Pedal Dancer®: May 2012

REPORTS FROM - 2012 Amgen Tour of California - by PEDAL DANCER

2012 Results

General Classification after Stage 8 - FINAL


1	Robert Gesink (NED)	Rabobank	30h 42' 32"
2	David Zabriskie (USA)	Garmin-Barracuda	+ 46"
3	Tom Danielson (USA)	Garmin-Barracuda	+ 54"
4	Tejay van Garderen (USA)	BMC Racing Team	+ 1' 17"
5	Fabio Duarte (COL)	Colombia-Coldeportes	+ 1' 36"
6	Levi Leipheimer (USA)	Omega Pharma-Quick Step	+ 2' 13"
7	Wilco Kelderman (NED)	Rabobank	+ 2' 30"
8	Christopher Horner (USA)	RadioShack-Nissan	+ 2' 49"
9	Tiago Machado (POR)	RadioShack-Nissan	+ 2' 54"
10	Pieter Weening (NED)	Orica-GreenEDGE	+ 3' 05"

2012 Pedal Dancer™ stories from the tour

Jens Voigt on the Podium
2012 Time Trial Bikes
Faces of the races (TV cameraman at ATOC)
Recommended viewing: Aaaaand Go! (Ted King)
Images of the Day: Maarten Tjallingii & Provence
Time Trial legs
Who is that voice on stage? - an interview with Announcer Brad Sohner
You are looking good
The fans want Podium Girls?
Photographs from Amgen Tour of California

2012 Pedal Dancer™ Amgen Tour of California - Travel Series

2012 posts by Pedal Dancer™ before the Amgen Tour of California

ABOUT THE RACE IN 2012

2012 Amgen Tour of California

Dates: May 13-20, 2012

2012 Amgen Tour of California - Dates and Host Cities

Map of 2012 Amgen Tour of California stage map

2012 Amgen Tour of California: Dates, Host Cities, Stage Maps, Stage Profiles

Stage 1: Sunday, May 13 – Santa Rosa - Santa Rosa
Stage Map, Stage Profile, Stage Timetable,
Stage 2: Monday, May 14 – San Francisco - Santa Cruz County
Stage Map, Stage Profile, Stage Timetable,
Stage 3: Tuesday, May 15 – San Jose - Livermore
Stage Map, Stage Profile, Stage Timetable,
Stage 4: Wednesday, May 16 – Sonora - Clovis
Stage Map, Stage Profile, Stage Timetable,
Stage 5: Thursday, May 17 – Bakersfield (Individual Time Trial)
Stage Map, Stage Profile, Stage Timetable,
Stage 6: Friday, May 18 – Palmdale - Big Bear Lake
Stage Map, Stage Profile, Stage Timetable,
Stage 7: Saturday, May 19 – Ontario - Mt. Baldy
Stage Map, Stage Profile, Stage Timetable,
Stage 8: Sunday, May 20 – Los Angeles/L.A. Live
Stage Map, Stage Profile, Stage Timetable,

Miles and elevation gain for each stage in 2012, +62,909ft total

Pedal Dancer™ - Spectator Guides for the 2012 Amgen Tour of California

Teams of the 2012 Amgen Tour of California

UCI ProTeams

BMC Racing Team (USA)
Rabobank Cycling Team (NED)
Garmin- Barracuda (USA)
RadioShack-Nissan-Trek (LUX)
Liquigas-Cannondale (ITA)
Omega Pharma - QuickStep (BEL)
AG2R La Mondiale (FRA)
~~GreenEDGE Cycling Team~~ (AUS) Orica-GreenEdge (new team name in May 2012)

UCI Professional Continental Teams

Team Spidertech Powered By C10 (CAN)
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team (USA)
~~Project 1t4i~~ (NED) Team Argos-Shimano (new team name April 2012)
Colombia-Coldeportes (COL)

UCI Continental Teams

Team Optum Presented By Kelly Benefit Strategies (USA)
Bissell Pro Cycling (USA)
Team Exergy (USA)
Bontrager Livestrong Team (USA)

Team Jerseys

See the new Leaders jerseys for the 2012 Tour of California: Jerseys of the 2012 Tour of California. Learn the teams jerseys and more about the teams:

2012 team jerseys

Classification Jerseys

New jersey designs for 2012

The Amgen Tour of California has new jersey designs for 2012 created by Hincapie. A gold Amgen sponsored Leaders jersey, avocado green Visit California sponsored Sprinters jersey, orange Rabobank sponsored Young Riders jersey, and a good-looking Nissan sponsored King of the Mountain (KOM) polka-dot jersey. The jerseys are available for purchase online now at the official Tour of California website: buy ATOC jersey

