Amgen Tour of California 2019 Official Program

4 | AMGEN TOUR OF CALIFORNIA | OFFICIAL 2019 PROGRAM 2019 O n behalf of AEG, our teams, Host Cities, partners, and the legions of people it takes to bring this event to life each year, welcome to America’s Greatest Race – the Amgen Tour of California. We are so proud that for 14 years now, we have had the privilege of creating and producing North America’s most prestigious and most viewed cycling race and event. As the continent’s only men’s and women’s races on the UCI WorldTour, they attract the world’s top teams and best cyclists and will surely be among the most exciting sporting events in the U.S. this year. Highlighted by Tour de France Stage Winners, Olympic, World and National Champions, this year’s incredible field promises more thrills than ever. Fans will cheer on top WorldTour teams and five returning champions between the men’s and women’s events: Team Jumbo-Visma’s George Bennett (2017); BORA-hansgrohe’s three-time World Champion Peter Sagan (2015), who also holds the all-time race record for stage wins (16); EF Education First Pro Cycling’s U.S. rider Tejay van Garderen (2013); Boels-Dolmans’ Olympic gold medalist and current World Champion Anna Van der Breggen (2017); and California-based reigning race champion Katie Hall (2018). From these international stars and more – like one of the sport’s all-time greatest sprinters and fan-favorite Mark Cavendish – to next generation greats, the peloton will visit 13 Host Cities as the cyclists wind through beautiful and iconic routes. The action will begin in our state capitol, Sacramento, then head to Rancho Cordova, South Lake Tahoe, Stockton, Morgan Hill, Laguna Seca, Morro Bay, Pismo Beach, Ventura (where the women’s race joins), Ontario, up Mt. Baldy, and Santa Clarita, finishing in front of the famed Rose Bowl in Pasadena. These Host Cities, plus so many other destinations along the way, help create memorable moments for riders and fans alike. The 2019 Amgen Tour of California course features more climbing and more long days on the road than ever before. Racing through seven stages over seven days, the men’s race will travel 773 miles, contest 14 Sprints and accumulate more than 68,000 feet of elevation with 25 King of the Mountain climbs – the most in race history. Plus, more than half of the stages will take the riders more than 120 miles from start to finish. The Amgen Tour of CaliforniaWomen’s Race empowered with SRAM runs concurrently the final three days and features the greatest total elevation gain in race history. The three-stage course will see the athletes gain more than 20,800 feet, with eight Queen of the Mountain climbs, including the women’s first ever crack at the infamous Mt. Baldy summit finish. Of course, an event as ambitious as the Amgen Tour of California would not be possible without support from incredible partners. Our sincerest gratitude goes to our amazing title partner Amgen, whose participation and support since day one have helped shape this race into the event it has become. Amgen uses this race as a platform to spread an important message of innovation and hope to those affected by cancer and cardiovascular issues through their Breakaway from Cancer ® and Breakaway From Heart Disease TM initiatives as well as their newly launched Breakaway Challenge. We also thank our world-class collection of partners, many of whom have been with us from the start, for their contributions to making the Amgen Tour of California an international can’t-miss event: Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O.), Assos, BBVA, Coca-Cola, Lexus, Lodi Wines, Michelob Ultra, NBC Sports Network, Oakley, Rally Health, SRAM, TAG Heuer, and Visit California, to name just a few, and of course our dedicated Host Cities. Lastly, and most importantly, we thank our dedicated fans, who love and support cycling in California as much as we do. We continue to listen to your feedback and evolve the race experience – for those who attend our race in person and the millions more who watch via our award-winning Tour Tracker App; in the United States on the NBC and NBC Sports Networks; and on our incredible international network of affiliates created through our decade-long partnership with the A.S.O. You keep us striving to make each edition of this race better than ever, and it’s because of you that the best is yet to come! W E L C O M E T O T H E 2 0 1 9 A M G E N T O U R O F C A L I F O R N I A See you on the course, Kristin Klein President, Amgen Tour of California Executive Vice President, AEG Sports