Tour of California

Infobox Cycling race
name = Tour of California
current_event = 2008 Tour of California


date = February
region = California, United States
english = Tour of California
localnames =
nickname =
discipline =
competition = UCI America Tour 2.HC
type = Stage race
organiser = AEG
director =
first = 2006
number = 3 (through 2008)
last =
firstwinner = flagicon|USA Floyd Landis
mostwins = 2 - flagicon|USA Levi Leipheimer
mostrecent = flagicon|USA Levi LeipheimerThe Amgen Tour of California is a professional cycling stage race on the UCI America Tour and USA Cycling Professional Tour that made its debut on February 19, 2006. Sponsored by the biotechnology company Amgen, the eight-day race covers between 650-700 miles (1,045 - 1,126 km) throughout California. The race annually starts in San Francisco Bay Area, then travels through the California redwoods, wine country and the Pacific Coast to finish in Los Angeles County. With eight to nine of the twenty UCI ProTour teams in attendance, the Tour of California has proven to be one of the largest cycling races in the United States along with the Tour de Georgia since the demise of the Coors Classic in 1988.

On November 28, 2006, the UCI upgraded the multi-day event from 2.1 (category 1) to 2.HC ( _fr. Hors categorie; English: "beyond categorization"), which is the highest rating and makes it only the second 2.HC event in the United States along with the Tour de Georgia.

Results and Jerseys of the Tour of California

General Classification

The current leader and overall winner by time after each stage and at the conclusion of the race is awarded the "Golden Jersey". Gold is the chosen color due to the state's history in the California Gold Rush.

General Classification Winners

*2006 : flagathlete|Floyd Landis|USA, Phonak Hearing Systems
*2007 : flagathlete|Levi Leipheimer|USA, Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
*2008 : flagathlete|Levi Leipheimer|USA, Astana Team

Most Days in Golden Jersey

*, 15 days (2008: 5 days; 2007: 8 days; 2006: 2 days)
*, 5 days (2006)
*, 2 days (2008)
*, 1 day (2006)
*, 1 day (2008)

Sprints Classification

The current leader and overall winner by points awarded by his placing in intermediate and final sprints is awarded the "Green Jersey".

Sprint Winners

Most Days in Silver Jersey

*, 8 days (2008: 5; 2007: 3)
*, 6 days (2006)
*, 3 days (2007)
*, 2 days (2007)
*, 2 days (2006)
*, 2 days (2008)
*, 1 day (2008)

Most Aggressive Rider Classification

The "Red Jersey" is given to the most aggressive rider at the end of each stage. An overall jersey at the end of the race is not awarded. It usually represents a rider who took an early breakaway or who attacks at key moments in the stage to press the action. Prior to 2008, the jersey was blue.

Most Blue Jerseys Won

*, 1 day
*, 1 day
*, 1 day
*, 1 day
*, 1 day
*, 1 day
*, 1 day
*, 1 day
*, 1 day
*, 1 day
*, 1 day
*, 1 day

Most Stage Victories

*, 5
*, 4
*, 3
*, 2
*, 1
*, 1
*, 1
*, 1
*, 1
*, 1
*, 1
*, 1

External links

*Official|http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/
* [http://www.cyclingfans.com/arc01-17-08-02-23-08.html cyclingfans.com] Live Guide to the 2008 Tour of California
* [http://www.velonews.com/race/dom/articles/9511.0.html VeloNews article] on the Tour.
* [http://www.steephill.tv/tour-of-california/ Tour of California Dashboard] stage summaries and links to maps, profiles, live video, results and photos