Cyclists will take over some South Coast streets during Monday’s Amgen Tour of California, when Stage 2 racers ride from the Ventura Pier to the Gibraltar Road summit above Santa Barbara.
The seven-stage men’s race starts in Long Beach Sunday and ends in Sacramento on May 19.
The three-stage women’s race runs May 17-May 19.
Monday’s race day in the men’s Amgen Tour of California includes 98 miles of riding and 7,700 feet of elevation gain, organizers said.
The route is designed to avoid Highway 192 in the Montecito area, because of the bridge and road closures still in effect following the Jan. 9 debris flow.
Click here for a map of Monday’s route.
The race start is scheduled for 11:15 a.m. Monday at the Ventura Pier, with an estimate that the peloton will reach the Gibraltar Road summit finish around 3:45 p.m.
Cyclists are expected to pass the Casitas Pass Road summit in Carpinteria at 2-2:25 p.m. and the Greenwell Avenue summit in Summerland at 2:40-3:06 p.m.
Gibraltar Road will be closed to downhill traffic between 2:15 p.m. and 4 p.m., and be closed at 2:30 p.m. through around 3:30 p.m. for uphill traffic, according to organizers.
East Camino Cielo will be closed east of Painted Cave Road between 4 and 8 p.m. Monday, except for local residents, according to organizers.
The Santa Barbara Police Department plans to implement “soft road closures” as the race moves through town, department spokesman Anthony Wagner said.
The Coast Village Road Association will host a race-watching party Monday on the 1200 block of Coast Village Road, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
There will be a JumboTron showing the entire race, with the big screen provided by the Amgen Tour of California, according to association executive director Sharon Byrne.
In a statement released Friday, she said there will be limited parking from noon to 4 p.m. Monday, and the road will be closed for about an hour starting at 2:05 p.m. as racers pass through the area.
Monday’s Stage 2 route comes into Santa Barbara County on Highway 192, and then cuts down Cravens Lane to Via Real, parallel to Highway 101.
Riders will use Greenwell Avenue to Ortega Ridge Road to get through Summerland, and then cut onto Sheffield Drive, San Leandro Lane, North Jameson Lane and Coast Village Road.
The route then uses Hermosillo and Hot Springs roads to get to Sycamore Canyon Road, and finally back to Highway 192 in Santa Barbara.
Cyclists will ride up Gibraltar Road for the day’s finish line.
Tuesday’s Stage 3 in the Amgen Tour of California is from King City to the Laguna Seca Recreation Area.
— Noozhawk managing editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