New 2012 Tour of California jerseys

Leader jersey - 2012 Amgen Tour of California

Sprint jersey - 2012 Amgen Tour of California

KOM jersey - 2012 Amgen Tour of California

Best Young Rider jersey - 2012 Amgen Tour of California

Most Aggressive Rider jersey - 2012 Amgen Tour of California

Breakaway from Cancer Most Courageous Jersey - 2012 Amgen Tour of California

VIP Passes

VIP Experiences are also for sale now on the Amgen Tour of California website. Prices range from $200 for a standard VIP tent pass to $1800 for a time trial car ride, or up to $40,000 for a 200 person private hospitality suite - who's in? For more information on VIP packages contact Melissa Gruber 213.763.5489 mgruber@aegworldwide.com Jordan Goldberg 213.763.2652 jgoldberg@aegworldwide.com

©Photo by PedalDancer.com

Stages and maps ATOC 2012

A quick summary of stage dates, locations, distances, route maps and stage profiles for the Amgen Tour of California, the 2012 professional cycling race in California in May 2012. I really enjoy seeing the race live in California, the weather is typically good, the stages easy to attend, and the list of riders on each team's roster is top quality. In 2011 Chris Horner (Radioshack) won the overall race, who will be the winner in 2012 - go see for yourself. It is great fun to attend the race, for one day, or for all 8 stages.

STAGE DETAILS - GUIDE FOR FANS 2012

Amgen Tour of California May 13-20, 2012 - Stage maps and profiles

2012 ATOC: 2012 Overall Map Official race website (click any image to enlarge)

2012 Amgen Tour of California route map

Sunday, May 13 - Stage 1: Presented by Rabobank, Distance: 115.9 miles
Stage 1 Route Map | Stage 1 Profile Map | Stage 1 Log (time table)

START: Santa Rosa at 10:50am Neutral Race Start at Santa Rosa Ave. and 3rd St.
FINISH: Santa Rosa approx 3:06-4:16pm (depending on speed) at Santa Rosa Ave. and 3rd St.
1 SPRINTS: W 3rd St, Santa Rosa, CA 1, at 12:28pm.
4 KOMs: Cazadero Hwy. at 1:17-1:56pm; Ft. Ross Rd. (1st x) at 1:27-2:09pm; Ft. Ross Rd. (2nd x) at 1:34-2:19pm; and Coleman Valley Road at 2:16-3:12pm.
Festival: 9:30-4:30pm, 610 3RD ST., Santa Rosa
Local Event: Santa Rosa The Life Time Gran Fondo 8:00am, May 12, 2012
Local Race: Team Swift Junior State Criterium Championships 4:00-800pm, May 12, 2012
Local Walk: Breakaway Mile May 13, 2012
Local Events: City of Santa Rosa events planned surrounding the Amgen Tour of California May 10-13th.
Stage 1 Video stage preview
Santa Rosa City Tour of California 2012 official city website
Santa Rosa City Road and Street Closures May 11-13th

Tour of California Stage 1 map

Monday, May 14 - Stage 2: Presented by Visit California, Distance: 117.1 miles
Stage 2 Route Map | Stage 2 Profile Map | Stage 2 Log (time table)

START: San Francisco at 11:05am Neutral Race Start at Marina Green
FINISH: Santa Cruz County at (? sometime after 4:26pm, the .pdf file is incomplete)
3 SPRINTS: Pacifica at 11:50-12:00pm; Half Moon Bay at 12:10-12:23pm; Summit Rd. at 3:08-3:53pm.
2 KOMs: Empire Grade at 2:08-2:43pm; and Bear Creek 2:52-3:45pm
Festival: 11:00-4:30pm, 6500 SOQUEL DRIVE, Aptos
Stage 2 video stage preview
Pacifica road closures
Road Closures near Santa Cruz, CA for Amgen Tour of California on May 14th.

ATOC Stage 2 route map

ATOC Stage 2 route profile

Tuesday, May 15 - Stage 3 Distance: 115.3 miles
Stage 3 Map | Stage 3 Profile | Stage 3 Log (time table)

START: San Jose at 11:15am Neutral Start at Berryessa Community Center
FINISH: Livermore at 3:24-4:32pm Race Finish at M and 1st St.
1 SPRINT: Livermore 12:17-12:35pm on 1st ST in Livermore.
3 KOMs: Calaveras Rd. 11:28-11:32am; Mt. Diablo(!!) 1:13-1:46pm; Patterson Pass 3:04-4:06pm.
Festival: 11:00-4:30pm, 59 SOUTH L. ST., Livermore
Local Ride: King of the Mountain Charity Cycling Challenge San Jose, Sierra Rd, May 15, 2012.
Local Walk: Breakaway Mile Livermore, May 15, 2012
Stage 3 video stage preview
San Jose road and street closures May 15th
Dowtown Road Closures for Livermore May 15th. Rolling Road Closures near Livermore.

