Morro Bay to host Amgen Tour of California stage finish
–For a third time, Morro Bay has been chosen as one of the Amgen Tour of California host cities. On Wednesday, May 15, 2019, the breathtaking Morro Bay waterfront will serve as the Stage 4 race finish area for the weeklong prestigious international professional cycling race. Everyone is invited to celebrate America’s biggest race as well as the Central Coast’s love of cycling and healthy lifestyle.
The Amgen Tour of California challenges the world’s top professional cycling teams to compete along a demanding course that traverses hundreds of miles of California’s iconic highways, byways and coastlines. In previous years, participants included UCI World Tour teams, Olympic medalists, Tour de France contenders and other World Champions, qualifying the Tour of California as one of the most important cycling races in the world. The 14th edition of the 7-stage race is scheduled to take place May 12-18, 2019.
“We are beyond thrilled to host this prestigious race in Morro Bay and show off our awesome community to the rest of the world,” said Morro Bay Mayor, Jamie Irons. “Morro Bay truly is a cyclist’s paradise with our picturesque views and open roads.”
The City of Morro Bay is working with Race SLO to produce a first class finish line, a festival to showcase Morro Bay as a premier cycling destination and to build connections with the valued cycling community members. The festival is free to the public, with live music, vendors, food and beverage offerings.
The public is also invited to a fundraising community fun ride and fun walk, at lunchtime on May 14, with all proceeds benefiting Bike SLO County. Bike SLO County is a non-profit organization with a mission to inspire, educate, advocate, and work to build a safe, healthy and connected community through bicycling.
The popularity of cycling is rising. In 2017, estimated 3.8 million visitors included biking in their vacation plans according to Visit California. In 2017, when the Amgen Tour of California finished the third stage in Morro Bay, the event drew thousands of people to town. The 2018 Amgen Tour was seen by an estimated 15.92 million worldwide TV viewers, and 125 million checked in on the race via social media.
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