The City of Morro Bay is hosting the AMGEN Tour of California professional bicycle race Stage 4 finish the afternoon of Wednesday, May 15. Morro Bay community members and visitors are welcome and encouraged to participate in the community bike ride, watch the AMGEN finish and see the professional racers up close at the festival. The AMGEN Race will have impacts on City roads and the Embarcadero and Downtown areas of the City, which are discussed below.
COMMUNITY BIKE RIDE
The Community Bike Ride is open to the public and kicks off at 1:30p.m. on May 15 at the Visitor Center in Morro Bay (695 Harbor Street). The ride costs $25 for adults and kids ride for FREE with a paying adult. Proceeds from the race benefits Bike SLO County. If you are interested in participating, same day race day registration sign-ups are open from noon to 1:00p.m. at the Visitor Center.
AMGEN FINISH – BEST PLACES TO WATCH
The AMGEN race finishes on Harbor Street (near the Harbor and Napa intersection). Interested spectators are encouraged to find parking no later than 3:00p.m. either at the Morro Rock parking lot or in the Downtown area (where not marked with no parking signs) and make their way to the finish area. We suggest you bike into the festival area and use the FREE bike Valet on Main St at Harbor. It is anticipated that the professional riders will cross the finish line between 3:40p.m. and 3:45p.m. The Festival area will be open at Harbor and Main Street from noon to 5:00p.m. You can also watch the race online by visiting the following AMGEN site:
https://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/waystowatch
ROAD CLOSURES AND PARKING PROHIBITIONS – PLAN AHEAD
Nearly 100 riders will race along Highway 1 beginning in Monterey at 10:05a.m. on through to Morro Bay, exiting Highway 1 at the South Bay Blvd. exit around 3:30p.m. From there, the riders will circle around Morro Bay State Park down through Main Street. They make a left from Main Street onto Marina Street, right on Embarcadero and then a quick right on Harbor street up to the sprint finish.
During race day, public parking will be prohibited along the racecourse. In addition, the race route in Morro Bay will be closed between 3:00 to 4:00p.m. All driveways exiting onto the course will be closed during that time. Finally, Harbor street (from Embarcadero to Piney Way) will be closed beginning Tuesday, May 14 at noon on through the evening of Wednesday, May 15. The attached map shows the racecourse.
The AMGEN Tour of California will be broadcast to millions of viewers in 200 countries across the globe, bringing international recognition to our great community. The City greatly appreciates the community’s patience as the race makes its way through town.