The 2011 Amgen Tour Of California gets started Monday morning with Stage Two, after stage one was cancelled due to snowstorms in Lake Tahoe. Stage one was initially delayed three hours, but when the snowstorm did not sufficiently let up, race organizers decided it was best to simply cancel the stage. That means stage two becomes the kickoff stage for the 2011 Tour of California.
Stage Two is one of the longer stages in the race at 133.2 miles. It starts in Squaw Valley, which was the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics. The riders will head north to Truckee and then west past the rugged Donner's Pass, where the members of the Donner Family ate each other after getting stuck. At 7,100 feet, this will be the only monster climb of Stage 2. From there the cyclists will descend 7,000 feet to Sacramento, which has an elevation of 25 feet, and then pass through Nevada City, California.
After heading west a few miles from Nevada City, the peloton will turn south and head through Beale Air Force Base. From there it will be a fairly quick ride through the suburbs of Sacramento. Entering the circuit just past the finish line in Sacramento, the riders will begin the first of two circuit laps with a finish at the State Capitol building.
You can view a PDF map of the stage two route, as well as a look at the elevation levels throughout the stage. Additionally, they have provided a video preview of Stage Two, which you can view below. The fine folks at Podium Cafe will have more preview material Monday morning.