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.

A day spent spreading cycling love to Big Bear students. Special thanks to Dan, Kyle, Joy, and Phil!

Delivering a message of cycling, health, safety, and determination in anticipation of the Tour of California’s Stage 6 finish in Big Bear Lake. (Big Bear Middle School.)

Warming up the crowd at Big Bear Elementary. Most of the kids had bikes, and most knew who Lance Armstrong was. Most popular question: “What do you do if your bike breaks?”

Hand cyclist Kyle Massey at Baldwin Lane Elementary, showing his tattoo with the date he fell 5 stories from a balcony.

Big Bear Middle School students posing for Team PossAbilities from Redlands.

Kyle, Dan, and Joy sharing cycling insights at North Shore Elementary. Snow still remains on Snow Summit ski runs in the background due to the severe Winter.

Big Bear Elementary students listening politely, until the free water bottles came out at the end. Dan was mobbed and almost pushed off the stage.

Additional Resources

• The Adobe Tour Tracker – real time bicycle race info | FlexDaddy – The AMGEN Tour of California … how cool is this, The Adobe Tour Tracker 2.0! The 8 day, 700 mile race has a multitude of information viewable in real-time.
• Amgen Tour of California – Who’s Favored To Win | Busy Buzz Blogging – Amgen Tour of California – Who’s Favored To Win – The Amgen Tour of California kicks off today and you can watch it on Versus (*Update: It appears that they.
• Amgen Tour of California – California news | USA News – U.S. national champion George Hincapie and Norwegian sprinter Alexander Kristoff will hunt for stage wins while the BMC Racing Team will look to Hincapie and Swiss Steve Morabito for the overall at the Amgen Tour of California. …

BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. May 7, 2010 –The world-class roster of teams and cyclists* scheduled to participate in the 2010 Amgen Tour of California has been announced by race presenter AEG.  An internationally sanctioned, professional cycling road race, the 2010 Amgen Tour of California will host 16 teams, comprised of 127 riders, from 23 countries for the fifth-annual race taking place May 16-23.

The 2010 Amgen Tour of California will bring an exceptional concentration of cycling talent to compete across more than 800 miles of the state of California from Nevada City to Thousand Oaks, home of race sponsor Amgen.  Attracting an unprecedented field of riders from around the world, cyclists hail from countries as far away as Belgium, Finland, Spain, France, Germany, New Zealand and Sweden.

“We are proud of the powerful and talented group of international and domestic cyclists set to participate in the 2010 Amgen Tour of California,” said Andrew Messick, president of AEG Sports.  “From Tour de France champions to Olympic medalists and world champions, this field is one of the best that has ever competed on American soil.  The growing reputation of the Amgen Tour of California has resulted in a very accomplished field of cyclists, which should make for a great race.”

The field will include riders from well-known teams such as Team RadioShack, Team HTC-Columbia, Quick Step, Team Saxo Bank and Garmin-Transitions, who will all be competing to take the title in the overall team competition.  Some of the notable riders planned to begin the race in Nevada City, Calif. on May 16 include:

*Team rosters are subject to change

Tour de France Overall Podium Finishers

• Lance Armstrong (USA), Team RadioShack; first 1999-2005, third 2009
• Andy Schleck (LUX), Team Saxo Bank; second 2009
• Levi Leipheimer (USA) Team RadioShack; third 2007

Tour de France Stage Winners

• Lance Armstrong (USA), Team RadioShack (22)
• Mark Cavendish (GBR), Team HTC-Columbia (10)
• Tom Boonen (BEL), Quick Step (6)
• Fabian Cancellara (SUI), Team Saxo Bank (5)
• Stuart O’Grady (AUS), Team Saxo Bank (3)
• Yaroslav Popovych (UKR), Team RadioShack (3)
• Jens Voigt (GER), Team Saxo Bank (3)
• Heinrich Haussler (GER), Cervélo TestTeam (1)
• David Zabriskie (USA), Garmin-Transitions (1)

World Champions

• Lance Armstrong (USA), Team RadioShack
• Lars Boom (NED), Rabobank
• Tom Boonen (BEL), Quick Step
• Janez Brajkovic (SLO), Team RadioShack
• Fabian Cancellara (SUI), Team Saxo Bank
• Mark Cavendish (GBR), Team HTC-Columbia
• Tom Leezer (NED), Rabobank
• Yaroslav Popovych (UKR), Team RadioShack
• Michael Rogers (AUS), Team Columbia-Highroad

Olympic Medalists

• Lance Armstrong (USA), Team RadioShack
• Theo Bos (NED), Cervélo TestTeam
• Fabian Cancellara (SUI), Team Saxo Bank
• Levi Leipheimer (USA), Team RadioShack
• Bret Lancaster (AUS), Cervélo TestTeam
• Stuart O’Grady (AUS), Team Saxo Bank
• Hayden Roulston (NZL), Team HTC Columbia

Current National Champions (by country)

• Michael Rogers (AUS), Team Columbia-Highroad, Time Trial
• Tom Boonen (BEL), Quick Step, Road Race
• Matti Breschel (DEN), Team Saxo Bank, Road Race
• Lars Ytting Bak (DEN), Team HTC-Columbia, Time Trial
• Andy Schleck (LUX), Team Saxo Bank, Road Race
• Stef Clement (NED), Rabobank, Time Trial
• Jeremy Vennell (NZL), Bissell, Time Trial
• Janez Brajkovic (SLO), Team RadioShack, Time Trial
• Fabian Cancellara (SUI), Team Saxo Bank, Road Race
• George Hincapie (USA), BMC Racing Team, Road Race
• David Zabriskie (USA), Garmin-Transitions, Time Trial

American Stage Race Champions

• Levi Leipheimer (Team RadioShack), 2007-2009 Amgen Tour of California
• David Zabriskie (Garmin-Transitions), 2009 Tour of Missouri
• George Hincapie (BMC Racing Team), 2007 Tour of Missouri
• Janez Brajkovic (Team RadioShack), 2007 Tour de Georgia
• Tom Danielson (Garmin-Transitions), 2005 Tour de Georgia
• Lance Armstrong (Team RadioShack), 2004 Tour de Georgia
• Chris Horner (Team RadioShack), 2003 Tour de Georgia

The 2010 Amgen Tour of California roster includes the following 16 professional cycling teams.  The seven ProTour teams compete regularly on the UCI’s ProTour race calendar, including the Grand Tours of Europe – Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España.

Pro Tour Teams

1.) Garmin-Transitions (USA)

Steven Cozza (USA)

Thomas Danielson (USA)

Ryder Hesjedal (CAN)

Robbie Hunter (RSA)

Thomas Peterson (USA)

Peter Stetina (USA)

Matthew Wilson (AUS)

David Zabriskie (USA)

2.) Liquigas-Doimo (ITA)

Francesco Bellotti (ITA)

Francesco Chicchi (ITA)

Davide Cimolai (ITA)

Manuel Quinziato (ITA)

Peter Sagan (SVK)

Ivan Santaromita (ITA)

Brian Vandborg (DEN)

Elia Viviani (ITA)

3.) Quick Step (BEL)

Carlos Barredo Llamazales (ESP)

Tom Boonen (BEL)

Kurt Hovelynck (BEL)

Kevin Hulsmans (BEL)

Nikolas Maes (BEL)

Andreas Stauff (GER)

Jurgen Van De Walle (BEL)

Maarten Wynants (BEL)

4.) Rabobank (NED)

Lars Boom (NED)

Stef Clement (NED)

Steven Kruijswijk (NED)

Sebastian Langeveld (NED)

Thomas Leezer (NED)

Paul Martens (GER)

Grischa Niermann (GER)

Maarten Tjallingii (NED)

5.) Team HTC-Columbia (USA)

Lars Ytting Bak (DEN)

Mark Cavendish (GBR)

Bernhard Eisel (AUT)

Tony Martin (GER)

Mark Renshaw (AUS)

Michael Rogers (AUS)

Hayden Roulston (NZL)

Tejay Van Garderen (USA)

6.) Team RadioShack (USA)

Lance Armstrong (USA)

Janez Brajkovic (SLO)

Christopher Horner (USA)

