The 2010 Amgen Tour of California marks a significant moment for our little City of Davis.
Last year the race literally and figuratively took Davis by storm, flooding the streets with hundreds of people and a lot of relentless rain. Davis residents, students and people from out of town flocked to the event, even in the cold, to watch the race and get a chance to see Lance Armstrong. Let us repeat – THE Lance Armstrong. Neither the freezing rain nor Armstrong’s stolen bike could detract from the event; these incidents only added to the excitement.
The participating cyclists will be getting more and more serious as the Tour de France approaches this year. The professional cycling race was moved from February to May 17 and falls significantly closer to the Tour de France. This makes the Amgen Tour arguably the last major event before the participants head off to France and one of the last chances they will have to get into the racing mindset.
Like last year, the prestige of the cyclists will attract enormous attention. Armstrong will be back, along with other notable contenders: Levi Leipheimer, Dave Zabriskie and George Hincapie.
Not only will people make a special trip to our neighborhood from surrounding areas but the city could attract many international visitors as well. The weather is expected to be a bit nicer, although that did not stop bikers and onlookers in the past.
The event has great magnitude for California, and it is a unique honor for Davis to host. For a race of this enormity to be in the midst of the city’s specialty restaurants, boutiques and quaint downtown life is pretty special. Not to mention, downtown businesses and the local economy will see a boost.
Even though we may be a small city, Davisites can see why the most bicycle-friendly city in the nation is the perfect location for the second stage of the race. Hosting the race will give us another reason to appreciate what makes being a part of the Davis community so great.
In simpler words, it’s kind of a big deal.
