Remember the Amgen Tour of California? How Many Miles Did Those Guys Ride?!

Remember the Amgen Tour of California? How Many Miles Did Those Guys Ride?!

Okay, picture this: California sunshine, screaming fans, and some of the world’s best cyclists grinding it out, day after day. That was the Amgen Tour of California, a race that really put American cycling on the map from 2006 to 2019. It was a huge deal, the only UCI World Tour event we had here in the States, drawing top-tier talent to tackle California’s crazy diverse terrain. But have you ever stopped to think about just how far they actually rode?

So, how many miles are we talking about? Well, generally, the whole shebang covered somewhere in the ballpark of 650 to 700 miles – that’s roughly 1,045 to 1,126 kilometers for those of you who think metric. That’s the total distance, mind you, spread out over multiple stages, usually around eight days of pure, unadulterated suffering… I mean, racing.

Now, it wasn’t exactly the same every year. The organizers liked to mix things up, keep the riders on their toes. The exact mileage depended on the route they cooked up. Take 2009, for example – that was a beast of a year, clocking in at a whopping 780.44 miles! Then you had 2017 which was a bit shorter at 575 miles. 2018 was back up to 645 miles for the men. And 2019? That was the longest and arguably the toughest of them all, stretching out to a staggering 773 miles. Seriously, hats off to those guys!

Each day was a different stage, a different challenge, a different distance to conquer. Just to give you an idea, let’s look at the 2019 race again. Stage 1 was a relatively “easy” 88.9 miles around Sacramento. But then you had Stage 2, a lung-buster from Rancho Cordova to South Lake Tahoe at 120.9 miles. And it just kept going from there: Stockton to Morgan Hill (128.6 miles), Laguna Seca to Morro Bay (132 miles), Pismo Beach to Ventura (135.8 miles!), Ontario to the infamous Mount Baldy (a brutal 79.2 miles), and finally, Santa Clarita to Pasadena (87.6 miles).

Looking back, the race was all about showcasing the Golden State. The routes snaked through everything from the towering Sierra Nevada mountains to the majestic Redwood forests, not to mention the rolling hills of wine country and the stunning Pacific Coast Highway. It wasn’t just a test of physical endurance; it was a postcard for California’s beauty.

Even though the Amgen Tour of California is sadly no more, it definitely left its mark on the sport. Those incredible distances, that fierce competition, those unforgettable views… it was something special. The fact that they rode between 650 and 700 miles, give or take, is a testament to their grit. It was a spectacle, plain and simple, and I miss it!