Cyclists in the Amgen Tour of California race will do a single lap through downtown Santa Rosa instead of three in a new race format announced Tuesday.
The new format is causing some concern for Santa Rosa officials, who hope it won't affect the size of crowds, which in past years they estimate at about 10,000 spectators.
But sponsors say that while the people who line the streets won't get to watch the cyclists go by three times, they will get a more competitive stage that is harder and could figure strongly in who wins the race overall.
"We made the course a heck of a lot harder," said Chuck Hodge of Atlanta-based Medalist Sports, the race technical director who designed the course. "We have taken last year's course and added two major climbs. It is the hardest route we have had coming into Santa Rosa and that is the change."
The new format is also a concession to the France-based Union Cyclists International, which was upset last year when the circuit was closed after the leader completed the first lap, keeping half the field from entering downtown Santa Rosa.
"We stopped 50 to 60 riders last year, it really ended up marring the stage," Hodge said. "It was weather, but it created a lot of competition issues You have to artificially create times for those riders."
Raissa de la Rosa, Santa Rosa's economic development specialist, said the city will increase the activities it puts on at Third and E streets and will keep Fourth Street closed into the evening to encourage people to go to restaurants and bars.
The Amgen Tour this year starts May 16 in Nevada City and finishes May 23 in Thousand Oaks. Santa Rosa will host the second stage, the fifth year it has hosted a stage.
The race is expected to draw 15 or 16 eight-member professional cycling teams. It will include three-time Amgen Tour winner Levi Leipheimer of Santa Rosa, Lance Armstrong, Dave Zabriskie and George Hincapie.
The routes for the first two stages of the race - Nevada City to Sacramento and Davis to Santa Rosa - were announced Tuesday. The routes of the other stages will be unveiled later in the week.
On the stage into Santa Rosa, riders will follow Highway 128 to Lake Berryessa, skirt the lake into Pope Valley, follow the Silverado Trail to Oakville, cross the Napa Valley and climb into the Valley of the Moon over Trinity Road.
The route takes riders into Glen Ellen and down Bennett Valley Road into downtown Santa Rosa. The downtown circuit is over Maple Avenue, E Street, Second Street, Franklin Street, Fourth Street, B Street, Seventh Street, A Street, Eighth Street, Morgan Street and Third Street, with the finish line on Third Street near Courthouse Square.
Hodge said the riders will be more spread out than in previous years because of the difficulty of the course and he expects it will be 20 minutes between the first and last rider.
"What we would really like to see every day of the race is for that leader's jersey to change hands, that builds excitement," Hodge said.
Hodge said a sprinter will probably win Stage 1, a fast downhill from Nevada City to Sacramento. But the climbs in the stage going to Santa Rosa and in the third stage in Santa Cruz will favor the climbers, such as Leipheimer.
Jim Keene of NorCal Sports said the single-lap format is in line with how Europeans stage their races and it is also much safer.
"It makes sense, it's a fairly long stage race, it is not the norm for a stage race to finish with many circuits," Keene said. "It adds an element of danger the riders don't find that acceptable."
The race is being held in May instead of February, which should make for better racing, since the riders will be in better condition with three months of racing behind them and the Tour de France just five weeks away.
"All the racers will have a lot more experience, they will be battle-hardened," Keene said. "It is about that time the riders will be ramping it up in anticipation of the Tour de France."
Keene called the move to May a good change, especially after last year's February race was run in a heavy downpour.
"I could see how the fans will feel a little robbed," Keene said. "I think we will have as good crowds or better. Simply because the race will be held in May, we will get a net increase in the size of the crowds."
The race this year will be held the Monday following the Rose Parade in Santa Rosa.
Hodge said there is still plenty to draw spectators.
"We have several big screen TVs in the downtown area, we will show the last hour to two hours of the race, and the expo will be going on bigger than it ever has been, with the vendors and all the activities," Hodge said.
De la Rosa said there will be food, health lifestyle and bicycling-oriented vendor booths in Courthouse Square, part of the entourage of 1,000 people and sponsors that travel with the Amgen Tour.
There also will be booths for local vendors and entertainment at the city-owned parking lot at Third and E streets, de la Rosa said.
Fourth Street will be blocked off until probably 8 or 9 p.m. for the after-race crowd, de la Rosa said.
The economic impact on Santa Rosa is expected to be spending of $840,000 by visitors and $173,000 by the teams, sponsors and media.
Dee Richardson, a managing partner at Whistlestop Antiques in Railroad Square, said the format change will not affect the success of the race, which she believes is the long-term exposure for Santa Rosa, not the race-day attendance.
"It is the best thing that has happened to Santa Rosa, we are lucky to have it, it obviously resonates with people," Richardson said.
UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: