[News Release] – California is preparing to welcome the most accomplished field of cycling superstars ever to compete on U.S. soil for the 2014 Amgen Tour of California set to take place May 11-18.

The Amgen Tour of California is the largest cycling event in America and one of the top races in the world. Now in its ninth year, 2014 promises the strongest peloton from top to bottom yet, featuring a roster complete with Olympians, World and National Champions, Grand Tour stage winners, and the only cyclist to win the Tour de France and Olympic gold in the same year (Team Sky’s Bradley Wiggins in 2012).

“Each year, our goal is to make the Amgen Tour of California the best one yet, and I believe this is going to be an absolutely unprecedented year of racing with so many top performers at the international level,” said Kristin Bachochin, executive director of the race and senior vice president of AEG Sports. “We are eager for fans to experience the thrill of watching some of the most accomplished cyclists in the world competing here in California.”

The 2014 Amgen Tour of California will feature 16 of the top teams in the world battling for victory across more than 720 miles of iconic California terrain from Sacramento to Thousand Oaks, passing through 10 other host communities in between. Whether competing for the overall title, or vying to shake things up on the course for a stage win, some of the most exciting moments of racing are expected from a field highlighted by:

General Classification (Overall Contenders)

• Peter Stetina (USA), BMC Racing Team
• Tom Danielson (USA), Team Garmin-Sharp
• Janier Alexis Acevedo (COL), Team Garmin-Sharp
• Bradley Wiggins (GBR), Team Sky
• Joe Dombrowski (USA), Team Sky
• Laurens Ten Dam (NED), Belkin Pro Cycling Team
• Lawson Craddock (USA), Team Giant-Shimano
• Matthew Busche (USA), Trek Factory Racing
• Haimar Zubeldia (ESP), Trek Factory Racing
• Tanner Putt (USA), Bissell Development Team

Sprinters

• Peter Sagan (SVK), Cannondale Pro Cycling
• Mark Cavendish (GBR), Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Cycling Team
• Tom Boonen (BEL), Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Cycling Team
• Thor Hushovd (NOR), BMC Racing Team
• Danny Van Poppel (NED), Trek Factory Racing
• Matthew Goss (AUS), ORICA-GreenEDGE
• John Degenkolb (GER), Team Giant-Shimano
• Fred “Freddie” Rodriguez (USA), Jelly Belly Cycling Team p/b MAXXIS
• Juan Jose Haedo (ARG), Team Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home
• Ryan Anderson (CAN), Optum Pro Cycling p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies

Climbers

• Janier Alexis Acevedo (COL), Team Garmin-Sharp
• Phil Gaimon (USA), Team Garmin-Sharp
• Tom Danielson (USA), Team Garmin-Sharp
• Amäel Moinard (FRA), BMC Racing Team
• Michael Schär (SUI), BMC Racing Team
• Peter Stetina (USA), BMC Racing Team
• Josh Edmondson (GBR), Team Sky
• Joe Dombrowski (USA), Team Sky
• Markel Irizar Aranburu (ESP), Trek Factory Racing
• Haimar Zubeldia (ESP), Trek Factory Racing
• Tiago Machado (POR), Team NetApp-Endura
• Matt Cooke (USA), Team Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home

Stage Win Contenders (One-Day Strongmen)

• Greg Van Avermaet (BEL), BMC Racing Team
• Thor Hushovd (NOR), BMC Racing Team
• Taylor Phinney (USA), BMC Racing Team
• Ben King (USA), Team Garmin-Sharp
• Lachlan David Morton (AUS), Team Garmin-Sharp
• Niki Terpstra (NED), Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Cycling Team
• Jens Voigt (GER), Trek Factory Racing
• Jesse Sergent (NZL), Trek Factory Racing
• Ted King (USA), Cannondale Pro Cycling
• Lars Boom (NED), Belkin Pro Cycling Team
• Sergei Tsvetkov (ROU), Team Jelly Belly p/b MAXXIS
• Tom Boonen (BEL), Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Cycling Team

Time Trialists

• Bradley Wiggins (GBR), Team Sky
• Taylor Phinney (USA), BMC Racing Team
• Maciej Bodnar (POL), Cannondale Pro Cycling
• Rohan Dennis (AUS), Team Garmin-Sharp
• Jack Bobridge (AUS), Belkin Pro Cycling
• Lawson Craddock (USA), Team Giant-Shimano
• Jens Voigt (GER), Trek Factory Racing
• Martin Velits (SVK), Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Cycling Team
• Tom Zirbel (USA), Optum Pro Cycling p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies

One of the time-honored aspects of the Amgen Tour of California is the opportunity for fans to share the excitement of welcoming the riders at the annual Amgen Tour of California Opening Gala held just prior to their eight-day journey. This year’s event is set for Friday, May 9 at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium. The charity event, destined to sell out once again, will be filled with live music and entertainment, hosted bar and sit-down dinner, a silent auction featuring a variety of fabulous items, and the night’s highlight – a presentation of all the cyclists competing. To purchase single tickets or tables, please visit https://2014amgengala.eventbrite.com.

For the most robust cycling fans, customized VIP Experiences have been created to provide fans the opportunity to go behind the scenes of the race, watch the post-race press conference with the day’s leaders (closed to the public) and even ride in a team car during the race. For more details, contact atoctickets@amgentourofcalifornia.com or 1-877-234-8425.

Some other “riders to watch” include the healing heroes taking part in two Amgen Tour of California Ride 2 Recovery (R2R) Honor Rides in Sacramento (May 10) and Thousand Oaks (May 3)  to support R2R’s mental and physical rehabilitation programs that feature cycling as the core activity. And, there are plenty of ways to take in the pro action, whether in person on the race course May 11 – 18, via daily broadcasts on NBC Sports Network and NBC Sports (final Sunday), or by downloading the free Tour Tracker app, which features live race updates, rider background and full race results. More information on all of the ways to watch is available at www.amgentourofcalifornia.com.

About the Amgen Tour of California

The Amgen Tour of California is a Tour de France-style cycling road race created and presented by AEG that challenges the world’s top professional cycling teams to compete along a demanding course that traverses hundreds of miles of California’s iconic highways, byways and coastlines each spring. The teams chosen to participate have included Olympic medalists, Tour de France contenders and World Champions. More information is available at www.amgentourofcalifornia.com.

About Amgen

Amgen is committed to unlocking the potential of biology for patients suffering from serious illnesses by discovering, developing, manufacturing and delivering innovative human therapeutics. This approach begins by using tools like advanced human genetics to unravel the complexities of disease and understand the fundamentals of human biology.

Amgen focuses on areas of high-unmet medical need and leverages its biologics manufacturing expertise to strive for solutions that improve health outcomes and dramatically improve people’s lives. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen has grown to be the world’s largest independent biotechnology company, has reached millions of patients around the world and is developing a pipeline of medicines with breakaway potential. For more information, visit www.amgen.com and follow us on www.twitter.com/amgen.

About AEG

AEG is one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world. AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Anschutz Company, owns or controls a collection of companies including facilities such as STAPLES Center, StubHub Center, Sprint Center, The O2, Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE and Best Buy Theater Times Square; sports franchises including the Los Angeles Kings (NHL), two Major League Soccer franchises, two hockey franchises operated in Europe, management of privately held shares of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Amgen Tour of California cycling road race; AEG Live, the organization’s live-entertainment division, is a collection of companies dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performance, touring and a variety of programming and multi-media production. For more information, visit AEG today at www.aegworldwide.com.