Tour of California

By CyclingWeekly Staff 2021-05-07T16:31:24Z

Peloton on stage two of the 2016 Tour of California

Where: USA

Rank: WorldTour (men) | WorldTour (women)

The Tour of California 2019 was made up of a seven-stage men's race and three-stage women's edition.

Since it started in 2006, the Tour of California has become a premier race not just in the US, but for many top riders from around the world. For 2019, the men's race ran from May 12-18, and the women's from May 16-18.

The Tour of California is a great race to watch on television, with the stunning backdrop of the Californian scenery shown off by aerial footage of the peloton snaking its way through the countryside.

The race is in both the UCI Men's WorldTour series and the UCI Women's WorldTour series and the sunny shores of the famous American state are attracting some of the biggest names as an alternative to the Giro d'Italia in Europe.

However, the weather can be as challenging as the race route, with both heavy snowfall and extremely high temperatures affecting various editions in recent years.

In October 2019, it was announced the race would be put on hiatus, with hopes that it will be re-launched for 2021. It was claimed the 'business fundamentals' of the race had changed.

Tour of California 2019 Stages: men's race

Stage 1 - Sun May 12	Sacramento to Sacramento	143km	Flat
Stage 2 - Mon May 13	Rancho Cordova to South Lake Tahoe	194.5km	Mountain
Stage 3 - Tues May 14	Stockton to Morgan Hill	207km	Mountain
Stage 4 - Weds May 15	Laguna Seca to Morro Bay	212.5km	Hilly
Stage 5 - Thurs May 16	Pismo Beach to Ventura	218.5km	Hilly
Stage 6 - Fri May 17	Ontario to Mount Baldy	127.5km	Mountain
Stage 7 - Sat May 18	Santa Clarita to Pasadena	141km	Mountain