Morro Bay will again welcome the professional cycling world to town, after it signed on to host the finish of one stage of the 12th Annual Amgen Tour of California, set to hopscotch for some 600 miles across the Golden State Sunday-Saturday, May 14-20, 2017.
Considered the largest “stage race” in North America, the Amgen Tour of California has become the premiere professional cycling race in the U.S., followed by untold millions of people, and including athletes from around the world.
The 2017 race will mark the first time the men’s race has been elevated to “UCI WorldTour” status, making it the only stage race in North America to receive the prestigious classification, according to Amgen’s Nov. 2 news release that unveiled its list of host cities for both the starts and finishes of each of the seven stages.
The Men’s race stages are: Stage 1, Sunday, May 14, in Sacramento; Stage 2, Monday, May 15, from Modesto to San Jose; Stage 3, Tuesday, May 16 from Pismo Beach to Morro Bay; Stage 4, Wednesday, May 17, from Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita; Stage 5, Thursday, May 18, from Ontario to Mt. Baldy (Summit Finish); Stage 6, Friday, May 19, in Big Bear Lake (Individual Time Trials); and Stage 7, Saturday, May 20, from Mountain High to Pasadena.
There will also again be a women’s race, called the “Amgen Breakaway from Heart Disease Women’s Race,” with four stages from May 11-14, all being held in South Lake Tahoe and the Sacramento area.
“California’s Central Coast and San Luis Obispo County have long been race favorites over the years,” reads Amgen’s announcement of the Tour. “This stage will feature another start near the ocean in Pismo Beach and a first-time finish near the harbor in Morro Bay. The stage is designed for a craft sprinter who can handle an uphill sprint to the finish.”
The City of Morro Bay held a press conference Nov. 2 at Giovanni’s Fish Market loading docks to announce the news.
“Our city is honored to be chosen as a host for Amgen for a second year in a row,” said Mayor Jamie Irons at the news conference. “In May of 2017, Morro Bay will host a finish that showcases our friendly and welcoming community, our National Estuary and our wonderful Downtown and Waterfront.”
“We are incredibly thrilled that Amgen chose San Luis Obispo County to host an entire stage of the race in 2017,” said Aaron Graves, a board member with Visit San Luis Obispo County, the contractor for the County Tourism Marketing District or CTMD. “This will be a first for us to have both a start and a finish in the same day and expect the spotlight on our region to have a measurable long-term economic impact.”
Other SLO County cities that have hosted Amgen race finishes include San Luis Obispo, Pismo Beach, Avila Beach, Paso Robles and Cambria.
Exact routes for each stage have not been finalized, as Amgen has only just firmed up its list of host cities. Exact routes must be worked out through each local jurisdiction, however, the City did release a tentative route, designed to maximize the number of local businesses that will get exposure during coverage of the race, according to a staff report from the City Manager.
Stage 3, which has Stage 2 ending in San Jose the night before, starts in Pismo Beach (likely the Pismo Pier) and will make its way to Morro Bay by some circuitous route yet to be announced. But there are just two ways into town from Pismo — Hwy 1 or South Bay Boulevard.
In the City’s tentative route map, the riders would come off South Bay Boulevard onto Lower State Park Road, wind around past the State Park Campground and Natural History Museum, up onto Main Street. They would turn off Main at Marina and head down to the Embarcadero, then turn right (north) and go up to Harbor Street.
There they turn up the hill with the finish line at Harbor Street and Morro Avenue for a steep, albeit short, uphill sprint to the finish.
The race’s other Central Coast stage moves the next morning on to Santa Barbara for the start and then heads southeasterly to Santa Clarita traversing a fan-favorite stretch, Balcom Canyon, for a wickedly steep climb, concluding with a sprint to the finish.
Back in September, Morro Bay Staff brought to the City Council a proposal to host the tour once again, after last year’s successful hosting of a stage start, which headed up Hwy 1 and ended in Monterey. (Of note, with this year’s course the State’s most famous cycling race will skip entirely the State’s most famous stretch of scenic roadway — Hwy 1 from Monterey to Morro Bay.)
City Manager David Buckingham said the total cost will be some $57,000 with $25,000 to come out of the Morro Bay Tourism Business Improvement District monies (recommended for funding by TBID Advisory Board), and a $32,000 grant from Visit SLO County, which is the contractor for the County Tourism Marketing District. So no money will have to come out of the City’s general fund.
A City staff report from Oct. 11 said that since the start and finish of Stage 3 will be in SLO County, “we therefore anticipate with riders, support personnel and visitors, a large number of Morro Bay hotel rooms will be booked for both Monday and Tuesday nights.”
Stage 4 starts the following morning in Santa Barbara.
“The Amgen Tour of California has long been the most esteemed cycling race in America,” Kristin Klein, president of the Amgen Tour of California and executive vice president of AEG Sports, said in their news release. “Its designation as a UCI WorldTour event will continue to expand its international exposure and attract the best teams and cyclists yet, giving fans even more to cheer about from the streets of California next spring.”
“Hosting an Amgen finish,” reads the report by the City Manager, “provides a platform to gain worldwide exposure, create economic impact and provide positive experiences for local and regional residents, businesses, supporters and enthusiasts.
“Around 1.1 million people worldwide will ‘see’ Morro Bay as a host city with two hours of live, international TV coverage — a major tourism and promotions opportunity.”
There’s a big difference hosting a start from a finish. “Hosting a finish leg will have different effects,” Buckingham’s report said. “On the negative side, road closures will be somewhat longer, probably a rolling closure of around 30 minutes for some roads and longer for the final stretches that will likely include part of the Embarcadero and Harbor Street.
“On the positive side, hosting the finish will mean all of the athletes and their support teams will spend the night in Morro Bay, and likely be somewhat more available to interact with residents and visitors. This should result in more positive effects on local businesses, both from hotel stays and restaurant/retail visitations.”
