Tour of California returns to Santa Rosa bigger, better

A stellar field of elite international and U.S. men’s and women’s cycling teams will compete in the 2016 Amgen Tour of California as it winds its way through Sonoma County this May after a two-year break.

The 11th running of the race - billed as America’s most prestigious annual cycling event - will include 10 UCI WorldTour teams, the most in race history, and some of the top individual cyclists in the world.

The men will compete across almost 800 miles of California terrain May 15-22, starting in San Diego and working their way north during the eight stages in 12 cities, ending in Sacramento.

Stage 7 on May 21 will include a 109-mile course that starts and ends in downtown Santa Rosa, with the bulk of the stage in the hills west of the city.

The four-day women’s race runs from May 19-22, starting in Tahoe, passing through Folsom and Santa Rosa, and finishing in Sacramento. The women’s race will also start and end a stage in downtown Santa Rosa.

Tuesday morning at the Hyatt Vineyard Creek conference center in Santa Rosa, race officials announced the talent-filled lineup of teams, saying it is perhaps the strongest group of riders in race history - particularly for men’s sprinters.

Competitors will include world and national champions, Olympic medalists and hopefuls, returning Tour of California winners and several prominent local cyclists, including Alison Tetrick, Larissa Connors, Peter Stetina and Tyler Williams.

Renowned sprinter Peter Sagan, who won the 2015 Tour of California by the closest margin in its history (3 seconds), will return with his team, Tinkoff.

Sagan narrowly beat French rider Julian Alaphilippe of Etixx-Quick-Step, who is also returning this year.

British sprinter Mark Cavendish, who won four tour stages last year, will ride for Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka in its inaugural season as a UCI WorldTour team.

Santa Rosa-based BMC Racing Team is a nine-time participant and will be led by Rohan Dennis of Australia, a favorite for this year’s Folsom time trial. Last year Dennis won the first leader’s jersey of the 2015 Tour de France after recording the fastest average speed in race history, 55.446 km an hour.

Team KATUSHA of Russia, ranked second in the world, will participate for the first time with top sprinter Alexander Kristoff of Norway, who won 20 races in 2015, more than any other professional rider.

Kristoff has already won five races this season.

Santa Rosa native Stetina, who finished sixth in 2014 and is a two-time Under-23 National Time Trial Champion, will ride for his new team, U.S.-based Trek-Segafredo, this year.

The Amgen Tour has become one of the most important races of the international cycling season, showcasing the most successful riders from around the world and providing head-to-head competition as cyclists prepare for the summer Tour de France and the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

This year’s race is also being hailed as a huge leap in women’s racing, since it will be the first North American stage race in the inaugural UCI Women’s WorldTour.

Seven of the top 10 UCI-ranked teams will race, including current top-ranked Wiggle High5 of England.

Twenty16 Professional Cycling boasts Kristin Armstrong of Tennessee, the most decorated woman cyclist in U.S. history. She has six national championship titles in time trials and road races, and two world time trial titles.

Petaluma resident Alison Tetrick of Cylance Pro Cycling, the seventh-ranked team in the world, is excited to race in her home training ground. Tetrick, whose sister Jennifer also will race, owns the fastest women’s time for Levi’s Gran Fondo.

“I know the roads. I train here,” she said. “The whole biking community in Sonoma County is so important to me. To be able to race at home is great.”

Other top female riders will include: Evelyn Stevens of Claremont, who won last year’s time trial and the 2013 overall title; fellow Californian Allie Dragoo riding for Twenty16; and Megan Guarnier of New York, the reigning road race national champion and bronze medalist at the 2015 road race world championships.

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