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The Houston and Austin areas will be well represented by the LIVESTRONG brand during the biggest cycling race in the country: The Amgen 2012 Tour of California, begining Sunday in Santa Rosa, California, and ending the following Sunday in Los Angeles.
The Tour of California is the biggest race on U.S. soil, but also a prep race for cyclers headed to the Tour De France in July. The Bontrager-LIVESTRONG team is based in Austin, Texas, with a number of members holding Houston and Austin area connections:
- Lawson Craddock - Austin, TX (Team Bontrager-LIVESTRONG)
- Gavin Mannion - Dedham, MA / Austin, TX (Team Bontrager-LIVESTRONG)
- Caleb Fairly - Amarillo, TX (Team Spider Tech)
- Pat McCarty - Austin, TX (Team Spider Tech)
Here's a list of all cyclists on the Austin-based Bontrager-LIVESTRONG team:
- Ian Boswell - Chico, CA / Bend, OR
- Nathan Brown - Memphis, TN
- Lawson Craddock - Austin, TX
- Joe Dombrowski - Marshall, VA
- Ryan Eastman - Petaluma, CA
- Gavin Mannion - Dedham, MA / Austin, TX
Here's a breakdown of each stage of the race, beginning Sunday in Santa Rosa and running. Check out a complete breakdown of each stage of the Tour of California over at Podium Cafe.
Stage information:
- Sunday, May 13--Stage 1--Santa Rosa, CA (Overall Start)
- Monday, May 14--Stage 2--San Francisco to Santa Cruz County
- Tuesday, May 15--Stage 3--San Jose to Livermore
- Wednesday, May 16--Stage 4--Sonora to Clovis
- Thursday, May 17--Stage 5--Bakersfield (Individual Time Trial)
- Friday, May 18--Stage 6--Palmdale to Big Bear Lake
- Saturday, May 19--Stage 7--Ontario to Mt. Baldy
- Sunday, May 20--Stage 8--Beverly Hills to Los Angeles (L.A. Live) (Overall Finish)
Those of you more visually inclined, here's a handy map, courtesy of the official Tour site. Notice that the Tour will move southward throughout the week:
For more on the Tour of California as well as insight and analysis, check out Podium Cafe, SB Nation's cycling blog.
