On the start line in California

After seven hard days of racing, the Amgen Tour of California began its final stage on Sunday. However instead of a deserved procession or flat criterium stage, the riders were faced with a testing course containing Mulholland Highway climb, which takes the peloton up 1,000 feet.

The course starts in The Oaks shopping mall and was full of fans waiting to see the stars come off the team buses one last time.

With just a handful of seconds separating the main challengers there was still everything to play for. Check out these images from the start line.

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Kirsten Frattini
Editor

Kirsten Frattini has been the Editor of Cyclingnews since December 2025, overseeing editorial operations and output across the brand and delivering quality, engaging content.

She manages global budgets, racing & events, production scheduling, and contributor commissions, collaborating across content sections and teams in the UK, Europe, North America, and Australia to ensure audience and subscription growth across the brand.

Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.