“We have been treated to one of the best cycling stages we’ve seen in America, ever.”

Boaters on the Lake this Weekend

We asked a few people what they thought about Big Bear Lake hosting the sixth stage of the Amgen Tour of California. Everyone is so positive and there are a large number of volunteers from this small community.

Here are a some of the response we received:

“The thrill of world class cycling has returned to the San Bernardino mountains. It has always been a lot of fun over the year seeing the Best in the world from Ned Overend, Tinker Juarez, and Brian Lopes among many other cyclist in the Big Bear mtb Nationals. Now the best of road racing will take over our area to compete in front of the world spotlighting our area once again. The last couple of years I can remember catching a couple of stages of the Amgen Tour on tv, and am now thrilled to be able to mark my calendar to go out my front door and see the action live. The only problems is deciding which climb to pick as my viewing area.”

Brian Menge

“Being new residents of this truely beautiful city, and now be part of the largest event ever in Big Bear is truely a honor for both of us and we hope the entire City comes out to support this historic event and makes it for many more years to come. Now when our friends watch this event on TV, they will also see how Beautiful a area we live in and enjoy every Day.“

George Costa

“no one can believe that the world’s greatest cyclists will be here in the greatest mountain town around.. Big Bear Lake! we can’t wait to be in awe, to be amazed, to be inspired to get out and ride! thanks for bringing it all here”

Lynn Zander

“Chance to see the worlds best cyclists ,in one of the most beauitful places in Souther California.”

“I am very excited about the Amgen climb to Big Bear! I live in Moonridge and ride just about every day, 150-200 miles per week, including a ride down to and around Lake Arrowhead and back, usually on Wednedays. I would love to mingle and talk with some of the riders and see how they feel about the climb, and to meet Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer in person would be quite a thrill! I plan to volunteer for the race and then to find a place close to the front in the local race, the next day. I was fourth in Ride the Bear last fall and hope to improve on that. Not bad for over 50!”

Christian A. Mortensen

“As a Big Bear local I am excited about the Amgen Stage 6 tour to Big Bear as this International race will put Big Bear on the map  for the world to see .  I love living here in Big Bear and the Amgen tour will bring world class athletes and their families and friends as well as the media and visitors to our beautiful little neck of the woods.  The Amgen stage 6 tour will help to stimulate our local economy immediately as well as leaving behind long term potential for increased tourism.”

Wendy Diemert

Sky Chair Big Bear Lake- Panoramic Views of the Valley

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.

Tour de Big Bear

BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. April 27, 2010 – When the 2010 Amgen Tour of California professional cycling race finishes in Big Bear Lake Friday, May 21 cycling fans who are signed up for the inaugural Tour de Big Bear will get certain privileges others do not. Race day perks for Tour de Big Bear participants include free V.I.P. parking on the race course, free bike valet service and a Glory Ride, which gives Tour de Big Bear participants a chance to ride through the official Amgen Tour of California finish line two hours before the actual professionals cross the finish line. Note: The Glory Ride is limited to the first 150 registrants, and early check-in by 11 a.m. Friday, May 21 is required.

On Saturday, May 22 Tour de Big Bear offers cycling fans 10 great road and mountain bike routes to choose from in and around Big Bear Valley. Some of the rides include portions of the Amgen Tour of California Stage 6 course that professional cyclists such as Lance Armstrong raced on the day before. In addition to beautiful, scenic rides in and around Big Bear Valley are more perks for Tour de Big Bear participants including free and discounted food & beverage along designated routes, a lift ticket for Snow Summit Scenic Sky Chair (limited to the first 250 registrants only), a ride and raffle hunt, official Tour de Big Bear T-shirt, entry into the Big Bear Cycling Expo and live coverage of Amgen Tour of California time trials on a wide screen.

“The value of Tour de Big Bear’s benefits easily outweighs the price of admission,” said Tour de Big Bear Co-Chair Craig Smith.

Tour de Big Bear has routes that vary from family-friendly rides of 10 miles or less to longer epic rides for advanced cyclists of 50 miles or more. Each participant will receive a detailed map, which includes turn by turn directions. The tour’s starting point is at Snow Summit Mountain Resort, which is the same location as Amgen Tour of California’s Stage 6 mountaintop finish.

In addition to the variety of road cycling tours, the event offers choice mountain bike rides for all ages and skill levels, too. The Snow Summit staging area gives mountain bikers easy access to the Scenic Sky Chair, which is advantageous for riders who prefer not to climb. Mountain bikers will enjoy a variety of rides on the trails of the San Bernardino Mountains with plenty of climbs and downhill descents. Mountain bike rides are subject to change based on weather conditions.

Tour de Big Bear is Saturday, May 22 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Snow Summit Mountain Resort, located at 880 Summit Blvd. Entry fees are $49 for adults before May 1, and $59 for adults after May 1; children 12 years of age and under are free with a paying adult. A spaghetti dinner is available for participants for an additional $10 on Friday, May 21 at Bear Mountain Resort from . Proceeds from the spaghetti dinner go to Kiwanis Club of Big Bear Valley. To get more information or to register for Tour de Big Bear log onto www.tourdebigbear.com.

Additional Resources:

• Bicycle .net :: SRAM Neutral Support For Tour of California – In addition to providing neutral support for the race, SRAM and the Amgen Tour of California will be creating the Bike Manufacturers Challenge Powered by SRAM, a virtual competition between component, frame, wheel and pedal …
• VeloNews.com – Haussler makes comeback at Tour of California – Comments. Cervelo TestTeam’s Heinrich Haussler will make his comeback to racing, following a leg injury, at the Amgen Tour of California next month, the team announced Thursday. Haussler injured his quadriceps tendon this spring. …
• Bicycle .net :: Tour of California Stage 6 Route Confirmed – Palmdale City Hall will serve as the backdrop for the most difficult stage in the five-year history of the Amgen Tour of California. After a five-mile neutral section heading south on Sierra Rd., the route makes a left turn onto Angeles …
• 2010 Amgen Tour of California teams » Cyclelicious – 16 teams will race in the 2010 Amgen Tour of California.

Here’s a recently made video about the Amgen Tour of California, made by one of their sponsors:

Local Websites:

Lodging: BigBear.Com

Business: BigBearChamber.Com

Weather: BigBearWeather.Com

News: KBHR933.Com

Events: EventsinBigBear.Com

Other Blogs: BigBearBlogs.Com