Starting Line: Capitol Mall at 9th St., Sacramento, California
Finish Line: Escondido, California
Days: Sat, Feb 14 - Feb 22
Distance: 752 miles

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Click to listen to an interview with Bobby Julich, Team Saxo Bank Director of New Rider Development prior to the start of the Tour of California.

Preview:

The 2009 Amgen Tour of California is the 4th edition of this wildly popular event. The '09 version has also been expanded to include a potentially decisive mountain stage on the final day of the tour.

This year, TrainingPeaks has partnered with Team Saxo Bank , and Saxo's Gustav Larsson will be sending daily SRM files from the race to TrainingPeaks for analysis. Check back here each evening for the daily race file and analysis. You'll get a unique view into what it really takes to race as a professional cyclist.

The Tour of California starts in Sacramento with a 2.4 mile Prologue at the state capitol. The Prologue will set the tone for the next few days of racing action. In 2008, the top finishers in the final Tour of California results also placed in the top six of the Prologue. These included names such as Fabian Cancellara, Levi Leipheimer, and Gustav Larsson, all were top five at the end of the Tour of California when it finished in Pasadena.

Levi Leipheimer is again the favorite to beat and he will be competing against the best field ever assembled on US soil. Luckily Levi won't have to try and face off with his teammate Lance Armstrong who will be riding in a support role for Levi. But Lance, Levi and the rest of the Astana will have to keep a short leash on the likes of Fabian Cancellara, American Christian Vande Velde, Ivan Basso, 2008 Tour de France Champion Carlos Sastre and a host of other world and Olympic medalists.