Palm Springs experienced the thrill of hosting the Amgen Tour of California – one of the world’s top cycling races yesterday. In what has become the largest cycling race in America, riders raced right through downtown Palm Springs, ultimately finishing the second stage of the race by climbing 2500 feet up to the base station of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. In all, the Tour covers a total of almost 750 miles along some of California’s most scenic roadways.

Palm Springs is one of 13 cities hosting the eight-day cycling race, which features elite professional teams and athletes from around the world. Amgen sponsors the event, in connection with the Breakaway from Cancer initiative, in addition to sponsoring its own team of cyclists. The Amgen Tour of California is one of only two American races listed as a UCI 2.HC event on the international professional cycling calendar. As such, it awards important world-ranking points to the top finishers.

With lots of police leading the way to ensure the racers path was clear, 116 professional bikers raced up Palm Canyon Drive, with 120 chase vehicles behind, all heading for the finish line at the Tram station. It’s a really fast but exciting event to see. Hopefully this will become an annual event for Palm Springs. And hopefully next year it will be a little cooler! For the eighth consecutive year, the Amgen Tour of California is bringing the drama and excitement of professional cycling to California.

To see a video, go to Amgen Race in Palm Springs.