Tuesday, February 17, 2009

2009 Amgen Tour of California viewing times

The 2009 Amgen Tour of California Stage 3 runs from San Jose to Modesto today.

The riders are expected to reach the Sierra Road King of the Mountain (KOM) point about 30 minutes after their noontime start in downtown San Jose. They'll reach Patterson Pass at about 2 PM, reach Tracy sometime between 2:30 PM and 3 PM, and reach Modesto sometime after 3:40 PM with the finish 10 to 15 minutes later.

Viewing suggestions:
  • Downtown San Jose. The neutral start parade laps around downtown San Jose are a crowd pleaser and ensure several good chances of seeing the racers pass by. They start on Almaden at San Fernando, turn right on Santa Clara, right on Market, left on Park, then back to Almaden to the start line.


    Downtown San Jose Tour of California Stage 3 Start


  • Sierra Road Sierra Road is closed to auto traffic, but if you start early enough you can ride your bike up their for viewing along this hill climb. They're going uphill early in the race so you probably won't see a lot of drama, but it's an excellent chance to see the cyclists as they pass by.

  • Patterson Pass Another good location is anywhere on the uphill side of Patterson Pass Road east of Livermore. You probably don't want to watch on the downhill -- they zip by so fast that you'll miss them even if you don't blink.

  • Central Valley towns If you live in the Central Valley cities and towns that the peloton travels through, those are always good places to catch them.

  • Modesto finish line Find a good spot out of the rain to wait for the racers to arrive. The peloton comes into Modesto on Kansas Avenue. They'll cut left on College, right on Coldwell, right on Sycamore, left on Needham, right on 16th and right on I for the circuit. The racers will do ride two laps around central Modesto before finishing at I and 12th.

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