Andrew Messick, the President of AEG Sports, has released a statement explaining that stage one of the Amgen Tour of California will have to be delayed due to weather conditions.
"Due to severe and unsafe weather conditions in the Lake Tahoe area," he explained, "the start of Stage 1 of the 2011 Amgen Tour of California has been delayed."
Yesterday the forecast called for several inches of snow and 40mph winds, but the organizers had hoped the front would steer away from the course route. Contingency plans provide for a shortened route should the weather clear up in time.
"If the weather improves, a shortened stage will be started at 1:15 p.m. PT," it continued. "We will continue to monitor the weather conditions and state of the roads and make a final decision at noon PT, with the riders’ safety as our number one priority."
If the weather holds up, the new route will take the peloton from South Lake Tahoe to Northstar up the west side of Lake Tahoe. That will make the stage about 111 kilometers shorter than originally planned, with the riders taking in approximately 80 kilometers. The change would see the riders finish at Northstar during the expected time, however, regardless of the race situation the Lifestyle Festival at the finish will still open at noon PT, with the Amgen Breakaway Mile also remaining on schedule for 2:30 p.m. PT.