This Friday twelve of the world’s most elite female cyclists will gather in Solvang, California, complete in a race that, this year, includes women for the first time ever. The Amgen Tour of California Women’s International Time Trial Challenge is part of stage 6 of the 2011 Amgen Tour of California, the nation’s largest cycling event.
The Amgen Tour of California was set to begin yesterday in South Lake Tahoe. However, freezing weather conditions forced officials to cancel stage one then postpone and also relocate the start of stage two. But Friday’s show will go on as long as the weather allows.
Olympic medalists, world champions (including Kristin Armstrong), and the current U.S. Champion, Evelyn Stevens, will race against the clock on a fifteen-mile course through the Santa Ynez Valley. They will climb 492 feet in the first half of the race then soar 519 feet downward in the second half, winding through vineyards, farmland, and rural communities surrounded by mountains and even alpacas grazing in the grass.
Participant Kristen Armstrong—former world individual time trial champion and reigning Olympic gold medalist—expressed her great excitement that the time trial will bring worldwide recognition to female cycling.
The time trial is known as the race of truth because it relies solely on individual strength and speed. So make sure you’re watching when these twelve women show the whole world what they’re made of. This particular event is optimal for spectators, as the start line and finish line are set only one block apart.
For those tuning in from home, the race will be aired with VERSUS broadcast at 11:30 a.m. PST. Check out amgentourofcalifornia.com for a list of other broadcasted events.
