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ENLARGE
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Though the overall start has already been awarded, the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority is preparing a bid for any stage of the 2012 Amgen Tour of California.
“We want to be in it,” said LTVA executive director Carol Chaplin. “As far as the destination goes, it's a good fit for us.”
Chaplin is preparing a presentation for the South Lake Tahoe city council's next meeting, but city spokeswoman Nancy Kerry already pledged support.
“Absolutely, the city will support a bid for Amgen,” Kerry said. “The community came out and showed their support. The only thing that didn't cooperate last year was the weather.”
A route for the proposed stage has not been decided, but it could vary from last year's, Chaplin said. The LTVA and the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association will work together again on the bid.
“There are several routes that are being looked at,” Chaplin said
Conversations with Amgen staff have been positive so far, she said. Organizers award stages depending on several criteria, including a location's ability to support riders and staff with accommodations and a community's willingness to engage with the event, tests South Lake Tahoe passed earlier this year.
“We need to focus on the fact that the community came together and that the North Shore and the South Shore worked together on an event of this magnitude,” Betty “B” Gorman, president and CEO of the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce, told the Tribune after the cancellation of the Tahoe portion of the 2011 race.
The weather in May seems to be Tahoe's biggest risk when bidding for the race.
“Obviously, we'd love to have it here,” said Ty Polastri, president of the Tahoe Bike Coalition. “But there's some fundamental problems with trying to do it in May.”
A representative of Amgen did not return calls for comment regarding the likelihood of Tahoe being included in the 2012 race or the circumstances that would impact the decision. But, after the 2011 cancellation, AEG president Andrew Messick did mention it in a statement.
“Our team and athletes arrived here in the middle of the week and the weather was fantastic,” Messick said. “We would consider Lake Tahoe again to host the race in the future.”
The bid is another step in the shaky movement to brand Tahoe as a bicycle destination. In all the bicycle magazines Polastri reads, there's little coverage of Tahoe, he said. And though he supports the bid, there's a disconnect between what's being marketed here and the conditions that actually exist for local cyclers, he said.
“I'm really sensitive to the need to improve our product,” Polastri said. “We need bike lanes. We need bike trails.”
Host cities for 2011 were announced in October of 2010. Santa Rosa has already claimed the overall start of the 2012 race.
“We want to be in it,” said LTVA executive director Carol Chaplin. “As far as the destination goes, it's a good fit for us.”
Chaplin is preparing a presentation for the South Lake Tahoe city council's next meeting, but city spokeswoman Nancy Kerry already pledged support.
“Absolutely, the city will support a bid for Amgen,” Kerry said. “The community came out and showed their support. The only thing that didn't cooperate last year was the weather.”
A route for the proposed stage has not been decided, but it could vary from last year's, Chaplin said. The LTVA and the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association will work together again on the bid.
“There are several routes that are being looked at,” Chaplin said
Conversations with Amgen staff have been positive so far, she said. Organizers award stages depending on several criteria, including a location's ability to support riders and staff with accommodations and a community's willingness to engage with the event, tests South Lake Tahoe passed earlier this year.
“We need to focus on the fact that the community came together and that the North Shore and the South Shore worked together on an event of this magnitude,” Betty “B” Gorman, president and CEO of the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce, told the Tribune after the cancellation of the Tahoe portion of the 2011 race.
The weather in May seems to be Tahoe's biggest risk when bidding for the race.
“Obviously, we'd love to have it here,” said Ty Polastri, president of the Tahoe Bike Coalition. “But there's some fundamental problems with trying to do it in May.”
A representative of Amgen did not return calls for comment regarding the likelihood of Tahoe being included in the 2012 race or the circumstances that would impact the decision. But, after the 2011 cancellation, AEG president Andrew Messick did mention it in a statement.
“Our team and athletes arrived here in the middle of the week and the weather was fantastic,” Messick said. “We would consider Lake Tahoe again to host the race in the future.”
The bid is another step in the shaky movement to brand Tahoe as a bicycle destination. In all the bicycle magazines Polastri reads, there's little coverage of Tahoe, he said. And though he supports the bid, there's a disconnect between what's being marketed here and the conditions that actually exist for local cyclers, he said.
“I'm really sensitive to the need to improve our product,” Polastri said. “We need bike lanes. We need bike trails.”
Host cities for 2011 were announced in October of 2010. Santa Rosa has already claimed the overall start of the 2012 race.
