UPDATE: Stage One of Amgen Tour Cancelled

Route One of the Amgen Tour of California, which is scheduled to come through Moorpark on May 22, has been cancelled. The bicycle race will continue Monday, beginning with a neutral start lap through Squaw Village at 10:15 a.m. and heading to the finish in Sacramento.

Plans were for the bike race to being in Lake Tahoe this morning. It was postponed until this afternoon, but due to severe weather conditions, but now the first route has been cancelled altogether.

“We were monitoring weather conditions up until the predicted 1:15 p.m. start time, and we just couldn’t safely put the riders out on the course with the current forecast,” said Andrew Messick, president of AEG Sports, which organizes the annual event.

Riders concurred with the decision.

"The riders discussed as a group and we just don’t feel comfortable riding knowing what can happen.... We still have a full week of racing ahead of us, so we want to make sure everyone is healthy," said three-time Amgen Tour of California champion Levi Leipheimer to a crowd at the race sign-in stage. "With the weather conditions the way they are, racing today is just not possible. On behalf of all the riders, we apologize and appreciate everyone’s support and understanding.”

At this time, there is no talk of other stages being postponed or affected by this stage’s postponement.

The Amgen Tour of California, a Tour de France-style road race, is the largest cycling event in the country and attracts the world’s top professional cycling teams.