Tour of California Spectator Alert for Stage 7

Amgen Tour of California

Stage 7 Claremont to Mt Baldy – May 21, 2011

Spectator Advisory

This is the stage that the spectators and racers have been asking us to create for the past six years. It is finally here. It is going to be a huge challenge for the peloton, but it is also going to be a challenge for the spectators. This advisory will detail the schedules of the road closures and where you can park and can’t park. You should be able to use this information to plan your viewing options of Stage 7. With some preparation and an early start, you will be able to find a number of great places to watch the race!!

Our Recommendation: Get there early, walk or ride your bike, bring a backpack with food and water, it is going to be a full-day adventure.

Basic Information

•  Race start in Claremont is at 11:45am
•  Race will start climbing Mt Baldy Rd at Noon
•  Race will start climbing Glendora Ridge Rd (GRR) from Mt Baldy Rd at 12:30pm
•  Basic Services (water, food, gasoline) are basically unavailable in the mountains.
• There are no gas stations, there are no stores. You may find local residents selling water and some type of food, but do not rely on it. You will need to rely on your own food and water. 
• Plan on “packing out” any trash or other refuse
•  There will be no shuttle program for spectators
•  If you plan on walking or riding your bike to the switchbacks or the finish area, you need to be parked in the first available spot you can find on Mt Baldy Rd by 9:00am on race day.

WARNING: much of the six miles from the Mt Baldy Village to the finish line is 10-15% and the descent is just as dangerous as the ascent is hard.
Best Places to Watch the Race
In order to preserve the natural beauty of the area, please do not paint on the road. The CHP and Forest Service have been asked by the Tour to enforce this rule through ticketing and confiscation of paint.

•  Claremont (race start). You will have opportunities to get autographs, take pictures, and talk to the riders. Claremont will also have big screen TVs to watch the live coverage of the race. Great town. Great Shopping. Great Food.
•  Glendora Mountain Road (GMR) GMR is a great place to watch the race. It is a very long climb (about 8 miles). It is steep. There is a ton of parking. It is easy to get to. It is easy to get back down the road. There is nothing there for food, water, or gas. We will have some Porta-Johns along the climb.

•  Glendora Ridge Road (GRR). This is a 13-mile section of the course that the riders will do twice. Not as much parking as GMR, but you can see the race come by twice. The vistas from here are spectacular. Again, there is no gas, food, or water available.

•  Intersection of GMR and GRR. Just .3 miles from the 2nd KOM. You can watch the race go by and then easily walk up to the KOM and be there to watch the race come by the second time. Parking is available but will go fast. No services.

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• GRR at the first KOM. No services. Some parking. Great views down the valley. Just a mile downhill to Mt Baldy Village. You can watch the race come up Mt Baldy Rd, climb up to the KOM, and then watch them return. Probably the best place to watch the race on the entire course, but parking will go quickly. It will also be VERY crowded.

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• Mt Baldy Village. You will be able to watch the race come by twice: as they head towards the first KOM and then as they return and head towards the finish. There are just two places to eat, but there is the possibility that there may be some outside dining set-up by the town.

•  The “Switchbacks” on Mt Baldy Rd will be the most coveted place to watch the race, but this viewing spot presents the most challenges. There is parking for just a handful of cars. If you park in a “No Parking” zone, you have a 100% certainty that you will be ticketed and towed. Tow trucks will be on the mountain. Average towing bill from Mt Baldy Road is very expensive. Parking will be gone the day before the race. If you are lucky enough to find parking on Mt Baldy Rd between the switchbacks and the Mt Baldy Village, you will need to either walk or ride your bike to the switchbacks. Average walk or ride will be 3-4 miles. There are zero services here. Once the parking is gone, only residents will have access to the road to get to their homes. IDs will be checked by CHP.

•  Race finish at the Mt Baldy Ski Lifts parking lot. Great place to watch the race, but the most difficult place to get to. There is no parking available to the public. This area has such limited parking, that even the race itself does not have enough space and will need to use a shuttle service from several miles away. Realistically, the closest parking is going to be more than five miles away. To get to the finish area, you will need to walk or ride your bike. WARNING: much of the six miles from the Mt Baldy Village to the finish line is 10-15% and the descent is just as dangerous as the ascent is hard.

Road Closures
There are two roads to Mt Baldy Village and they will both be closed by 10:30am on race day. From the Village to the finish, there is just one road and it is likely to close by 9:00am on race day. Residents and business owners will have unlimited access, until the race is imminent. CHP will be checking IDs. Cyclist and pedestrians will be allowed to proceed on closed road, but will be asked to stop as the race is approaching.

Mt Baldy Road – This is the main road up to Mt Baldy Village from Claremont. There are four parts that will have different closures. This road will be heavily monitored by CHP.

•  From the intersection of Ice House Canyon – will be closed Friday night at 9:00pm to allow for oversized trucks to make it to the finish area. It will be reopened, or when all parking is gone, whichever comes first .
•  From Ice House Canyon to Glendora Ridge Road – will be closed at 10:30am on race day, unless all parking has already been taken.
•  From Shin Rd to Glendora Ridge Road – CHP will close Mt Baldy Rd at Shin Rd at 11:00am. All traffic will be turned onto Shin Rd and down into Upland. Race Staff and credentialed guests will be allowed to proceed.
•  From Padua to Shin Rd – This section of road should remain open and should provide parkingon both sides of the road.

Glendora Ridge Rd – This is a 13-mile road that runs between Mt Baldy Road and Glendora Mountain Rd

•  This road will be closed at 10:30am, from both ends

Glendora Mountain Rd - From Sierra Madre Ave to Glendora Ridge Rd
 Northbound no later than 1:00pm (depending on available parking)
 Southbound at 12:30pm (depending on available parking)
Available Parking

•  All four tires must be totally off the pavement
•  There will be no parking at the finish area or in Manker Flats. You will be immediately towed from these areas.
•  Parking on the switchbacks is extremely limited and will be gone by Friday morning
•  Parking north of the Mt Baldy Village will also be limited. The entire Trout Pond parking area will be taken for Team Parking.
•  There will be plenty of parking on Glendora Ridge Rd, Glendora Mountain Rd, and Mt Baldy Rd
• (south of the Village). The earlier you arrive, the shorter your walk will be to get to the finish
• area or switchbacks.