Amgen Tour of California coming to Modesto!
Current mood: excited

Experience the Tour of California Bike Race in Modesto..

The City of Modesto is pleased to host the Stage Three Start of the 2008 Amgen Tour of California. This eight-day professional cycling event rolls through our community on Wednesday, February 20, 2008. The race will kick off at 10:00 a.m. in downtown Modesto and promises to be a very exciting event.

"From the world-class riders and aggressive and challenging competition, to the tremendous amount of support from the fans and host cities, the Amgen Tour of California has grown to become a highly anticipated event within the international cycling community in only two years," said Shawn Hunter, Managing Director for the Tour. "Now in our third year, fans can expect the best race yet."

The 2008 Amgen Tour of California professional cycling road race will take place February 17-24, 2008. In the style of the Tour de France, this cycling road race will travel along many of our state's most scenic highways, roadways and coastline drives. Though only in its third year, the Tour is already considered to be cycling's most important and successful U.S.-based road race. The Amgen Tour of California's third running will cover more than 700 miles over the eight days of the race, attracting some of the world's most renowned and respected riders, and providing spectators with action-packed competition and non-stop excitement.

The Tour has arguably become the most important cycling race in America, and Amgen continues to see the race as an opportunity to raise awareness and support for the millions of Americans affected by cancer through the Breakaway from CancerTM initiative.  The tour will raise funds for cancer care and treatment.

The 2008 race begins in Palo Alto with the Prologue and ends with the grand finale in Pasadena, visiting 12 host cities along the way for official stage starts and finishes. The cities along the route, Modesto included, will have an excellent opportunity to witness the thrill of a professional cycling race.

To kick off the Stage 3 Start in Modesto, the citizens of Modesto are planning a festival downtown on the morning of the race. The festival will be open from 8:00 a.m. until noon.  There will be an enormous variety of booths, featuring bicycle safety and free helmets for children, family activities, a fresh food farmers markets, sporting goods, live music and entertainment. There will also be information available on cancer awareness education.

Part of the race start and festival includes a chance to be up close and personal with the riders. The athletes will be available in the Modesto "race alley" for interviews and autographs prior to the race start.  It is a "tailgate"-type atmosphere, where the pace cars, crew cars and teams join together for the last-minute preparations for the race.  For a pre-race event to get you geared up, visit the McHenry Museum during January and February to view a rare collection of antique bikes.

Modesto is proud to be part of the new course for the 2008 Amgen Tour of California. Stage 3 will begin with a series of parade laps through Modesto's revitalized downtown before the tour moves south through California's scenic farmlands.  After passing through Patterson, according to the Amgen web site, the cyclists will encounter a make-or-break segment of the Tour: "A 26-mile section full of twists and turns with constant climbing will take the riders past the rugged beauty of the Frank Raines Regional Park, leading to a relentless climb over the backside of Mt. Hamilton.  With an elevation of 4,360 feet, Mt. Hamilton will be one of the highest elevations ever reached in the Amgen Tour of California."  The peloton—or group of cyclists—will end the course with an 18-mile run to the finish line for that day in San Jose.

ok, now I'll borrow my blog again, photos from the McHenry Museum display of vintage bikes theme for the bike race Feb 20. You'll notice on our art walk poster for the State Theater, photographer Rebecca Harvey's photograph of a similar race in San Francisco.

If you haven't visited the McHenry Museum in downtown Modesto, you've missed something, as it is home to many events, and meetings like the City of Modesto Cultural Commission I attended yesterday as a drop in invited member of the public, to even know about this event, though I'm a volunteer to set up art display for the AmGen Bicycle Race this coming month.  FYI, Cultural Commission meetings are 4 pm, the fourth Monday of the month.

Tuesday, Jan 30, 2008, as often happens, a significant City of Modesto Regional event, with bigwigs and all, important personages, event organizers, press included, and our poet Slam on Rye laureate with a verse for the AmGen Bike Race, at a reception hosted by ATT for organizers, civic officials, sponsors and volunteers for the upcoming AmGen Bike Race Tour of California, at the McHenry Museum.  A special vintage bike display in the ante room off the main entrance put together for this international events third leg that comes to our fair city Feb 20, with festivities at 8 am, Race start at 10 am, racers lap downtown, then off to Mt Hamilton, and street fair concluding at 2 p.m. 

Over 50 vendors, international press, and art display will be included at Gallo Centre, with fans lined up on the bike route, through downtown Modesto. See the AmGen poster for official details, bike routes, other cities visited in this seven Tour of California event.

Here are some pictures of the Vintage Bicycles display at McHenry Museum.

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McHenry Museum

Location: 1412 I Street, at 14th St.

Description: Museum of Stanislaus County history. 

Capacity: Main Floor: 200   Auditorium: 90

Seating: Tables: 6 rectangular  Chairs: 100 

Hours Available:  8:00am-12:00am

Policies:  Alcohol permitted. No dancing or amplified music.

Functions: Meetings, receptions, luncheons, dinners, special events.

Kitchen: Caterers only.

Special Notes: Walk-through with Rental Coordinator required

McHenry Museum is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday, 12:00 - 4:00pm. Admission is free. Group tours available.

If you visiting Fat Cat the night before the AmGen race, Adrian Mendoza is producing this apres the bike race, Detour of Da Tour event.