Amgen Tour of California professional bicycle race hits Santa Rosa Feb. 15

More than 150 of the world’s best professional cyclists will race 650 miles in the second Amgen Tour of California, traveling through host cities Sausalito, Santa Rosa, Sacramento, Stockton, San Jose, Seaside, San Luis Obispo, Solvang, Santa Barbara, and Santa Clarita, concluding in Long Beach.

Lance Armstrong will be competing for the first time in three years, and two-time Amgen Tour of California winner Levi Leipheimer, a Santa Rosa resident is a crowd favorite.

The Lifestyle Festival and Kids Zone open at noon in Courthouse Square (Rosie the Trolley shuttles between Courthouse Square and the Fairgrounds parking lot). The Amgen Tour of California Women’s Criterion should be in the area between 1-2 pm, at 2:30 there will be a kid’s fun race, and the men’s race should be reaching the area between 3:30-4pm. There will also be a Velove Festival opening at noon in Railroad Square, with food and community booths.