Short course for revised Tour of California time trial

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With snow predicted at the site of the Tour of California time trial in Big Bear Lake, the organisers of the race have been forced to fall back to their contingency plan and hold the start and finish at the Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park, reducing the stage to just 10.6km rather than the planned 24.1km test that would have been at 2100m in altitude.

Riders will head out from the Magic Mountain parking lot and up the Old Road, a frontage road along Interstate 5, then turning back on the same road for a finish back in the theme park.

The same course will be used for the Women's Individual Time Trial invitational.

At such a short distance, the time gaps should be quite small, and favor a very different rider from one expected to perform well over the 24.1km course at altitude.

“Everything about this course is primed to deliver fast, exciting racing,” said race director Jim Birrell. “This is the day when the riders will be trying their best to shore up their positions, and where every second matters. On this fairly short course, the result is really anyone’s guess because there is room for a specialty rider to take the cake from the big hitters in the general classification. Either way, we anticipate a very aggressive attempt for the win.”

More later!