Amgen Tour

Lozano Riba of Team Novo Nordisk and other riders turn off Canyon Del Rey in Monterey and prepare to head onto Highway 1 on their way to Morro Bay at the start of stage four of the 2019 Amgen Tour of California.

For the first time in 14 years, what was billed as “America’s greatest” cycling race will not take place. Last week, organizers announced that the Amgen Tour of California is not happening in 2020.

“It has become more challenging each year to mount the race,” Kristin Klein, who oversees the tour as Executive Vice President of AEG Sports, said in a press statement. “This new reality has forced us to reevaluate our options.”

The tour involved teams and riders from around the world, many who also take part in the Tour de France. They raced on roads and highways across the state, with flat and mountainous stages. In May, stage four launched from WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, finishing in Morro Bay. In 2018, a stage started in King City and ended at the track.

To prepare for the tour this year, Team Novo Nordisk trained in Carmel Valley.

In announcing the hiatus, AEG—the organizing body—pointed out that the Amgen Tour was the only U.S. cycling competition with both the men’s and women’s races included on the global UCI WorldTour schedule. Over the years, the likes of Peter Sagan, Jens Voigt, Mark Cavendish and Tejay van Garderen have participated.

The 2019 event was won by Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia, riding for UAE Team Emirates. Team Degeuninck-Quickstep’s Fabio Jakobsen of the Netherlands captured stage four.

Whether the race return is uncertain. “We are actively assessing every aspect of our event to determine if there is a business model that will allow us to successfully relaunch the race in 2021,” Klein said.

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