ATOC Stage 3 route map

ATOC Stage 3 route profile

Wednesday, May 16 - Stage 4 Distance: 130.2 miles
Stage 4 Map | Stage 4 Profile | Stage 4 Log (time table)

START: Sonora at 10:35am Neutral Start at Yaney and Washington St.
FINISH: Clovis at 3:39-5:10pm Race Finish at Bullard Ave. and Pollasky Ave.
2 SPRINT: CA 49/1401 in Mariposa 12:37-1:14pm; Crane Valley Rd Oakhurst at 1:39-2:34pm.
6 KOMs: 5 locations along CA49 Mariposa (please see log above); Crane Valley Rd 1:52-5:51pm.
Festival: 11:00-4:30pm, 522 POLLASKY AVE., Clovis
Local Event: Mayor's Reception Sonora, 5:30pm, May 12, 2012
Local Event: Mayor's VIP Brunch Sonora, May 16, 2012
Local Walk: Breakaway Mile Clovis, May 16, 2012
Stage 4 video stage preview
Old Town Clovis race information website and downtown map
City of Clovis street closures on May 16th (.pdf file)

ATOC stage 4 route map

ATOC stage 4 route profile

Thursday, May 17 - Stage 5 Distance: 18.4 miles (Individual Time Trial)
Stage 5 Map | Stage 5 Profile | Stage 5 Log (time table)

START: Bakersfield at 1:00pm Race Start at Mt Vernon Ave. onto Alfred Harrell Hwy.
*Tip: Riders begin 1-minute apart until the last 10 riders, who begin 2-minutes apart. The rider in last place will start first, the rider in 1st place (in current overall standings) will start last. Print out the results list from Stage 4 and bring it with you so you will know the order of the riders. Also learn the jerseys so you will recognize the approaching rider as they sometimes change order while racing the course (faster riders overtaking others).
FINISH: Bakersfield at approximately 4:00pm, Race Finish on Panorama Dr. at College
Festival: 10:00-4:30pm, 1801 PANORAMA DR., Bakersfield
Stage 5 video stage preview
Bakersfield road closures near College on May 17th
Amgen Tour of California Women's Time Trial presented by AEG and SRAM, May 17, 2012, Women's start time 11:10am. 10 women to compete in this invitational event with $10,000 prize, 18.4km (on the same course as men's stage which follows at 1:00pm).

ATOC stage 5 route map (ITT)

ATOC stage 5 route profile ITT

Friday, May 18 - Stage 6 Presented by Visit California, Distance: 115.7 miles
Stage 6 Map | Stage 6 Profile | Stage 6 Log (time table)

START: Palmdale at 10:25am Neutral Start at Marie Kerr Park
FINISH: Big Bear Lake at 2:59-4:21pm Race Finish on Summit Blvd. at Switzerland Dr.
2 SPRINTS: Crestline 1:33-2:29pm; Fawnskin 2:44-4:02pm
4 KOMs: Mt. Emma 11:03-11:15am; Wrightwood 12:11-12:43pm; CA 138 (near Old Mill Rd) 1:23-2:17pm; CA 18 near Rimforest 1:50-2:51pm.
Festival: 11:00-4:30pm, 880 SUMMIT BLVD, Big Bear Lake
Local Ride: King of the Mountain Experience Bear Lake, May 18, 2012
Local event: School Kid Races, Bear Lake, May 18, 2012
Local events: Schedule of events in Big Bear on race day

Stage 6 video stage preview
Amgen Tour of California Big Bear Race Day Spectator Guide

Road Closures into Big Bear - Traffic advisory Stage 6: State Routes 2, 138, 18, 38, and roads in Big Bear. Rolling Closures and some full Road Closures (see definitions below).

ATOC stage 6 route map

ATOC stage 6 route profile

Saturday, May 19 - Stage 7 Distance: 78.3 miles
Stage 7 Map | Stage 7 Profile | Stage 7 Log (time table)

START: Ontario at 12:00pm Neutral Start at Convention Center
FINISH: Mt. Baldy at 3:17-3:56pm Finish at Mt. Baldy(!!) Ski Area (Category HC)
1 SPRINT: Glendora 2:09-2:35pm
2 KOMs: Glendora Ridge Rd at Mt Baldy Rd 12:43-12:51pm; Glendora Mt. Rd., Finish 2:34-3:04pm.
Festival: 11:00-4:30pm, 8401 MT. BALDY ROAD, Mt Baldy
Stage 7 video stage preview
Glendora Mountain Rd blog use as a rough guideline for 2012 - good road description of parking and road closures from race day in 2011.

