Three times before, the Tour of California aimed to visit South Lake Tahoe. In 2011, the race was cancelled due to adverse weather conditions, but in 2016 Toms Skujins brought the early break home, while Egan Bernal showcased his potential in last year’s race to South Lake Tahoe’s Heavenly Ski Resort. The Colombian won the stage 1.28 minutes ahead of Adam Yates.
This year’s finale is different though. The finish climb to South Lake Tahoe is 1.7 kilometres and the average slope sits at 5.9%, while the riders tackle Cesar Ravine Road (2.3 kilometres at 7.6%), Sly Park Road (4.3 kilometres at 6.3%), Mormon Emigrate Trail (2.5 kilometres at 7.6%), Kirkwood Summit (4.1 kilometres at 6.1%) and the Carson Pass (4.4 kilometres at 4%) as intermediate climbs.
The Carson Pass – which was named after Kit Carson and peaks at 2,615 metres – is crested at kilometre 147. It is the highest point of the Tour of California. Following the start in Rancho Cordova the route to the pass goes virtually all uphill. The Carson Pass is crested at kilometre 167 and the rest of the route travels on undulating terrain to the foot of the final climb.
The first three riders on the line win time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while two intermediate sprints (at kilometre 51 and at kilometre 185) come with 3, 2 and 1 seconds.
Another interesting read: results/race report 2nd stage 2019 Tour of California.
Tour of California 2019 stage 2: route, profile, more
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