Jan. 28--South Pasadena has never hosted an Amgen Tour of California stage before. Santa Clarita has hosted more than any other city.
Those two locations will bookend the second of the eight-stage 2016 tour, which will take place May 15-22 and cover nearly 800 miles. The course, which was revealed Thursday morning, starts in San Diego and ends in Sacramento, marking only the second time the race has run from south to north.
After spending Stage 1 in the San Diego area, the riders will start in South Pasadena and take on a course that features long, gradual climbs in Stage 2 on May 16. There are several Lexus King of the Mountain points along the way in the Angeles National Forest, as well as numerous historic tunnels and bridges.
The 92-mile stage ends in Santa Clarita, which is hosting the race for the 12th time. The riders will move on to Thousand Oaks for the start of Stage 3 the next day.
The Amgen Tour of California's Women's Race starts in South Lake Tahoe on May 19 and also ends in Sacramento on May 22.
