By LONG BEACH – The 2007 Amgen Tour of California ended in downtown Long Beach Sunday afternoon, concluding the weeklong statewide bicycle race that aims to be America’s Tour de France.
The eight-day, seven-stage event toured much of the Golden State. Beginning in San Francisco last Sunday, the route took participants through California’s diverse regions, including the North Bay, Napa Valley wine country and the Central Coast.
Host cities included San Francisco, Sausalito, Santa Rosa, Sacramento, Stockton, San Jose, Seaside, San Luis Obispo, Solvang, Santa Barbara, Santa Clarita and Long Beach.
The 639-mile race drew many of the world’s top professional teams, but American Levi Leipheimer, a three-time top-10 Tour de France finisher, of Team Discovery Channel won the race with the best individual average time at 24 hours, 57 minutes and 25 seconds. Denmark’s Team CSC had the best team average.
Amgen, a biotechnology company based in Thousand Oaks, Calif., sponsored the race, which is now in its second year. The race is part of the UCI America Tour and the USA Cycling Professional Tour.
In addition to the race, there was also the Long Beach Bike & Family Festival, which included BMX and stunt rider demos, an adult tricycle relay race, art galleries in the East Village, live entertainment on Pine Avenue and donations for various charities.
Last year’s Amgen Tour of California drew more than one million spectators, which set an attendance record for any single sporting event in California and any cycling event in the United States. This year, race officials estimated that 1.6 million people, more than last year, watched the event.
