A cyclist makes the Old Stage Road climb during the pre-ride on the Visalia-Bakersfield Stage 5 course of the Amgen Tour of California. Photo by Jeff Nachtigal

By Jeff Nachtigal

It’s hard to overemphasize how big a deal the Amgen Tour of California has become in the world of professional cycling.

Bakersfield gets an up-close look at the best and the brightest in cycling when a 16-team field completes Stage 5 of the eight-stage race in front of Bakersfield College on Thursday, May 20. Race organizer Kerry Ryan said he expected 40,000 spectators to line the course for the finishing sprinters expected to arrive by 4 p.m. (The 121-mile race starts in Visalia at 10:45 a.m.)

Dozens of European pros are in California this year to contest the race, now in its fifth year.

Part of the attraction of the Tour of California for racers is that its date on the calendar has moved from February to May to accommodate courses that climb higher into the Sierra Mountains, and provide more of California’s balmy spring weather.

And undeniably the big attraction for spectators is the return of the brightest cycling light of all, Lance Armstrong. Just as last year, Armstrong is using this race as a tune-up for his main goal, July’s three-week long Tour de France. Many of the European teams are here, too, to soak up California sun and build up for the biggest race in cycling, to be held in France in six weeks.

Back from retirement after racking up seven consecutive Tour de France wins beginning in 1999, Armstrong is supporting his teammate and fellow American rider Levi Leipheimer, who has won the Tour of California three times, including last year.

One rider will “win” the overall title, or general classification, but the eight stages provide additional chances for an individual win, which motivates riders to go for solo wins.

When Bakersfield was awarded a stage finish, Ryan originally wanted to send racers over a course that climbed as high as 7,000 feet near the Trail of 100 Giants in Sequioa National Park, and then send them down on a blistering, fast descent through the Kern River Canyon for a finish in Bakersfield.

But race organizers asked for a shorter course for this year, so Ryan settled for a 121-mile route that takes riders over the shorter Old Stage Road climb outside Glennville, then over Round Mountain and toward the three-lap, 3.5-mile finishing circuit in Bakersfield.

If Bakersfield gets to be involved in another stage next year, Ryan said he hopes it will be the big one he originally planned. The most prestigious stages in a tour are the longest and hardest, and any race organizer — not too mention local fans — always want to be involved in those stages.

Racers will take about 30 minutes to complete the three laps of the finishing circuit. Without television coverage, road races are impossible to follow; but with a circuit finish spectators get multiple of chances to see the racers climb the bluffs and turn onto Panorama Drive for a finishing sprint.

And, the Tour of California is aware that fans want to see the action taking place on their local roads, so the organizers will set up several Jumbotron screens to broadcast the final hours of the race before it reaches Bakersfield.

The same television crew that shoots video from motorcycles and helicopters at the Tour de France is covering the Tour of California, Ryan said. That’s a mark of how important this race is in the cycling world.

This stage finish will be more exciting than your first hockey game, or sitting in the first 10 rows of an NBA game, Ryan said.

“America doesn’t know the name of half these riders, but when they see them go by it’s going to be an awesome, impressive display of atheticism,” he said.

View the Google course map for videos highlighting the four important sections of the course in Kern County, with commentary from course designer Kerry Ryan.

More info online:

Visit Bakersfield Amgen site (http://www.visitbakersfield.com/amgen/)

Includes road closure information and latest scheduling news.

Amgen Tour of California (http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/#1)

Up to date news, with information about the teams and race routes for each stage.

Bakersfield’s Finish Line Bicycles (http://finishlinebikes.com/articles/tour-of-california-guide-2010-pg385.htm)

Race FAQ and guide to the stars of the race.

Velonews (http://velonews.competitor.com/)

Professional cycling coverage.

Lance Armstrong (http://www.lancearmstrong.com/)

Cycling’s biggest star has a website to match his brilliance.