Community ride to celebrate Amgen Tour of California's return to Santa Rosa

As many as 100 bicyclists, including pro riders and local celebrities, will kick off the 2016 Amgen Tour of California festivities in Santa Rosa Tuesday with an announcement of the men’s and women’s teams set to ride in the May race.

The eight-day men’s race, May 15-22, and the four-day women’s race, May 19-22, will feature the strongest teams and riders in race history, said Raissa de la Rosa, Santa Rosa’s economic development specialist and the co-chair of the local organizing committee.

After a two-year absence, the event returns to Sonoma County on May 21 for the 109-mile out-and-back men’s Stage 7 and the 64-mile women’s Stage 3. Both races will start and end in downtown Santa Rosa.

At a news conference Tuesday morning, organizers will announce participating cyclists’ names, expected to include world and national champions, Olympic medalists and hopefuls and international cycling stars.

A colorful peloton of dozens of cyclists will participate in a 30-mile community ride Tuesday morning, culminating just before the announcement, at the Hyatt Vineyard Creek hotel in Railroad Square.

Riders of all fitness levels are welcome to sign up for the casual ride along portions of the Stage 7 route. The community ride will be limited to the first 100 people who register at http://bit.ly/1QNFujn.

Local luminaries and bicycling enthusiasts will ride alongside former professional cyclist Freddie Rodriguez, a four-time national champ who was recently named a race ambassador, and Santa Rosa’s own Levi Leipheimer, a three-time winner of the Tour of California.

Among the others expected to participate are Santa Rosa city councilman Gary Wysocky, Sonoma County Board of Supervisors chair Efren Carrillo, Amgen Tour of California president Kristin Klein and race announcer Dave Towle.

Billed as America’s most prestigious cycling event, the Amgen Tour of California is a Tour de France-style road race that challenges the world’s top professionals along a demanding eight-day course through nearly 800 miles of iconic California terrain.

This year’s race returns to Santa Rosa after a two-year hiatus, marking the 10-year anniversary of the first stage of the inaugural Tour of California in 2006 set in Santa Rosa.

For only the second time, the men’s race will progress south to north, from San Diego to Sacramento, covering 782.7 miles - the longest trek since the event’s 2006 debut.

The women’s race will run from South Lake Tahoe to Folsom, Santa Rosa and Sacramento.

You can reach Lori A. Carter at 521-5470 or lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @loriacarter.