Levi Leipheimer (USA)

Jason McCartney (USA)

Dmitriy Muravyev (KAZ)

Yaroslav Popovych (UKR)

José Luis Rubiera Vigil (ESP)

7.) Team Saxo Bank (DEN)

Matti Breschel (DEN)

Fabian Cancellara (SUI)

Jakob Fuglsang (DEN)

Juan José Haedo (ARG)

Stuart O’Grady (AUS)

Andy Schleck (LUX)

Andre Steensen (DEN)

Jens Voigt (GER)

Pro Continental Teams

8.) BMC Racing Team (USA)

Chad Beyer (USA)

Marcus Burghart (GER)

Chris Butler (USA)

Mathias Frank (SUI)

George Hincapie (USA)

Alexander Kristoff (NOR)

Jackson Stewart (USA)

Simon Zahner (SUI)

9.) Cervélo TestTeam (SUI)

Theo Bos (NED)

Joao Correia (POR)

Philip Deignan (IRL)

Heinrich Haussler (GER)

Jeremy Hunt (GBR)

Brett Lancaster (AUS)

Oscar Pujol Munoz (ESP)

Dominique Rollin (CAN)

Continental Teams

10.) Bissell (USA)

Rob Britton (CAN)

Daniel Holloway (USA)

Andy Jacques-Maynes (USA)

Ben Jacques-Maynes (USA)

Peer Latham (NZL)

Paul Mach (USA)

Jeremy Vennell (NZL)

Kyle Wamsley (USA)

11.) Fly V Australia (AUS)

Jonathan Cantwell (AUS)

Jai Crawford (AUS)

Benjamin Day (AUS)

Charles Dionne (CAN)

Aaron Kemps (AUS)

Bernard Sulzberger (AUS)

Jay Robert Thomson (RSA)

Phil Zajicek (USA)

12.) Jelly Belly Presented by Kenda (USA)

Jonathan Chordoff (USA)

William Dicknson (AUS)

Michael Friedman (USA)

Charles Bradley Huff (USA)

Jeremy Powers (USA)

Kiel Reijnen (USA)

Will Routley (CAN)

Bernard Van Ulden (USA)

13.) Kelly Benefit Strategies (USA)

Ryan Anderson (CAN)

Jesse Anthony (USA)

Dan Bowman (USA)

Alex Candelario (USA)

Reid Mumford (USA)

Neil Shirley (USA)

David Veilleux (CAN)

Scott Zwizanski (USA)

14.) SpiderTech Powered by Planet Energy (CAN)

David Boily (CAN)

Guillaume Boivin (CAN)

Lucas Euser (USA)

Martin Gilbert (CAN)

Kevin Lacombe (CAN)

Bruno Langlois (CAN)

Francois Parisien (CAN)

Andrew Randell (CAN)

15.) Team Type 1 (USA)

Davide Frattini  (ITA)

Ken Hanson (USA)

Aldo Ino Ilesic (SLO)

Christopher Jones (USA)

Valery Kobzarenko (UKR)

Javier Megias Leal (ESP)

Thomas Rabou (NED)

Scott Stewart (USA)

16.) UnitedHealthcare Presented by Maxxis (USA)

Christopher Baldwin (USA)

Matthew Crane (USA)

Marc De Maar (NED)

Max Jenkins (USA)

Karl Menzies (AUS)

Andrew Pinfold (CAN)

Rory Sutherland (AUS)

Bradley White (USA)

Stages for the 2010 Amgen Tour of California include:

• Stage 1: Sunday, May 16 – Nevada City to Sacramento
• Stage 2: Monday, May 17 – Davis to Santa Rosa
• Stage 3: Tuesday, May 18 – San Francisco to Santa Cruz
• Stage 4: Wednesday, May 19 – San Jose to Modesto
• Stage 5: Thursday, May 20 – Visalia to Bakersfield
• Stage 6: Friday, May 21 – Palmdale to Big Beak Lake
• Stage 7: Saturday, May 22 – Los Angeles Individual Time Trial
• Stage 8: Sunday, May 23 – Thousand Oaks/Westlake Village/Agoura Hills

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