Stage is set for 2009 Amgen Tour

<p>Stage One of the 2009 Tour of California will enter Santa Rosa via Calistoga Road on Feb. 15 and finish with three circuit laps downtown, announced Raissa de la Rosa of the city’s economic development and housing department Monday.</p><p>The Santa Rosa finish will mark the historic beginning of the comeback of seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. Stage One originally was to take place in Sacramento but two weeks ago Sacramento’s role was changed, said del la Rosa.</p><p>Sacramento now will host a Prologue, a time-trial event that determines who wears the yellow jersey of the leader.</p><p>“So this will be Lance’s first stage finish in America since he retired three years ago,” de la Rosa said. “And it will be in Santa Rosa. Given his stature in cycling and that cycling is an international event, this is huge.”</p><p>Armstrong will be competing for Astana that also will feature the top rider from 2008, Alberto Contador, as well as Santa Rosa’s Levi Leipheimer. The three racers are arguably the three best in their sport.</p><p>The number of riders has not been announced, as Amgen plans to make the rider list public sometime in the next few weeks. A total of 167 riders competed in the 2008 Tour of California.</p><p> Santa Rosa also will host the Women’s Criterium from 1-2 p.m. on Feb. 15. A criterium is a race on a closed short distance course (in this case .7 mile).</p><p>Initially, there was to be three cities that hosted a Women’s Criterium, but San Jose and Sacramento eventually were dropped.</p><p>The 2009 race will be the fourth Tour of California and Santa Rosa has hosted a Stage One finish each year.</p><p>Stage One will begin at noon on Feb. 15 in Davis and head west on Highway 128, through Winters, leaving Highway 128 at Spanish Flat Woodlands, onto Knoxville Berryessa Road along the western flank of Lake Berryessa.</p><p>The route will turn left on Pope Canyon Road, through Pope Valley, then left on Howell Mountain Road through Angwin, connecting to Deer Park Road and through Deer Park. A left on the Silverado Trail will lead the riders to Calistoga and the Calistoga Road.</p><p>Inside the city limits, the peloton will turn right on Badger and then left on Brush Creek before entering Highway 12, which gives way to Fourth Street. The downtown circuit then begins, the same circuit the 2005 Tour of California peloton rode. Down Fourth to B Street at Railroad Square to Third Street, past City Hall then with a left on Sonoma Avenue and a left on Brookwood.</p><p>The complete routes of all eight stages will be announced officially by AEG, the group that owns the Tour of California.</p><p>“I think this route will be harder on the racers than when they came up from Sausalito and up Coleman Valley Road,” said Bill Ellis of the city’s Public Works Department. “The peloton could spread out over Coleman Valley but they had enough time to recover to bunch up going into Santa Rosa. This route, however, has several climbs that could spread out riders.”</p><p>If that’s the case, the downtown circuit very likely would not have all the riders downtown at the same time. To avoid confusion, race officials could assign blanket times to riders who enter the circuit after one lap is completed.</p><p>“We have been told to anticipate at least three times the crowd downtown because Lance is riding,” de la Rosa said.</p><p>That would make the crowd number well past 100,000.</p><p>Protective fencing along Fourth Street may extend east well past Brookwood, de la Rosa said. A large-screen television is also under discussion, she said.</p><p>Last year 59 law enforcement officers worked Santa Rosa on race day. Lt. Ben Harlin of the Santa Rosa Police Department said the SRPD and city officials are to meet later this week to determine how much to increase that number.</p>