ATOC stage 7 route map

ATOC stage 7 route profile

Sunday, May 20 - Stage 8 Presented by Amgen, Distance: 44.7 miles
Stage 8 Map | Stage 8 Profile | Stage 8 Log (time table)

START: Beverly Hills, Rodeo Dr. at 10:10am FINISH: Los Angeles (L.A. LIVE), 11th and Figueroa at 11:42-11:58am.
1 SPRINT: as they begin lap #1 of 5 laps near the finish at 10:53-11:01am.
Festival: 8:30-1:00pm 1111 SOUTH FIGUEROA ST., Los Angeles
Local Walk: Breakaway Mile Los Angeles, May 20, 2012
Local Ride: Nissan Ride Before the Pros' start at 11th & Figueroa, 8:00-9:30am, route is 1 lap of the last circuit near L.A. LIVE, Free but must register
Stage 8 video stage preview
Road Closures: The citizen's event ride begins on the circuit loop at 8:00am, this section will likely be completely closed in the morning. Police and crossing guards will allow traffic to cross (but not drive on) the route from Beverly Hills to L.A. LIVE at certain points during early morning hours. The real race begins at 10:10am, the route will be completely closed perhaps 15-30 minutes before the race and remain closed for the duration of the race. During the race, pedestrians on foot will be allowed to cross the course at designated crossing points monitored by police or volunteers, you may have to walk 4-8 blocks between crossings.

ATOC stage 8 route map

ATOC stage 8 route profile

Route of 2012 Nissan Ride Before the Pros and detail of last 5 laps of Stage 8

ATOC 2012 Press:

L’Etape du California announced for 2012 Amgen Tour of California by XTri.com
Tour of California 2012 will finish at L.A. Live‎ by Los Angeles Times
Amgen Tour of California host cities announced, route taking shape by VeloNation
2012 Amgen Tour of California route announced by CyclingNews
2012 Tour to take cyclists from Santa Rosa to LA by CBS News
Pro cycling tour to skip Solvang in 2012 by Santa Ynez Valley News
2012 Amgen Tour of California to start in Santa Rosa by CyclingNews
Santa Rosa Tour Leaked Promo video by North Bay Voice

2012 l'Etape du California - Ontario to Mt Baldy, Saturday, April 28, 2012

L'Etape du California will again offer the chance for amateurs to complete a stage of the Tour of California in a closed course race setting. This year riders will tackle Stage 7 from Ontario to the mountain top of Mt Baldy. The citizens race is organized by Pacific Sports and approved by AEG, the organizers of the Amgen Tour of California.

The details of the exact route will be out next year, but with the race (and yes, it is a timed event) starting in Ontario and finishing on Mt Baldy, should have a guesstimated route just over 100 miles and 10,000ft elevation gain. The city of Ontario is only 14 miles from the summit of Mt Baldy and 10 miles further south from Claremont, so again it is likely that the route will be similar to the 2011 route, winding back and forth along the foothills before the last final steep climb to the summit of Mt Baldy.

This was the L'Etape du California map from 2011, the route might be similar with added distance - (the city of Ontario is south of Claremont the start of last year's Etape). Read more about last year's L'Etape du California 2011

The 2012 Etape may be similar to the 2011 route, Ontario is South of Claremont

This is the map of Ontario, California in relation to Mt Baldy:

Southern California - L'Etape du California 2012, Ontario to Mt Baldy

The 2012 event will again have a cap of 2,500 riders. You may register on the official L'Etape du California website, or read more information on the race's home page. This is the second year for the event, thousands of riders suffered through the steep ascent to Mt Baldy last year (my brother was one of them)
Read the post I did last year about L'Etape du California 2011 with pictures, maps and more. Or another post about L'Etape race day in 2011 L’Étape du California.

Stage 7 of the Amgen Tour of California will take place on Saturday, May 19. Read about the route of the 2012 Amgen Tour of California, scheduled for May 13-20, 2012, 2012 Tour of California route announced .

The tradition of the Etape is based on the long-running event L'Etape du Tour in France every year, allowing citizens to ride a choice of two complete stages of the Tour de France, in which over 10,000 riders from around the world participate. Read 2012 l'Étape du Tour Mondovelo.

