Paso Robles officially named host city for 2009 Tour of California

Staff report

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Bicyclists racing in the 2009 Amgen Tour of California will ride to Paso Robles from Visalia during Stage 6 of the nine-stage tour in February.

Tour officials announced Wednesday that both cities were selected to host stages of next year�s race. They join six other new cities on the tour � Davis, Santa Cruz, Merced, Clovis, Rancho Bernardo and Escondido.

The new cities will join former host cities Sacramento, Santa Rosa, Sausalito, San Jose, Modesto, Solvang, Santa Clarita and Pasadena.

San Luis Obispo, which hosted the race its first three years, was not chosen to be a host city next year.

The 2009 tour will include stops in 16 host cities from Feb. 14-22, according to tour officials. It has been expanded to cover more than 800 miles, traveling from Sacramento to San Diego County.

For the first time, riders will cross the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

In 2008, the race drew 1.6 million spectators, according to race officials. Each year the race has generated $100 million in economic growth for the state.

The stages for the 2009 tour are as follows:

� Stage 1: Saturday, Feb. 14 � Sacramento � Stage 2: Sunday, Feb. 15 � Davis to Santa Rosa � Stage 3: Monday, Feb. 16 � Sausalito to Santa Cruz � Stage 4: Tuesday, Feb. 17 � San Jose to Modesto � Stage 5: Wednesday, Feb. 18 � Merced to Clovis � Stage 6: Thursday, Feb. 19 � Visalia to Paso Robles � Stage 7: Friday, Feb. 20 � Solvang (individual time trial) � Stage 8: Saturday, Feb. 21 � Santa Clarita to Pasadena � Stage 9: Sunday, Feb. 22 � Rancho Bernardo to Escondido