Tour of California - Advice for Spectators?

We are going to be driving down to California to watch a few of the Tour of California stages. We will be staying in Bodega Bay and driving out somewhere in between there and Santa Rosa to see the first stage (go Levi!).

I was hoping someone who had been there could give us some sage advice on a great place to go watch and when to get there? The web page for the tour doesn't really address spectators at all. Do we have to get there super early in the day? Is it hard to find parking? Tons of traffic to watch out for? And most importantly, are there toilets nearby??? :p

The other stage we are heading for begins in Palmdale. We used to live down that way, so we are more familiar with that area. Even though it's been 25 years and probably has changed dramatically since then!

Find a sports bar somewhere on the route so you can watch the whole stage on TV and step outside to cheer as the race goes by. Then you can relax and watch the rest of the stage on TV again.

Call to confirm that the place will show the race on TV.

My suggestion would be to go up Coleman Valley Rd and watch it from there. That's a great climb and it's toward the end so they may be spread out - not much place to park and the cattle ranchers there are not happy about you parking off road in their fields, so you need to get there early if you're going up by car instead of bike. If you're going by bike, all the better - it's a beautiful climb and the views are spectacular.

I like Malkin's idea of a sports bar, but other than in town in Santa Rosa, I can't think of any place that would have a sports bar that would be watching it. And if you're in Bodega Bay you are super close to Coleman Valley Rd.

Coleman Valley Rd. would have no services or toilets. There are a couple of beach parks before you turn off Hwy 1 onto CV Rd.

If you go to Coleman Valley Rd, you ought to continue on it after the race is over and go here. :)

maillotpois, good recommend, I looked at the web link for Wildflour Bread, and it looks absolutely fabulous! Thanks! I hope we can make time to stop by and see it.

I appreciate the info, we will check out Coleman Valley Road as we come into town and see if that looks doable for us.

If the steep side of Coleman Valley doesn't look inviting, swing around from Bodega Bay to the bakery first, then Occidental (in case you're hungry again), and then tackle the easier side of Coleman Valley. This is what I'll probably do.

I'm going to the southern portion--starting in Bakersfield, and I found good stuff on the amgentourofcalifornia.com website for exactly where to watch, where to park, etc.

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Originally Posted by PinkBike

I'm going to the southern portion--starting in Bakersfield, and I found good stuff on the amgentourofcalifornia.com website for exactly where to watch, where to park, etc.

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Where did you find all that, I can't seem to locate that info?? Thanks Pinkbike.

We're off to Coleman Valley! Dh will moto and we're in my VW convertible, so say hi if you see us!

Fabulous! I just found an app for my iPhone for the tour. It's just called Amgen Tour of California. It's wonderful, it is showing a map of exactly where the peloton is as they move along, and their time and mileage stats.

We found the perfect place to watch them go by just north of Bodega Bay.