Travel Tip for Americans traveling to Europe

If you are planning on traveling to Europe for a cycling vacation or as a tourist, come prepared for the changes in currency transfer. As Americans, protected by our two shores, we may not have realized how far behind the times our country has fallen. More secure and much easier ways of transferring funds between accounts have been in place for some time in western Europe. It is time we get on board.

You will need a chip and PIN credit card

If not now, soon. The time has come, after living in the dark ages for years, Americans can finally obtain a credit card with chip and PIN technology. These credit cards are more secure and often do not charge international transactions fees when used abroad. If you plan to travel, apply for an EMV card, you will have to pay an annual fee (mine is $95/yr), but it insures you will not get stuck when least convenient. Here is a list of Chip and PIN credit cards available to Americans. Your bank may also offer a card, call to ask. If you travel frequently the card is worth having.

That little chip is good as gold

The day I received a replacement of my British Airways Visa card for one with a chip on it was a happy day indeed. I felt like I had received a travel badge of honor - I am a tourist in the know. I will no longer be rejected! Rejection is hard to take, but without that dandy microchip on my smart credit card I get refused by restaurateurs, retail shops, gas stations, and ATMS - key items to any tourist.
Update July 2012: After spending 18 days in France, I can report that my American based chip card worked well in restaurants, markets, shops, E.Leclerc gas stations (CB card signs), autoroute gas stations, Tollbooths with the CB card signs (only). It did NOT work at standard tollbooths (I kept coins ready), parking meter pay stations, and unattended gas stations (without the blue CB card logo), and some small retailers. It was however very convenient to have, since most credit card machines are not swipe machines but insert your card machines.

Have confidence when facing down a machine

When I see one of these hand held credit card swipers, I have the confidence to know my card will be accepted. Those awkward moments of handing a salesperson or waiter my archaic card and having them flip it over and over with the expression of - what era is this card from? and my matching expression of - I am sorry... I come from America, are over. Now I can proudly purchase away, and eat up a storm, and know I will be able to pay.

slide it in the bottom

slide it down the side

My transportation flow should be much smoother as well ... through the peage tollbooths, in and out of parking lots, filling up at gas stations (without searching for one with a live attendant), buying train tickets (without wasting many minutes standing in line at the attendant ticket booth). I will have travel freedom. Read more about chip and PIN smart cards in an informative article by msn money: New credit cards make travel harder.

All I need is the chip card and (very rarely) a 4-digit code (PIN). Most of the US based chip cards still require a signature (chip and signature cards).

ATMs

We used to look for the Cirrus symbol on the machine to know our bank ATM card would work - be warned that increasing numbers of machines (now a significant inconvenience) will reject your ATM card for cash. upon your ATM card. Bring a credit card along with you (and it's PIN) as a back up to get cash. If you do not have a chip and PIN card, be certain to bring your ATM card and a couple credit cards, it might be less convenient but you can work most situations out and find a way to pay.

Money Transfers

Checkbooks are as out of date as 8-track cassettes. Bills are paid by providing a IBAN number to approve direct transfer of money from one account to another. Don't be surprised if a hotel deposit is requested by money transfer, this is actually an old term applied to a very efficient system. You might need to go into your bank and fill out the paperwork for approving a wire-transfer over the phone, otherwise you will need to go into your bank to complete the transaction. The downside is the cost: typically a $45 fee, no matter what the actual transfer amount is. There are some web based transfer sites, but I have not used these and cannot recommend one.

When I recently transferred funds to purchase my VIP ticket for the 2012 Tour of Flanders, I felt the extra fee was absorbed into the incredible experience. However if a €60 bed and breakfast in France is asking for a down-payment, the added transfer fee may make no sense and nearly double your hotel rate. Paypal International transfers might make more sense, check if Paypal is an option for your needs.

How it works, our American banks will need this information from the person you intend to pay:

Account holder name:
Account number:
IBAN:
Bank identifier code (BIC / swift):

The IBAN number is a very long (27 digit) code which contains the account number within. Our banks must have the Bank identifier code (BIC/swift) which identifies the bank branch and is needed to send out the transfer.

Paypal

You might also come across Paypal, an efficient method of collecting and making payment online used by many businesses in the United State and around the world. Paypal is a quick guarantee that funds will be transferred and guaranteed within a couple days. If you don't have a Paypal account already, it is time you created one for yourself.

Good luck, I hope these travel tips make your journey more enjoyable, so you can get out and ride your bike carefree. For more Pedal Dancer travel tips - visit the France Travel page: FRANCE TRAVEL

Pedal Dancer®

31 May 2012

2012 Amgen Tour of California - Fan Guide Page

Images of the Day: Maarten Tjallingii & Provence

30 May 2012

Chip and PIN Credit Cards

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