The largest professional cycling race in North America, the Amgen Tour of California, will roll through Santa Barbara on Wednesday and Thursday.
The nearly 750-mile route of the 2013 Amgen Tour began on Sunday in Escondido, and will conclude in Santa Rosa this coming Sunday.
The first Amgen Tour of California was in 2006, and the 2013 tour is the first race running from south to north, according to race organizers.
The tour features 128 riders from 16 professional cycling teams, including seven world-champion cyclists, 11 national champions, 11 Tour de France stage winners and two Grand Tour overall podium finishers.
Those wishing to watch the event in person are welcome to Wednesday’s Stage 4 Race Finish on Cabrillo Boulevard near Fess Parker’s DoubleTree Resort for broadcasts of the race on large televisions. Stage 4 begins in Santa Clarita, and is expected to end in Santa Barbara by 3:45 p.m.
Spectators can also witness the start of Stage 5 of the race at 11 a.m. Thursday on Cabrillo Boulevard at Castillo Street. Stage 5 stretches from Santa Barbara to Avila Beach, with a big climb up Highway 154 over San Marcos Pass.
People unable to attend the Amgen Tour of California can catch the daily broadcasts on NBC, as well as download the free Tour Tracker app or click here to visit the website for live coverage and updates.
On Wednesday, Santa Barbara residents can expect road closures at Highway 192, Hot Springs Road and Cabrillo Boulevard from about 2:45 to 3:45 p.m., according to Sgt. Riley Harwood of the Santa Barbara Police Department.
Several Highway 101 exits will also be closed at around 3 p.m. Wednesday: southbound at Cabrillo, northbound at Cabrillo and southbound at Los Patos.
Thursday’s closures will consist of Cabrillo Boulevard, Shoreline Drive, Meigs Road, Cliff Drive, Las Positas Road and Modoc Road, from about 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. All aforementioned roads will be closed just before and during the race, and will be reopened to traffic as soon as the cyclists pass through.
Oncoming traffic will be stopped about 15 minutes before the race begins, and traffic going in the same direction as the race will be permitted just until the race approaches. Emergency vehicles will not be affected.
Breakaway from Cancer, a national initiative founded by Amgen in 2005 to raise awareness of resources available to those affected by cancer, will host a Breakaway Mile on Wednesday from 2:30 to 3 p.m.
The 150 cancer survivors, patients, caregivers and advocates of the Santa Barbara community will cross the Amgen finish line prior to the professional riders’ finish.
Peggy Rantanen, a Santa Barbara cancer survivor, will lead the mile as the Breakaway from Cancer Champion during Santa Barbara’s mile.
Amgen is a human therapeutic developer and manufacturer focusing on cancer, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, bone disease, among other illnesses. The Amgen Tour of California is presented by AEG, a subsidiary of The Anschutz Company that owns many major sports and entertainment facilities and several prominent sports franchises.
— Noozhawk intern Kelsey Gripenstraw can be reached at kgripenstraw@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.