Big Bear Lake, CA — The Amgen Tour of California will be cycling into Big Bear on Friday, May 21st and event permit approval was granted for such during yesterday’s meeting of the Planning Commission of Big Bear Lake. Though there were some conditions set forth by the Big Bear Lake Fire Protection District, which the Planning Commission incorporated, permits were approved for both some street closures on Friday afternoon, May 21 as well as for the Tour de Big Bear cycling activities on Saturday, May 22, which will not result in disruptions to local traffic. Though the specific timing of the street closures will be contingent on the professional cyclists, who will approach Big Bear from Highway 18 to the west and then take Highway 38 through Fawnskin, it is estimated that local road closures will take place in the 3 o’clock hour and these rolling closures will last about one hour; within the City of Big Bear Lake, the race route will include the portion of Big Bear Boulevard, from Stanfield Cutoff to Sandalwood Drive, then the full length of Sandalwood Drive (which runs behind the Interlaken Center), a portion of Fox Farm Road from Sandalwood to Garstin, then Garstin from Fox Farm Storage to Summit Boulevard, and finishing with the full length of Summit Boulevard, for the finish at Snow Summit Resort.
In just-announced news from the Amgen Tour of California, there will be some change in the race route, billed as the Big Bear Climb, for the stage 6 finish in Big Bear, 135 miles from the day’s start in Pasadena. Given severe winter storm-prompted road damage on the Angeles Crest Highway, CalTrans says that there are potential safety hazards and the road, also known as Highway 2, will be unable to accommodate the race. In an announcement from Andrew Messick, president of race organizer AEG Sports, a new city will be selected for the start of stage 6. “As long-term partners with Pasadena,” he says, “we appreciate how graciously they have handled this difficult situation. We look forward to returning to Pasadena soon.” So, though a new start will have to be determined for the race, which begins in less than six weeks, Big Bear will serve as the mountaintop finish in this internationally recognized competition featuring the top professional cyclists in the world, including Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer.
