Volunteers needed for Amgen Tour's South Lake Tahoe competition

The Amgen Tour of California South Lake Tahoe Organizing Committee is seeking 300 volunteers for the combined stages for men and women on Thursday, May 19, 2016.

The men’s elite race Stage 5 will begin in Lodi, Calif. at 10 a.m., and finish around 3:45 p.m. at Heavenly Mountain Resort’s California Base Lodge in South Lake Tahoe totaling 132.4 miles. The women’s Stage 1 will start at 10:50 a.m. and finish approximately at 2:00 p.m. at Heavenly, totaling 72.7 miles.

Thousands of volunteers across the state will join forces with race staff May 15-22 to support the international sporting event where the world’s top cyclists compete in front of millions of fans, as well as a global television audience. In all, the men’s eight stages and women’s four-day races will travel through 12 host cities for official stage starts and finishes.

Volunteer registration is now open. Most of the positions consist of a course marshal – a critical role where the individual assists race staff and local law enforcement authorities along the route monitoring pedestrian traffic, road closures, and keeping spectators informed as the race progresses. There are also base area positions available like security and check-in.

No experience is required and those interested in assisting the Tahoe South portion of the tour can register at www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/Tour/volunteer. Registrants must be at least 18 years old, or accompanied by an adult. Interested applicants can contact Mike Frye with the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority at mike@ltva.org or 775-588-5900 x 309.

Approximately 160 female athletes will complete a 72-mile clockwise lap around the perimeter of Lake Tahoe and provides technical challenges such as twisting descents, fast straights and stunning views.

In a slight variation from last year’s women’s race, cyclists will leave Highway 50 and enter onto Pioneer Trail then to Ski Run Boulevard, local streets Needle Peak, Wildwood and finish at the California Base Lodge at Heavenly.

Meanwhile, the men’s races features approximately 200 athletes. The course start is in Lodi, Calif., and will travel over Highway 88 passing Kirkwood Mountain Resort. The men will endure challenge hairpin turns, climbs passing several alpine lakes before reaching Hope Valley, which is between Kirkwood Mountain Resort and South Lake Tahoe. They will then turn at Pickett's Junction onto Highway 89, with a breathtaking ascent to the 7,740-foot summit of Luther Pass and then steep grade descent into the Tahoe Basin.