Tour of California and USA Races

The Amgen Tour of California was for over a decade the flagship of American professional road cycling. From 2006 to 2019, the WorldTour stage race crossed the Golden State – from Pacific coastal roads through wine regions to mountain finishes in the Sierra Nevada. For GC riders and sprinters it was the most important form test before the Tour de France, comparable to the Tour de Suisse in Europe.

After the Tour of California ended in 2019, US racing reorganised: stage races like the Tour of Utah, one-day classics, gravel mega-events like Unbound Gravel and ultra formats like the Race Across America now shape a diverse spectrum. This guide explains the history, character and significance of the most important USA races in the global calendar.

History of the Amgen Tour of California

The Tour of California was launched in 2006 as an ambitious project to re-establish professional road cycling in the USA after the Tour de Georgia format ended. With Amgen sponsorship and support from California tourism, the race quickly rose to UCI WorldTour status – attracting top teams from Europe and North America every year.

Milestones of the Tour of California

1. 2006: Premiere with seven stages; Chris Horner wins the first overall classification.
2. 2008–2010: WorldTour status and an international top field; Leipheimer, Sastre and other Grand Tour winners dominate.
3. 2011–2015: Peak of media reach; Californian coastal and mountain profiles become known worldwide.
4. 2016–2018: Still a strong field, increasingly used as preparation for the Tour de France.
5. 2019: Final edition; cancellation for economic reasons – a gap opens in the US WorldTour calendar.

The sporting significance lay in its calendar position: in May, between the European spring classics and the start of the Grand Tours, California offered ideal training conditions, sunshine and demanding profiles – a contrast to the often still cool European spring.

Format, UCI Status and Calendar Position

The Tour of California was a classic week-long race with typically seven to eight stages and a total distance of around 1,000 to 1,200 kilometres. As a UCI WorldTour event, the full WorldTour and ProSeries framework applied with mandatory participation for WorldTeams during the peak phase.

The May date made the Tour of California a strategic building block in the season plan. Teams sent captains chasing the yellow jersey chance in France in July, or sprinters who wanted to show world-class form once more after the spring.

Route Profiles and Sporting Characteristics

California offers unique route diversity within short distances. Organisers alternated annually between coastal sections, inland regions and high mountains – a profile reminiscent of European week-long races, but with American character.

Typical stage types of the Tour of California:

• Coastal stages along the Pacific Coast Highway – wind, rolling terrain and often sprint finishes in Santa Barbara or Monterey
• Rolling stages through Napa Valley and Sonoma – ideal for breakaway riders and puncheurs
• Mountain finishes at Lake Tahoe, in Big Bear or on Mount Hamilton – decisive for the overall classification
• Individual time trials – often on flat or slightly rolling courses, sometimes with technical sections
• City circuit stages in Sacramento, Los Angeles or San Diego – high spectator density and media presence

Who Benefits from Which Profile?

1. GC riders rely on mountain and time trial stages; short, steep climbs in the Sierra Nevada favour lightweight climbers.
2. Sprinters dominate coastal and flat stages with lead-out trains from American and European teams.
3. Domestiques control the peloton on long transfer stages and protect captains in wind and rolling terrain.
4. Breakaway riders use rolling upland profiles for long-range escapes – especially in the wine regions.

Classifications and Jerseys

As with most stage races, there were several parallel classifications following the system of classifications and jerseys:

Notable overall winners of the Tour of California include Levi Leipheimer (three-time winner), Chris Horner, Bradley Wiggins and Egan Bernal – testimony to the international significance of the race.

Other Important USA Races at a Glance

After the Tour of California ended in 2019, the USA lack a WorldTour flagship on the road. Nevertheless, the American calendar continues to offer attractive professional and amateur events:

US stage races vs. Tour of California

Tour of Utah as Successor in the High Mountains

The Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah partially fills the gap left by the Tour of California – though with a different profile. Instead of Californian coastal winds, pass climbs in the Wasatch Mountains and Rocky Mountains dominate. The thin air above 2,000 metres makes Utah an ideal test for climbers who want to show top form again in August.

Gravel and Ultra: American Innovation Culture

The USA are pioneers in new cycling formats. Unbound Gravel in Kansas attracts professionals and amateurs worldwide; the Race Across America has been the world's best-known nonstop cross-country race since 1982. These formats stand outside the classic UCI WorldTour calendar but significantly shape the American cycling image.

Post-2019 Era: What the USA Have Been Missing Since 2019

The cancellation of the Tour of California left a strategic gap in the global UCI WorldTour calendar. WorldTeams have since had no mandatory date on US soil in spring – a loss for international marketing and for American fans.

Possible reasons for the end:

• Economic burden: High logistics costs for a cross-state route through California
• Sponsor landscape: Dependence on few major sponsors without long-term security
• Calendar competition: WorldTeams prioritise European preparation races
• Pandemic consequences: COVID-19 accelerated the cancellation after the final 2019 edition

Checklist: USA Races for Fans and Beginners

Significance in the Global Cycling Context

The Tour of California and the other USA races fulfil a role in Anglo-Saxon cycling that corresponds to the Tour of Britain on the other side of the Atlantic: national flagship, media window and talent stage. Both markets complement the European core calendar and reach new spectator groups.

For German and European fans, the US calendar remains an exciting window into cycling culture beyond the Alps and Pyrenees – with its own heroes, routes and stories.