Go Metro Weekends, Amgen Tour of California

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Scenery from the Amgen Tour of California bike race. Photo: Amgen Tour of California Facebook

Scenery from the Amgen Tour of California bike race. Photo: Amgen Tour of California Facebook

L.A. Bike Week comes to a close this Saturday… which is why we suggest letting the pros inspire you to keep Bike Week in your heart all year long!

The 2015 Amgen Tour of California has been headed this way from Sacramento since last weekend. This Sunday, May 17, watch some of the world’s best cyclists tear through the final stage of the race from downtown L.A. to Rose Bowl Stadium via Chinatown, Lincoln Heights, Cypress Park, Mt. Washington, Highland Park, Eagle Rock and Pasadena.

As someone who’s only peripherally interested in bikes (bus/train+walking is my preferred alternative to driving), I can attest that watching the Tour in person is a blast, even if you’re not familiar with professional cycling. Last year the race went through Old Pasadena, creating one of those rare environments where roads are closed and Angelenos of all stripes are out and about on foot. (You’ll be able to see more of this when CicLAvia arrives in Pasadena May 31!)

This year, the race starts at L.A. Live at 9:15 a.m. and ends with riders crossing the Colorado Bridge and entering the Arroyo to finish at the Rose Bowl around 12:30 p.m. The course passes by many Metro Rail stations, making it easy to see the race and explore a new neighborhood without the hassle of driving. Catch the Tour of California at:

  • L.A. Live (Metro Blue/Expo Line to Pico Station)
  • Grand Park (Metro Red/Purple Line to Civic Center/Grand Park)
  • Chinatown (Metro Gold Line to Chinatown Station)
  • Cypress Park (Gold Line to Heritage Square/Arroyo Station)
  • Mt. Washington (Gold Line to Southwest Museum Station)
  • Highland Park (Gold Line to Highland Park Station)
  • Pasadena (Gold Line to Del Mar or Memorial Park Station — it’s a 7-10 min walk from either station to the Colorado Bridge)

Here’s Amgen’s map of the course as well as the timetable for when riders will pass by each location. Be sure to arrive well in advance so you don’t miss them on their way through!

Of course, viewing the race in downtown L.A., Chinatown, Highland Park and Pasadena puts you within walking distance of countless shops and eateries. Be sure to check our Destination Discounts page for an extensive list of businesses in all four neighborhoods where you’ll receive special discounts with your TAP card. The area immediately surrounding Heritage Square and Southwest Museum Station is more residential, but there are still some great local gems where you can grab a bite. Antigua Coffee House is minutes from Heritage Square at 3400 N Figueroa Street, and serves up a delicious Mayan Mocha made from house-roasted beans. From Southwest Museum Station, walk south to Figueroa St. and look for Rico’s Mar Azul Mariscos Truck in Sycamore Park. The seafood cocktails are fantastic (and they claim their prices haven’t changed since 1982).

Now you’ve got the scoop on the Tour, here are a few more transit-adjacent events/activities happening this weekend (feel free to add to the list in the comments):

And finally, some handy links to help you navigate our system:

Categories: Go Metro

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4 replies ›

  1. I certainly hope that the City of Los Angeles found that the Amgen race on Sunday was worth the time and trouble that it took.

    Those of us who live in Highland Park found the route extremely annoying, especially if you wanted to go to church or to Pasadena. Monte Vista Street and all crossing streets were closed by 8 a.m., despite the fact that the race wasn’t scheduled to go by until 10:30-11 a.m. That directly impacted at least three churches located on Monte Vista St. and Iglesia de la Communidad, which is at Ave. 53 and Figueroa St. was also affected because it was almost impossible to get there.

    We go to church in Pasadena and found that we had to take an extremely convoluted route that was 10 miles out of our way just to avoid the street detours on Monte Vista, Piedmont and Figueroa. I was also disappointed that there was no information I could find on the Internet about exactly when streets were going to be closed so we could plan ahead.

    BTW: It would be interesting to know how much the city spent on signage, street closures and traffic control, and whether this was charged back to Amgen.

    Bob

    • Hello Ronald,

      Yes, there are bus detours planned for stage 8. Working to figure out where they are posted on Metro.net now. In the meantime, did you need to know about a particular Line and/or location (i.e. Line 2 or the downtown L.A. area?) Please let me know and I can let you know if/how the line or area will be affected.

      Thank you,

      Lily Allen
      Writer, The Source