LOS ANGELES (May 5, 2015) – On May 10 outside the State Capitol building in Sacramento, 144 cyclists from 18 elite professional teams will line up to begin eight days of fierce competition in the 2015 Amgen Tour of California. Only one among the field of world, national and Olympic champions will be crowned the victor at the race’s conclusion in Pasadena May 17 (full roster attached).

Celebrating its 10th year, the Amgen Tour of California is the most esteemed stage race in the U.S. and one of the most important on the international cycling calendar. The field features some of the most decorated sprinters in the world: Marcel Kittel, Mark Cavendish, Tyler Farrar, Matthew Goss and Peter Sagan, who holds the all-time Amgen Tour of California stage win record with 11, to name a few. And rounding out the general classification are powerhouse riders like Robert Gesink and Laurens ten Dam, alongside promising young riders like Warren Barguil, winner of two stages in the Vuelta a Espana and Lawson Craddock, who took the Best Young Rider prize at the past two Amgen Tour of California races.

With the cyclists preparing to face off across 724 California miles from May 10-17, some of the favorites in various categories include:

General Classification (Overall Contenders)

Andrew Talansky (USA), Team Cannondale-Garmin

Ian Boswell (USA), Team Sky

Janez Brajkovic (SLO), UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team

Joe Dombrowski (USA), Team Cannondale-Garmin

Joey Rosskopf (USA), BMC Racing Team

Laurens ten Dam (NED), Team LottoNL-Jumbo

Lawson Craddock (USA), Team Giant-Alpecin

Martin Kohler (SUI), Drapac Professional Cycling

Matthew Busche (USA), Trek Factory Racing

Peter Kennaugh (GBR), Team Sky

Phil Gaimon (USA), Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies

Robert Gesink (NED), Team LottoNL-Jumbo

Sergio Henao (COL), Team Sky

Warren Barguil (FRA), Team Giant-Alpecin

Sprinters

Ben Swift (GBR), Team Sky

Danny Van Poppel (NED), Trek Factory Racing

Gerald Ciolek (GER), MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung

Graeme Brown (AUS), Drapac Professional Cycling

Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (ESP), Trek Factory Racing

Sebastian Haedo (ARG), Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home

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Sprinters (continued)

Marcel Kittel (GER), Team Giant-Alpecin

Mark Cavendish (GBR), Etixx – Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team

Mark Renshaw (AUS), Etixx – Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team

Matthew Goss (AUS), MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung

Peter Sagan (SVK), Tinkoff-Saxo

Theo Bos (NED), MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung

Tyler Magner (USA), Hincapie Racing Team

Tyler Farrar (USA), MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung

Eric Marcotte (USA), Team Smartstop

Climbers

Carter Jones (USA), Team Giant-Alpecin

Joseph Rosskopf (USA), BMC Racing Team

Lachlan Norris (AUS), Drapac Professional Cycling

Robert Gesink (NED), Team LottoNL-Jumbo

Laurens ten Dam (NED), Team LottoNL-Jumbo

Joe Dombrowski (USA), Team Cannondale-Garmin

Phil Gaimon (USA), Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies

Robin Carpenter (USA), Hincapie Racing Team

Sergio Henao (COL), Team Sky

Will Routley (CAN), Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies

Stage Wins (One Day Specialists)

Alex Howes (USA), Team Cannondale-Garmin

Bernhard Eisel (AUT), Team Sky

Julian Alaphillipe (FRA), Etixx – Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team

Jure Kocjan (SLO), Team SmartStop

Mark Cavendish (GBR), Etixx – Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team

Matti Breschel (DEN), Tinkoff-Saxo

Daniele Bennati (ITA), Tinkoff-Saxo

Peter Sagan (SVK), Tinkoff-Saxo

Daniel Oss (ITA), BMC Racing Team

Sep Vanmarcke (BEL), Team LottoNL-Jumbo

Stijn Devolder (BEL), Trek Factory Racing

Stijn Vandenbergh (BEL), Etixx – Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team

Matteo Trentin (ITA), Etixx – Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team

Individual Time Trialists

Andrew Talansky (USA), Team Cannondale-Garmin

Lawson Craddock (USA), Team Giant-Alpecin

Maciej Bodnar (POL), Tinkoff-Saxo

Peter Kennaugh (GBR), Team Sky

Tom Zirbel (USA), Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies

Campbell Flakemore (AUS), BMC Racing Team

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“The tenth Amgen Tour of California will be a place to watch the best in the world right alongside the up-and-coming next generation of cycling stars,” said Kristin Bachochin Klein, executive director of the Amgen Tour of California and senior vice president of AEG Sports. “As always, fans will be able to get up close to the action and to the athletes out on the race course, as well as every morning as they arrive to the start line. That’s something really special about this race and cycling culture – how accessible the best in the sport are to their fans.”

Fans can cheer on these world-class athletes on the race course, via live daily broadcasts on NBC Sports Network and NBC (final Sunday), or from anywhere with the free Amgen Tour of California app for tablets and mobile devices, which features live race updates, rider background and full race results. More information on ways to watch is available at www.amgentourofcalifornia.com.

For further information about the Amgen Tour of California and to experience the race like never before with VIP Access, please visit www.amgentourofcalifornia.com.