The 2011 Amgen Tour of California route was announced this morning, with seven communities hosting a stage start or finish for the first time, reports. The sixth annual race will cover more than 800 miles in eight days, beginning in South Lake Tahoe and ending in Thousand Oaks.
“In 2011 we plan to continue to showcase the beautiful features the state of California has to offer, while also continuing to raise the bar for what it means to be the largest, most important cycling race in America,” president of AEG Sports Andrew Messick commented.
New stage start/finish communities include South Lake Tahoe, North Lake Tahoe (Northstar at Tahoe Resort and Squaw Valley USA), Sacramento, Auburn, Livermore, Claremont, and Mt. Baldy.
This will mark the second year the race is held in May instead of February, which allows the race to visit more locations that would be unavailable in winter months.
A of this year's tour is available at .
–Michael Webster