Officials of the Amgen Tour of California Announce Big Bear Lake as a Host City

BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif./ November 3, 2011– Today AEG, the official race presenter of the Amgen Tour of California, announced its 13 Host Cities for the 2012 Amgen Tour of California professional road cycling race. The seventh annual event will cover more than 750 miles in eight days from May 13-20, 2012. Big Bear Lake has been selected as the race’s Stage 6 Finish on Friday, May 18. The City of Palmdale will serve as the Host City and start location for Stage 6, which ultimately finishes with a demanding climb to Big Bear.

“While the detailed route of the race, including for Stage 6 from Palmdale to Big Bear, is not yet final, we can say that it will be one of our most challenging courses to date,” said AEG Sports Executive Director Kristin Bachochin.

This is the second time in three years Big Bear Lake has been selected as a Host City, which reaffirms the mountain resort as a world-class road cycling destination. Officials of Big Bear Lake are excited with the opportunity to present Big Bear’s mountainous terrain and natural assets to recreational outdoor enthusiasts throughout the world. The visibility includes 27 hours of total race coverage on VERSUS, broadcast exposure in 216 countries and territories worldwide. Last year there were 1.1 million visitors to the official tour website, more than 30,000 social media fans and more than 340,000 visitors to the online tour tracker.

“Big Bear is honored to serve as a finish city for the 2012 Amgen Tour of California,” said City of Big Bear Lake Mayor Bill Jahn. “In 2010, we served as the first-ever mountaintop finish for the race, and it definitely put Big Bear on the international map for road cycling.”

The Amgen Tour of California is considered cycling’s most important and successful stage race in the United States. It is the largest annual spectator sporting event in California and largest cycling event in North America with more than 2 million spectators. The prestigious road cycling race features elite professional teams and athletes from around the world. Listed on the international professional cycling calendar (2. HC ranking), the Amgen Tour of California awards important, world-ranking points to the top finishers.

Next year will mark the seventh straight year Amgen Tour of California has brought the drama and excitement of professional cycling to California. The 2012 Amgen Tour of California will travel along a more than 750-mile course in eight days. The 13 host cities for the eight stages include: Santa Rosa, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, San Jose, Livermore, Sonora (new city for 2012), Clovis, Bakersfield, Palmdale, Big Bear Lake, Ontario (new city for 2012) and Mount Baldy and Los Angeles.

For more information about the 2012 Amgen Tour of California, please visit www.amgentourofcalifornia.com. For more information pertaining to the Stage 6 finish, also known as “The Big Bear Climb” visit www.bigbear.com.

About the Amgen Tour of California

The largest cycling event in America, the 2012 Amgen Tour of California is a Tour de France-style road cycling race, presented by AEG, that challenges the world’s top professional cycling teams to compete along a demanding course from May 13-20.

About 2012 Stage 6 Finish Partnership:

Stage 6 of the Amgen Tour of California is being funded by a partnership of the City of Big Bear Lake, The Big Bear Lake Resort Association, The Big Bear Chamber of Commerce and San Bernardino County.

Contact:

Dan McKernan
Director of Marketing & Public Relations
Big Bear Lake Resort Association
Phone: 909-866-6190 Ext. 235
Cellular: 951-283-9442
Fax:      909-866-5671
Email:    dmckernan@bigbear.com
Website:            www.bigbear.com

Here are the official results for Stage 6 of the 2010 Amgen Tour of California, on May 21, from Palmdale to Big Bear Lake:

Nigel Ready to Ski

BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. May 14, 2010 – Eight-year-old Nigel Holland was diagnosed with cancer nearly two years ago. His courage and sheer determination to beat cancer is recognized at this year’s Amgen Tour of California Stage 6 finish in Big Bear Lake Friday, May 21. Nigel will ride in a procession on the final stretch of the race course during opening ceremonies as part of the Amgen Tour of California’s Breakaway from Cancer® national initiative to increase awareness of important resources available to people affected by cancer – from prevention through survivorship.

“Nigel has truly become a beacon of hope for anyone fighting cancer or any other type of illness,” said City of Big Bear Lake Mayor Liz Harris.

Directly following the race is an awards ceremony; Nigel Holland will present the official Amgen Breakaway from Cancer Most Courageous Rider jersey for Stage 6. The jersey is awarded to the cyclist who best exemplifies the character of those engaged in the fight against cancer — courage, sacrifice, inspiration, determination and perseverance. 

 “Amgen is proud to honor individuals like Nigel, who inspire others in the fight against cancer,” said Kathryn West, director of advocacy at Amgen. “Breakaway from Cancer was founded on the knowledge that it takes a team to overcome this disease and the Big Bear community exemplifies the commitment to helping others.”

Opening ceremonies for Amgen Tour of California’s Stage 6 finish in Big Bear Lake begin Friday, May 21 at 1 p.m., two hours before the pro cyclists cross the finish line. The location of the ceremonies is at Summit Blvd. near the finish line between Big Bear Blvd. and Snow Summit Mountain Resort. The schedule of events includes a pep rally featuring local presenting sponsor Big Bear Vacations and other local businesses. Miss Big Bear will parade to the finish line, followed by Nigel Holland in a decorated Breakaway from Cancer vehicle. Opening Ceremonies close with an exclusive glory ride that gives participants of Tour de Big Bear an opportunity to ride through the finish line. To learn more about the 2010 Amgen Tour of California Stage 6 finish in Big Bear Lake log onto www.thebigbearclimb.com or visit www.amgentourofcalifornia.com.

This video shows the Queen Stage, Stage 6 in the Amgen Tour of California. This Stage reaches altitudes of over 7,000 feet. Stage 6 is a relentless climb through both the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California.

Big Bear Lake, Finish of the Queen Stage, Amgen Tour of California 2010

Amgen 2010 Volunteer Handbook

Want to see some of what happens behind the scenes? We’ve loaded the Amgen 2010 Volunteer Handbook to this blog. Please follow this link to download:

http://www.thebigbearclimb.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/amgenvolunteerhandbook.pdf

This is a short video of the volunteer meeting at Best Western.
The sound quality isn’t the best, the treble in the sound system was off.