re: Cycling

Tour of California Stage 2: Farewell to Winter

Note: This is text from my post on KQED's News Fix blog.
Update, 7:40 a.m.: Here's KQED's story on the Stage 1 cancellation on this morning's "The California Report: Tour of California's First Stage Snowed Out. (And yes, we're updating it to reflect today's shorter stage.)
Update, 6:50 a.m.: The winter weather in the Sierra has prompted Tour officials to cut today's stage in half, moving it from Squaw Valley all the way down to Nevada City. That reduces the stage from 133 miles to 61 miles, and moves the start back from 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Here's the lemonade-from-lemons announcement from Andrew Messick, head of AEG Sports, the lead Tour organizer:

“Nevada City did an outstanding job hosting the first stage of the 2010 race and we know that the riders and fans will appreciate the return. We owe a debt of gratitude to Andy Chapman, Carol Chaplin and everyone in Squaw Valley, who worked tirelessly to create what would have been an exceptional Stage 2 start and hope that we will have an opportunity to bring the Amgen Tour of California to the city in a future year.”

Earlier: The plan for the second stage--is it still second if there was no first stage?--is to ride from the Squaw Valley ski resort down to the town of Truckee, ride along the north shore of Donner Lake, then climb up to Donner Pass on old U.S. 40. It's a gorgeous route and would be ideal if you didn't have to think about traffic or the weather. The racers won't have to sweat the traffic--the road will be closed. Weather? That's another matter. Overnight temperatures in the area will be in the high teens, meaning Sunday's wet roads may be icy in the morning. After the summit, a little above 7,200 feet above sea level, the riders will start a long, long descent to Sacramento (altitude 25 feet above sea level). They'll crest the pass after working up a nice little sweat, only to be faced with a long, fast, cold, and possibly slippery descent. (Remember, they're paid to do this; we're not.) The question naturally occurs after Sunday's Stage One cancellation: Will the race really happen as planned? The answer just past midnight Monday is that the Tour organizers are keeping all options open, but nothing will be certain until much closer to the scheduled 10:15 a.m. start. Here are a couple quotes from the "post-stage" press conference Sunday that make that point: Andrew Messick, head of AEG Sports, one of the outfits putting on the race:

"Honestly, our focus has been on today. Tomorrow we have a number of contingency plans if we again encounter drastic weather conditions. It is likely going to depend on the status of Donner Pass. We have our team up there right now assessing the situation."

Jim Birrell, race director:

"We have our team focusing on Donner Pass, and that will be critical for making a decision tomorrow. It will be our goal to make a decision by 8 a.m. tomorrow. Our team will contemplate the alternative and then proceed with the option that is best for our riders. Right now we are moving forward with tomorrow as planned, and we will have to react to the weather as it unfolds."

Links Cyclingnews.com: Amgen Tour of California still under snow watch San Francisco Chronicle: Winter in May will stick around another day San Jose Mercury: Tour of California officials hope for better weather Monday

Tour of California: Stage 1 Delayed, Shortened

Update 11:45 a.m.: The Tour of California organizers just announced that a 50-mile version of Stage 1 will roll out from the Stateline, Nevada, start line at 1:15 p.m. The route will head around the southern end of Lake Tahoe, turn north on Highway 89 to head north up the lake's east side, climb to a Category 4 King of the Mountain summit above Emerald Bay, and finish with an uphill finish at the Northstar ski resort.

We are sitting comfortably in Berkeley, a good 180 miles away from the action, but we note that according to the National Weather Service reporting station at Lake Tahoe, the snow has never let up since it started last night. Current conditions: light snow, temperature of 30 degrees F., wind from the south at 10 mph, gusting to 22.

Here's the revised course map:Tour of California Stage 1 map

And here's the revised course log: 11 AToC Stage 1 log south side only.xls

Earlier: Above, an image posted to Twitter this morning by Team Garmin. Yeah--that's near Lake Tahoe and the planned start of the Tour of California this morning.

It snowed all night in the Sierra and now the organizers have decided to shorten the stage and delay the start for several hours to give the weather a chance to improve. If weather and road conditions are still bad at noon, the stage could be canceled outright. Here's the latest Tour statement:

Due to severe and unsafe weather conditions in the Lake Tahoe area, the start of Stage 1 of the 2011 Amgen Tour of California has been delayed. If the weather improves, a shortened stage will be started at 1:15 p.m. PT. We will continue to monitor the weather conditions and state of the roads and make a final decision at noon PT, with the riders’ safety as our number one priority.

The new route will continue to take the riders from South Lake Tahoe to Northstar up the west side of Lake Tahoe. The stage will be approximately 50 miles. There will be no changes to the timing or the finish line at Northstar. The Lifestyle Festival at the finish will still open at noon PT, with the Amgen Breakaway Mile also remaining on schedule for 2:30 p.m. PT.

- Andrew Messick, President of AEG Sports, presenter of the Amgen Tour of California

Tour of California: Waiting on the Weather

The Tour of California organizers have just released a statement on how they'll respond to the onset of potentially dangerous winter weather on the planned Stage 1 course around Lake Tahoe on Sunday:

"The 2011 Amgen Tour of California is scheduled to kick off Sunday, May 15, in South Lake Tahoe at 10:30 a.m. PT. As everyone is aware, there is a storm front predicted to reach the area. Therefore race organizers, in conjunction with the commissaires, teams and public safety organizations, have developed a number of contingency plans with the safety of the riders and fans being the number one priority. The weather is constantly changing in the Sierras, and our team will be assessing weather conditions throughout the morning. A decision on any changes to the route and timing will be made at 9 a.m. PT tomorrow, and will ultimately be based on what is best and most safe for our riders and spectators. Details will be distributed on the official race website and via email."
- Andrew Messick, President of AEG Sports, presenter of the Amgen Tour of California

I'll only note that as the clock strikes midnight, the latest weather reports show light snow at Lake Tahoe Airport and at Blue Canyon, on Interstate 80 at about 5,200 feet west of Donner Summit. The National Weather Service office in Reno notes that on May 15, 1984, the town of Truckee recorded 4 inches of snow. Winter can last a while in the high country.

Some other links on weather and race speculation:

Cyclingnews: Contingencies in Place for Amgen Tour of California Weather San Jose Mercury News: Tour of California may have to change course for first day because of snowstorm Los Angeles Times: Snow, ice threaten start of Tour of California cycling race ESPN.com: Tour of California can't get a break Sacramento Bee: Tour of California officials ponder options