt. Baldy for a much-anticipated mountain-top finish.

For more information on the route details, please visit http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com and http://www.tourofcalifornia-claremont.org.

Local media inquiries, please contact Bevin Handel, City of Claremont PIO at 909-399-5497 or Jess Block, PR/Marketing Co-chair of the Stage 7 Local Organizing Committee at 909-706-8525

ABOUT CLAREMONT:
Located 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, Claremont is best known for its beautiful tree-lined streets, historic buildings, and prestigious college campuses reminiscent of old New England. Within its vibrant core, the City boasts a charming Village comprised of a variety of shopping, dining, and professional services. Historic Route 66 travels through the city and is nestled on the lower slopes of the San Gabriel Mountains. For more information visit http://www.tourofcalifornia-claremont.org.

ABOUT THE AMGEN TOUR OF CALIFORNIA:
The largest cycling event in America, the 2011 Amgen Tour of California is a Tour de France-style cycling road race, presented by AEG, that challenges the world’s top professional cycling teams to compete along a demanding course from May 15-22. For more information, visit http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com

Advertising Opportunities

The AMGEN Tour of California is coming to Claremont 
Advertising Opportunities Available 

Claremont has been selected as the Stage 7 Start of the Amgen Tour of California bike race. Professional cyclists from all over the world will ride in Claremont and surrounding areas on Saturday, May 21, 2011. Claremont anticipates 15,000-35,000 people will visit the community to view the race and participate in the fun.

In an effort to promote the event and give local residents and business owners the opportunity to show their support, Claremont is offering the opportunity to purchase a street banner. Banners will be placed on street light poles in the Village, measure 20x24 inches and can be purchased for $250.00 each. Those placed on Foothill and Mills, north of Foothill, are larger 30x96 inches and cost $350.00. All banners will be hung approximately 6 weeks before the race. If you are so inclined, you may order more than one banner, i.e. one for your business and one personally.


Please note that the Amgen Tour of California organizers do have some restrictions on advertisements and all advertisers will have to be approved.

To place your banner order, please pick up and complete a order from the Claremont Chamber office and return to Sonja Stump, 135 West First Street, Claremont, CA 91711 no later than February 18, 2011.  Checks can be made payable to the City of Claremont.

After the race, your banner will be available for pick-up at the Claremont Chamber of Commerce, 205 Yale Avenue (909) 624-1681. Banners must be picked up no later than June 9, 2011.

Questions? Call Sonja Stump or Bob Fagg at (909) 626-1147 or email sonjastumpphoto@gmail.com .

Amgen Tour of California comes to Claremont in 2011

America’s most popular cycling event, the Amgen Tour of California, has selected the City of Claremont as the starting point for its grueling mountain Stage 7, which will occur on Saturday, May 21, 2011. 

The eight-day stage race from May 15-22, 2011, is considered the most important cycling race held in the United States, and draws many of the world’s top professional cycling teams from RadioShack to HTC Columbia.

The Traffic and Transportation Commission will review road closures for the Amgen Tour of California on May 21, 2011 and the mass participation ride on May 7, 2011 at their Monday, December 13, 2010 meeting.

Specific event details are still in the preliminary planning stages, but both events will take place in and around the Claremont Village and then head north through Claremont. The preliminary route for the race encompasses several streets within the Village area, along with College Avenue from First Street to Foothill Boulevard, Foothill Boulevard (College to Mills), Mills Avenue (Foothill to Mt. Baldy), and Mt. Baldy Road (Mills Avenue past the easterly city limit). Several street closures will be required during this event, both short-term (lasting approximately one to two hours), to those in the Village area which may last up to 24-hours.

In an effort to provide as much advanced notice to Village merchants and property owners affected by this race route, the street closure permits will be considered by the Claremont Traffic and Transportation Commission at a special meeting on Monday, December 13, 2010 at 7 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chamber, 225 W. Second Street, Claremont.