Where to watch the Amgen Tour of California

Amgen Tour of California - Santa Barbara

Hundreds of people lined Cabrillo Blvd last year to witness the Stage 4 finish.

 

The 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 in the Golden State from May 11-18, 2014.

The Race will land in Santa Barbara this Thursday afternoon for a Stage 5 finish on Cabrillo Boulevard. It began in Sacramento on Sunday and will finish in Thousand Oaks this coming Sunday with a stage consisting of a 20-mile circuit that includes 8,000 feet of elevation gain. Thursday’s Stage 5 begins in Pismo Beach and ends in Santa Barbara.

In a change from last year, the cyclists will enter Santa Barbara from the north on San Marcos Pass. The course will take the race along Modoc to Las Positas and then to Cliff Drive. The racers will traverse the Mesa and Shoreline Drive to the home stretch on Cabrillo Blvd.

Find out more about the race coming to Santa Barbara, including road closures, and viewing opportunities on the Santa Barbara Amgen Tour of California website.

NBC Sports is providing daily television coverage. The Pismo Beach to Santa Barbara stage will be on TV from 2-to-4 p.m. and from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday.

SUGGESTED VIEWING POINTS


[VIEW STAGE 5 COURSE MAP]

STAGE 5 – THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2014

~All times approximate

3:00 pm: At the top of San Marcos Pass, watch as the men battle for KOM (King of the Mountain) points and begin their fast descent at speeds exceeding 45 mph down towards Santa Barbara.

3:20 pm: Be on the lookout as cyclists negotiate around this tight corner from Modoc onto Las Positas.

3:25 pm: Watch the cyclists fly down the straight-away from Las Positas into a quick left turn onto Cliff Dr.

3:30 pm: Cliff Dr. & Meigs Rd. is a great spot for viewing the teams begin their final preparation into the sprint finish along Cabrillo Blvd.

3:45 pm: The finish line on Cabrillo Blvd. between Calle Cesar Chavez and Garden Streets is the place to be.  Find the best viewing spot from the grandstand seating in the Private Viewing Party Tent.