The women cyclists will be in Lake Tahoe May 11-12 for the Amgen race. Photo Copyright 2016 Carolyn E. Wright

By Kathryn Reed

With the Tour of California a little more than a month away, the cyclists are expected to be in town later this month to start training.

This will be the third consecutive year the women will race in Tahoe, with Heavenly Mountain Resort being the start and finish line again.

Carol Chaplin, executive director of Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, gave a brief update about the event to the City Council on Tuesday. She went over the tremendous international exposure this elite bike race brings to the region via the media.

She said Day 2’s route that goes from Heavenly, over Luther Pass, has two laps around Diamond Valley, goes up Kingsbury Grade, to Pioneer Trail and then up Ski Run Boulevard will be the most difficult leg for any Amgen race – women or men.

Day 1 will be replay of the past couple years, with the women riding clockwise around the lake.

Councilwoman Brooke Laine asked about the condition of roads and safety. Chaplin said race organizers do defer road conditions to the host entities – so LTVA is working hard with Caltrans and NDOT to ensure roads are ready for the riders. This includes the condition and being able to get around construction that might be in progress.

With that said, Chaplin added, “In Europe they often race on cobblestones.”

Kristin Armstrong, a three-time Olympic gold medalist and the 2016 second place finisher of the Tour of California, has retired. She will be in town as an ambassador, giving a talk at Sierra House Elementary School and possibly South Tahoe Middle School.