SLO County News BlogGolf, Wine, Real Estate, Business & Travel NewsSLO braces for Tour of California bike raceSaturday, January 14, 2006Some hotel operators in the host cities along the route for the Amgen Tour of California know how to make their pro-cyclist guests happy: put pasta on the breakfast menu.About a dozen California cities are preparing for an onslaught of spandex hordes when the Amgen Tour of California cyclists come their way sometime between Feb. 19-26. Host cities like Sausalito, San Luis Obispo and San Jose must get ready for 16 pro cycling teams, comprised of some 250 team members and double that number of tour staff, message therapists, and press. In addition, an estimated 40,000 spectators are expected in the host cities, with a total 1 million individuals watching from the roadside along the route. Hotels are extending room service hours and adding high-carbo foods to their menus for the cyclists, who regularly burn 10,000 calories a day, reports the San Luis Obispo Tribune. The city is preparing for the Feb. 23 Stage 4 finish and Feb. 24 start of Stage 5. The Embassy Suites, for instance, not only has pasta, brown rice, baked potatoes, rolls and a variety of desserts for dinner, but added pasta to its breakfast menu. Also, hotels are ordering three times the number of sheets and towels for the bike race's visit, the Tribune reports. The Tour of California is the brainchild of AEG, a subsidiary of the Anschutz Corporation, with holdings in sports, news, and entertainment. Billionaire business owner Philip Anschutz has promised to put up $35 million over the next five years so the Tour can succeed. Read entire article at: Cities brace for Tour of California bike race Biking Bis, Gene Bisbee Read More
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