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It's official: Tour of California returns to Santa Rosa
The peloton makes its way through the streets of Santa Rosa during the first stage of the Tour of California in 2009.
PD FILEPublished: Thursday, October 8, 2009 at 8:48 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, October 8, 2009 at 8:48 p.m.
City and business leaders said Thursday that the Amgen Tour of California, billed as the nation’s top professional cycling event, will return to Santa Rosa in 2010 for a fifth year — an event in some doubt after budget woes forced the city to withdraw its financial support.
The return of a leg of the eight-day road race that draws crowds of more than 10,000 to the downtown — and has placed Santa Rosa firmly on the world’s cycling map — was greeted with cheers by racing enthusiasts and businesspeople.
“I’m absolutely thrilled — that race is just so good for our county for so many reasons,” said Jim Keene, general manager and partner of Norcal Bike Sports and the Bike Peddler, two of a rapidly growing number of bicycling shops in Santa Rosa.
“It’s good for my business, but I think it’s good for every business in this county,” said Keene.
The race’s return was confirmed by Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce executive director Mo McElroy, who has led efforts to raise money to defray the costs of staging the event in Santa Rosa.
“I’m elated — five years out of five,” said McElroy.
She spoke on the heels of the largest amateur cycling event ever held in Sonoma County, the King Ridge Gran Fondo, held Saturday and crafted by professional rider Levi Leipheimer, a Santa Rosa resident who has won the Tour three consecutive years.
McElroy said the success of the Fondo — about 3,500 cyclists took part, including the president of the organization that organizes the Tour of California — will go a long way to ensuring the success of the fundraising effort, which still must bring in about $85,000 to pay for the costs of hosting the stage of the race.
“I think based on what happened with the Gran Fondo — Italian for big ride — there’s nobody out there who doesn’t want bigger more prestigious cycling events, and that’s how we’re going to get there," she said.
It’s not yet known which stage of the race will be held in Santa Rosa — that announcement is expected in November — but McElroy said she believes “we’re looking at a stage finish.”
The race, which organizers have said they envision as a warmup to the Tour de France — cycling’s marquee event that’s held in July — will begin May 16. It is the first time the race will be held in the spring and for the first time will include the Sierras. In its previous four years it was in February and occasionally marred by high winds and heavy rain.
The race has become a signature event for the city — and for Wine Country — since its inception in 2006, and city officials say it has been an economic and marketing boon.
“It sort of put us in the map, not just as a cycling destination but as a tourism destination,” said Raissa de la Rosa, an economic development specialist for the city.
She said a conservative estimate, looking only at the impact to downtown businesses, put the direct spending from race visitors at about $840,000 and the single day tax revenue to Santa Rosa at $35,000. It is the biggest day of the year for many downtown restaurants and bars, and cycling shops see the returns for months afterward, she said.
“What we’ve seen each Tour of California is this subsequent buildup of road bikes selling in the following months,” said Keene, at the Bike Peddler.
“We had a single-day, all-time record over at Norcal just as a result of the Fondo,” he said.
But budget pressures forced the city to withdraw its $20,000 annual contribution for the upcoming year — eliminating a contribution that had already dipped from the $45,000 the city invested in hosting the race its first two years.
That put the race’s return in doubt, because the Tour requires cities to commit $175,000 toward hosting the race.
McElroy and de la Rosa said a furious fundraising campaign — capped with the Gran Fondo — had brought in at least half that amount in private donations, enough so that the city could say yes to the Tour’s invitation. Before a final contract is signed, though, the rest of the money must be raised.
The precise amount generated from the Gran Fondo has not been determined yet.
De la Rosa said: “I can guarantee, if we don’t come up with the money from the private sector, even if the race wanted to come back next year, the city is not in the financial position to host it. We cannot afford it.”
Corporate sponsors who have so far committed between $2,500 and $10,000 each, include Redwood Regional Medical Group, Sutter Hospital, Norcal Bike Sports, Trek Bike Store, the Russian River Brewing Company, North Bay Vitrio Retinal Consultants, Perry Law and Parkpoint Health Club, said McElroy.
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