After skipping Santa Clarita last year, the Amgen Tour of California will return in 2019 and the city will host the start of the final stage for both the men’s and women’s races, city officials announced Wednesday morning.
“We’re excited to announce that the city of Santa Clarita will be a host city for the 2019 Amgen Tour of California on Saturday, May 18. Bravo!” said Mayor Laurene Weste.
The announcement came following the Amgen Tour’s release of the 13 host cities, starting with Sacramento on May 12 and ending in Pasadena on May 18. All competitors will race through the streets of Santa Clarita as they race toward the overall finish line in Pasadena.
The upcoming race is set to mark Santa Clarita’s 14th time as a host, a record of hosting more stages in race history than any other city.
The Amgen Tour of California is a Tour de France-style cycling road race that challenges the world’s top professional cycling teams to complete a seven-day, seven-stage course that traverses more than 750 miles of the state’s roadways, highways and coastlines.
This year, the Amgen Tour of California Women’s Race empowered with SRAM, showcasing the world’s elite women cyclists, will run concurrently May 16-18, covering upwards of 180 miles over three stages, according to a prepared statement released by the city and the Amgen Tour.
Local women cyclists are already cheering, including Nina Moskol, cyclist and chairwoman of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition SCV chapter.
“I’m really excited about the women’s Tour of California to finally come to Southern California,” she said. “We’ve been seeing the race in Northern California and it’s about time to bring it down south.”
Weste said the event is a great benefit as it “brings regional, national and international eyes to the city of Santa Clarita.”
Local businesses are also known to benefit from the tour such as local hotels and restaurants. Cindy Marnoch of Incycle Bicycles in Valencia said revenue peaks “because people get excited about cycling. We missed a year last year so we really noticed and we’re very thrilled to be included once again.”
To stay engaged with the race and all the events leading up to the event, visit santaclaritatourofca.com.
