It's time again for the Amgen Tour of California, and the South Lake Tahoe area once again is host to both the men's and the women's portions of the race.

On Friday, May 18, the town will be the scene for the men's Stage 6 and the women's Stage 2, but with the rolling road closures and number of people in town for the day will take some planning to watch the excitement.

Event organizers plan for minimal traffic delays between 10:45 a.m. and 3:45 p.m. with rolling road closures. Kingsbury Grade will be closed the longest as both groups of riders will use the route as them come back into Lake Tahoe. Plan on it being closed from approximately 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Officials advise to plan for 30 minutes on each side of an intersection arrival time.

Residents, businesses and visitors are encouraged to host viewing parties and cheer for racers as they pass. The tough thing to decide is when and where to do so.

Heavenly Base Lodge with Free Shuttle

The free start/finish line festival at the Heavenly California Base features exhibitors, family activities, awareness education for cancer and cardiovascular, and food/beverage for purchase. Attendees are encouraged to carpool, bike and/or utilize the free shuttle, on a continuous loop available from 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The pick-up location is 1051 Ski Run Blvd. (cross street is Paradise Avenue a block behind Red Hut complex) and will drop off at Heavenly Mountain Resort’s California Base Lodge.

Route Schedule

Friday, May 18

Start/finish line festival 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. 3860 Saddle Rd, South Lake Tahoe, Calif.

Women’s Stage 2 race starts at approximately 11:00 a.m. with 2:18 p.m. finish.

Men’s Stage 6 starts at approximately 10:00 a.m. from Folsom with a 3:21 p.m. finish.

Awards ceremony at end. It is recommended to arrive earlier if you want to catch the finish.

Top places to watch include: Cornelian Dr. and Hwy 89, Luther Pass, Foothill Road and Kingsbury Grade intersection, Kingsbury Grade and Tramway, Heavenly Village, Ski Run Blvd.

Women’s Stage 2 start/finish in South Shore 70-mile stage over the 7,740’ summit of Luther Pass. A quick descent will take the riders into the spectacular Carson River Basin and on a loop through the Washoe Reservation before heading northeast into Nevada. A left turn will take them north on Kingsbury Grade. This 8-mile climb gains 2,700’ in elevation. The descent back to South Lake Tahoe will provide beautiful views of the lake and the surrounding mountains.

Men’s Stage 6 finish in South Shore 123-mile stage features more than 16,000 feet of climbing, including Kingsbury Grade for the first time and an uphill finish. The elevation in Folsom is just 275’. The racers will climb to 8,600’ cresting Carson Pass and finish at Heavenly at 6,600’.

Sierra House Elementary students will once again cheer the riders as they go by the Pioneer Trail side of the school. Principal Karin Holmes said they'd be out there about 11:10 a.m.

For more race information: https://tahoesouth.com/amgen/

Previous South Tahoe Now "Road to Amgen" stories:

Peter Stetina - http://southtahoenow.com/story/04/18/2018/amgen-cyclist-peter-stetina-hits-road-south-lake-tahoe-kir...

UHC Women's Team - http://southtahoenow.com/story/05/09/2018/uhc-cycling-team-training-south-lake-tahoe-amgen-toc

Team announcement - http://southtahoenow.com/story/04/07/2018/top-cycling-teams-heading-south-lake-tahoe-amgen-toc