Amgen California California Bike Tour Fans Spectator Guide Mt. Baldy Stage PubClub.com!

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Amgen California California Bike Tour Fans Spectator Guide Mt. Baldy Stage

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For spectators, it's like being at the Tour de France without going to the Tour de France.

Amgen Bike Tour Fans Guide
Claremont to Mt. Baldy Race Is Fun For Spectators

The leaders roll past the popular Michelob Ultra beer garden.

Amgen Tour Headed to Big Bear in 2012

Big Bear Lake will be the site of Stage 6 of the 2012 Amgen Tour of California. The Tour de France of the West Coast, which features many of the world's top riders, will scale Big Bear on Friday, May 18.

Palmdale serves as the host city and starting point. The Amgen Tour of California ia a 13-city event that runs from May 13-20. It is broadcast on VERSUS.

2011 Amgen Tour Review

The Amgen Tour of California 2011 rolled through the state in May, and one of the toughest legs for the riders was the seventh stage which went from the LA-area town of Claremont up to 10,000 foot Mt. Baldy.

But it was not tough for spectators.

This was one of the more entertaining jaunts on the eight-leg journey, and a couple of thousand people loaded up their cars and coolers, as well as their own mountain bikes, and pulled up next to the course on the windy road to the Mt. Baldy parking lot. The event is free and all people have to do is beat the road closures, which happened at 9:30 a.m.

Spectators chill hot and enjoy beers near on Mt. Baldy.

Some fans their bikes to meet the Amgen riders at the top. Others just hung around along the side of the road or made visits into the Michelob Ultra beer tent, which wa a quarter-mile from the finish. In fact, the riders and the caravan liked the Michelob Ultra tent, as well. That's because the beautiful Michelob Utra girls were clanging cowbells and cheering them on as they passed. Several in the caravan slowed down when they reached this area.

The Mt. Baldy Lodge and other bars provided additional relief.. It's like being at the Tour de France without actually going to the Tour de France.

It's easy to see why the caravan was distractec by the Michelob Ultra girls.

There's a totally different secene at the start, where a Fan Festival takes place in downtown Clairmont. The scene at the 2011 start was wild, with several pepole in costume running alongside the racers. Spending the day at this psoint has two advantages: You con't have to wake up early (the race starts at 11:30 a.m.) or worrry about road closures.

The 2011 event began May 15 in South Lake Tahoe (well it would have, had that phase not been snowed out) and concluded May 22 with a run from Santa Clarita to Thousand Oaks. The 2012 event will have a new starting point, the "Charlie Brown town" of Santa Rosa (north of San Francisco near the Sonoma wine country) instead of Lake Tahoe, which was snowed out to start 2011.

After the event, there was a public party at Mt. Baldy, again with plenty of Michelob Ultra beers available to enhance the atmosphere. Afterward, downtown Claremont awaits with its two-block area of bars, including the lounge at Hotel Casa 425 and the live music & nightclub venue, the Hip Kitty Jazz & Fondue Lounge. The prime party area in Claremont is on W. 1st Street at and around S. Indian Hill Blvd.

Claremont is located east of Los Angeles between the 10 and 210 freeways. It's west of the 15 freeway, for those who know the roads from traveling them frequently to Vegas.

LINK: Amgen Tour California Official Site.

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