Cycling Fans Get Opportunity to Ride Portion of the Amgen Tour of California Stage 6 in Big Bear plus Many More Perks

On Friday, May 18 cycling enthusiasts get an opportunity to ride a portion of the same route that the world’s greatest professional cyclists will race on during The Amgen Tour of California Stage 6 Finish in Big Bear Lake. The ride, called The King of the Mountain Experience, is open to all levels of cyclists that want to bask in the glory of riding through the official Amgen Tour of California finish line arch two hours before the actual professionals cross the finish line. Note: King of the Mountain Experience is limited to the first 250 registrants.

Cycling enthusiasts enjoy a 35-mile trek that starts at Snow Summit Mountain Resort, and snakes over to Big Bear Lake’s north shore on Hwy. 38. From there participants are treated to Big Bear’s scenic beauty as they head west down Hwy. 18. This takes them to the turnaround point at Snow Valley Mountain Resort. The cyclists then head back to Snow Summit where they cross through the official Amgen Tour of California finish line arch. The course ride is supported by guides and a full-support crew. There is also a self-timed section on the course that gives participants a read-out of their times that they can compare with the professional race leaders.

In addition to riding 35 miles of the Stage 6 course King of the Mountain Experience participants get certain privileges others do not. Race day perks include V.I.P. finish line area seating, free bike valet, commemorative event tech T-shirt, raffle drawings, finisher’s medal, and limited edition number plate. There is also a V.I.P. reception after the race at Black Diamond Tavern that includes appetizers, no-host bar and cycling celebrities such as Phil Liggett, the official announcer of the race. Other benefits include pre-event bike check lube & tune, discount food and lodging, and Thursday night tour viewing party.

King of the Mountain Experience is Friday, May 18 at the Amgen Tour of California Stage 6 Finish Line at Snow Summit Mountain Resort, located at 880 Summit Blvd. The glory ride is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., which starts and finishes at Snow Summit. Entry fee is $150 per person. For more information about King of the Mountain Experience or to register log onto www.bigbearclimb.com or www.openairbigbear.com.

Big Bear Cycling Association Safety Initiatives Includes Share the Road Campaign, Children’s CycleFest 2012 and Lids on Kids Program

BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. April 17, 2012 – Today Big Bear Cycling Association (BBCA) announced its new safety programs for 2012, which are the club’s main focus for this year. The new initiatives include a cycling safety awareness program called Share the Road campaign, a children’s cycling festival on May 12 to demonstrate safety practices in a fun, interactive environment, and an ongoing program called Lids on Kids that gives kids living in Big Bear Valley free cycling helmet inspection and/or a new helmet.

“Cycling is a fabulous individual and group event for health, exercise and fellowship while taking in the spectacular scenery Big Bear Valley has to offer,” said Craig Smith, president of BBCA. “However, cycling must be safe for both cyclists and motorists alike.”

SHARE THE ROAD: BBCA’s 2012 safety awareness campaign called “Share the Road” is named after CalTrans’ local signage that encourages motorists and cyclists to share the roads and highways. Big Bear community leaders have agreed to do their part to ensure safety on Big Bear’s roadways by displaying “Share the Road” stickers on all City of Big Bear Lake Public Work vehicles, Big Bear Disposal trash trucks and Mountain Area Regional Transit Association (MARTA) buses. Campaign stickers are available to the public at BBCA events and local Big Bear bike shops.

BIG BEAR CHILDREN’S CYCLEFEST 2012: BBCA hosts the first annual Big Bear Children’s CycleFest 2012, a fun and interactive event for elementary school-aged children that includes a free bike and helmet inspection, safety discussions, a bike-handling skills clinic, and an obstacle course. Big Bear Children’s CycleFest 2012 is Saturday, May 12, 2012. It is the official kick-off event for the Amgen Tour of California Stage 6 Finish in Big Bear (Friday, May 18, 2012).

“We’ll be giving out many prizes including new helmets, stickers and a healthy lunch,” added Smith. “Plus all participants at CycleFest 2012 will be entered into a drawing for a new mountain bike sponsored by the City of Big Bear Lake.”

Big Bear Children’s CycleFest 2012 is Saturday, May 12, 2012 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Big Bear Sheriff Station located at 477 Summit Boulevard in Big Bear Lake. Parking is available at the Masonic Lodge located at 385 Summit Boulevard. Admission is free. Sponsors of the event include Big Bear Cycling Association, City of Big Bear Lake, Bear Valley Unified School District, San Bernardino County Sheriff, Chains Required Bike Shop and Bear Valley Bikes.

