America's top cycling road race set to return to Santa Clarita in February 2008.

The Amgen Tour of California, considered to be the top cycling road race held in the United States, will be returning to Santa Clarita in 2008. The world’s top professional teams will compete once again over an eight-day, 700-mile race on a route that includes the California redwoods, wine country and the Pacific Coast.

In addition to bringing the excitement of a cycling road race to California cities, the tour will also raise funds for cancer care and treatment.  Founded in 2005, Breakaway from Cancer™ raises awareness and funds to support valuable services and programs, provided free of charge, that help people living with cancer.  The 2007 race supported The Wellness Community and the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship.

The Tour will be held on Feb. 16-24, 2008, with racers reaching Santa Clarita during Stage 6 on Saturday, Feb. 23, when they will cycle from Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita.

The 2008 tour will begin with the Prologue in Palo Alto and end with a grand finale in Pasadena, stopping at 12 host cities along the way. Stages for the 2008 Amgen Tour of California include:

• Prologue: Sunday, Feb. 17 - Palo Alto
• Stage 1: Monday, Feb. 18 - Sausalito to Santa Rosa
• Stage 2: Tuesday, Feb. 19 - Santa Rosa to Sacramento
• Stage 3: Wednesday, Feb. 20 - Modesto to San Jose
• Stage 4: Thursday, Feb. 21 - Seaside to San Luis Obispo
• Stage 5: Friday, Feb. 22 - Solvang time trial
• Stage 6: Saturday, Feb. 23 - Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita
• Stage 7: Sunday, Feb. 24 - Santa Clarita to Pasadena road race, concluding with a circuit race in Pasadena.

The Amgen Tour of California has apparently become the most successful in the United States, both in attendance and economic growth. With more than 3 million spectators during the last two years, the 2007 race attracted more than 1.8 million spectators, setting records for a single sporting event in the state of California, as well as any cycling event ever held on U.S. soil. The race also generates about $100 million for the state each year.

At the "village style" Lifestyle Festival sponsored by HealthNet this year, guests were able to:

• Get physical with health and fitness tests at the Health & Fitness Expo
• See how you can be part of Amgen and The Wellness Community’s Breakaway from Cancer initiative–a new outreach campaign to raise awareness and funds for cancer patients and caregivers
• Collect free stuff from Amgen Tour of California sponsors and participating companies
• Enjoy fun activities with your little ones inside the Kid’s Zone
• Check out the action in the Demo Area, where you’ll enjoy special performances such as BMX stunt riders and local entertainers
• Learn bicycle safety, check your ride at the bike valet and enjoy great bargains on gear, gadgets and more in the Cycling Center
• Pick up cool race merchandise and a commemorative program in the Amgen Tour of California Race Central Pavilion
• Stay connected to the day’s race with live-action viewing on the finish line Big Screen
• Take in all that Santa Clarita has to offer-there will something special at each tour stop!

Santa Clarita is definitely becoming known for its support of sports tourism, with recent events in the area including the 2007 Amgen Tour of California, AT&T Champions Golf Classic, Junior Olympic Swim Meet, United States Tennis Association’s Men’s Pro Challenger Tennis Tournament, Special Olympics Spirit Games, Verizon USA Luge Tour and the Santa Clarita Marathon, along with various other tournaments, swim meets and invitationals throughout the year.

Expect to see some exciting events leading up to the main race as well. The 2007 race featured "An Evening with Greg LeMond with Special Guest Kozo Shimano" at Robinson Ranch and the Santa Clarita Grand Prix Woman’s Profesional Cycling Race.

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