The AEG Sports-backed cycling event had been held every year since its inception in '06GETTY IMAGES
The Amgen Tour of California cycling race "has been canceled" for '20 -- and organizers "aren't sure when the competition will return," according to Lindsey Holden of the San Luis Obispo TRIBUNE. The AEG Sports event, which has been held since '06, is "going on hiatus starting next year." Amgen Tour of California President Kristin Klein said, "The business fundamentals of the Amgen Tour of California have changed since we launched the race 14 years ago." She added, "It has become more challenging each year to mount the race. This new reality has forced us to re-evaluate our options, and we are actively assessing every aspect of our event to determine if there is a business model that will allow us to successfully relaunch the race in 2021." Holden notes for more than a decade, the tour has "drawn thousands of competitors and fans" (San Luis Obispo TRIBUNE, 10/30). AEG VP/Communications Michael Roth said that the Tour of California has "drawn huge crowds in its 14 years, but it never made money" for AEG. In Sacramento, Mark Anderson noted even with Amgen as a naming sponsor, the competition "lost millions of dollars." Roth: "It is a very costly race to run" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 10/29).
ONE OF A KIND: The Tour of California is the only U.S.-based event with "both its men's and women's races listed on the UCI WorldTour calendar and the only event of its kind to offer men's and women's stage races with equal prize money at the same time." USA Cycling said that it "stands ready to rally support and resources to bring the event back" in '21 (AP, 10/30). Sacramento has hosted the race 11 times since '06, "second only to San Jose." Sacramento was "either the starting point or the finish line over the last six races" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 10/30).