LIDS ON KIDS: BBCA has a long-term goal to provide every child in the Big Bear Valley (kindergarten through sixth grade) with a free cycling helmet inspection and/or a new helmet. The program, which is funded by BBCA’s Tour de Big Bear cycling events, aims to get children trained and involved in safe cycling.

The Lids on Kids program officially began December 2011 in partnership with the Rotary Club of Big Bear Lake’s “Santa Program” and Kiwanis Club of Big Bear Valley’s “Gifts for Kids.” Fifty bike helmets and 15 bicycles were given to families in the Big Bear Valley during these events. The goal for BBCA is to ensure Big Bear’s 1,200 kids are properly fitted with a bike helmet. 

Following a vehicle collision by an elderly driver in Bilbao, Spain, Omega Pharma-Quickstep cyclist Levi Leipheimer eyes a swift return to training and competing in the Amgen Tour of California.

SANTA ROSA (April 5, 2012)–On a routine training ride for the Vuelta al Pais Vasco, Levi Leipheimer was struck from behind by an aged motorist traveling at approximately 50 mph as he cycled on the right shoulder. Leipheimer suffered a leg injury in the collision and his bicycle was smashed into multiple pieces. Witnesses assisted Leipheimer, called for help, and saw him off to the hospital. The driver did return to the scene eventually.

The diagnosis from the medical center in Spain indicated that Leipheimer’s leg was not broken, but once back home in Santa Rosa, California, additional imaging showed a fracture of the fibula.

“Really it’s the best bad news I could’ve gotten,” says Leipheimer. “The fibula is less important for cycling compared to other bones in the leg; I’m really looking to overcome pain more than anything.” Leipheimer expects to be back on the bicycle potentially as soon as the end of this week, with a return to the open road very shortly thereafter. His training will continue to be supervised by Dr. Max Testa, a celebrated name in cycling physiology.

While this casts a near-term shadow over Leipheimer’s training for events like the Amgen Tour of California, he’s upbeat, not only about his condition for the later season, but also about how much worse the incident could have been. “This could be a good thing for me in events like the Tour de France and the 2012 London Olympics. While the Tour of California will be more of a challenge for me now, I still have my sights set squarely on a win again this year.

“But the real victory here is that I survived the collision and that I’m alive to meet that challenge at all. It’s amazing that all I did was break my fibula. I was in a panic state after [the collision] happened; I couldn’t calm down. I can’t communicate how close I came to being killed and that was incredibly scary. More than anything, I’m really grateful for the chance to come back from this injury.”

More About Levi Leipheimer;

• Fibula fracture confirmed for Levi Leipheimer following training crash – Omega Pharma-Quick Step’s American captain in a rush to recover for Tour of California – Levi Leipheimer (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) suffered a fracture to his left fibula in last week’s training crash, his team has confirmed.
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Matich Corporation is Local Presenting Partner for The Big Bear Climb

BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. April 2, 2012 – The Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for 2012 Amgen Tour of California Stage 6 Finish in Big Bear Lake, known as The Big Bear Climb, is proud to announce Matich Corporation as its local presenting partner. Matich Corporation provides private and public road contracting, asphalt sales and construction management. As a fourth generation family business, Matich Corporation has fostered a long relationship with the community of Big Bear when founder John Matich first built roads into the mountain communities in the early 1900s. Today, Matich Corporation continues to play an integral role with Big Bear’s infrastructure from its streets and sidewalks to Big Bear’s regional airport.

“We are thrilled to have the world’s top professional cyclists race on the same roads built by our local presenting partner Matich Corporation,” said Rick Bates, Co-Chair of Big Bear’s LOC for 2012 Amgen Tour of California Stage 6 Finish. “Amgen Tour of California is America ’s premier road-cycling race, and Matich ties in well as Southern California ’s premier road builder.”

This year marks the second time Big Bear Lake is Host City for Amgen Tour of California , which 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.

Big Bear Lake is t he race’s Stage 6 Finish on Friday, May 18, 2012. The City of Palmdale will serve as the start location for Stage 6, which ultimately finishes with a demanding climb to Big Bear. Most of the roads on the route that these elite cyclists race on are built by Matich Corp.

“As a corporate member of the Big Bear family, Matich is proud to be part of the Big Bear Climb,” said Matich Corporation Vice President Robert Matich.

For more information about the 2012 Amgen Tour of California , please visit http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/.

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