BY JEFFREY WEIDEL
Many of the top female cyclists worldwide are hoping to start pedaling around Lake Tahoe today (May 8). But there’s a chance that the first stage of the Women’s Amgen Tour of California race will get upstaged – by Mother Nature.
The National Weather Service is reporting that there’s a 40-percent chance of showers, lightning and thunderstorms today in Lake Tahoe, where snow fell today.
However, tour official Michael Roth sounds confident t the race will take place. “If there is any issues, they can stop it on a dime,” Roth told Bob Moffitt with Capital Public Radio. “It happened in Colorado this year. Our race was stopped just before finish when we had some weather issues, but people are telling me that we have no issues whatsoever.” Fourteen of the top women’s cycling teams from around the world will take part in the Women’s Amgen Tour of California.
Riders in the Women’s Amgen Tour of California will make their way around Lake Tahoe today. Starting and finishing at Heavenly ski resort, partial road closures and delays will affect drivers from approximately 11 a.m. through noon.
The Lake Tahoe Road Race is the first stage. Stage 2 will take place in and around Heavenly, and the third one will be in Sacramento.
Stage Two is scheduled for Saturday – starting at Heavenly ski resort and following Highway 50 to Highway 89, then returning to Heavenly. The weather is expected to be sunny Saturday.
Local law enforcement, and race and tourism officials have created routes to minimize impact on residents and visitors. Travelers should expect 20-minute delays along the course.
“North Lake Tahoe is recognized as a premier human-powered sports destination and we’re proud to have been selected as a destination for this prestigious event,” JT Thompson, tourism director for North Lake Tahoe Resort Association, said. “The NLTRA will also host the USA Cycling Amateur Road National Championships this coming June with over 1,000 cyclists that are expected to enter the competition.”
Lake Tahoe will be one of 14 host cities for elite cyclists from around the world. The race is sanctioned by Union Cycliste International, denoting the highest level for a non-World Cup event. For further information about the Amgen Tour of California and to experience the race like never before with VIP Access, please visit www.amgentourofcalifornia.com.
For more information visit http://www.gotahoenorth.com/events.
The Women’s Amgen Tour of California is a Tour de France-style cycling road race created and presented by AEG that challenges the world’s top professional cycling teams to compete along a demanding course that traverses hundreds of miles of California’s iconic highways, byways and coastlines each spring.
Jeffrey Weidel can be reached at skiweidel@gmail.com. Thanks for visiting his website at www.tahoeskiworld.com
