San Luis Obispo’s streets will be filled with bike racers and party-goers alike on May 16. The Amgen Tour of California bike race will pass through town and bring the festivities with them.
There will be many streets and bus routes closed for parts of the day, or in some cases, all day. The streets of downtown San Luis Obispo will be closed from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., with the bikers passing through between 2:45 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. Motor travel is not advised during these afternoon hours, especially near downtown and the nearby neighborhoods, which will be facing rolling closures throughout the day. Many bus routes will also shutdown times during the race, according to a City of San Luis Obispo press release.
Most neighborhoods will have alternate entrances and exits open all day, but for those that do not, the road closures will last approximately 30 minutes before traffic will be allowed to pass through again.
This will be the first time in a decade since they have passed through during their race. The Amgen Tour, the nation’s most well-known professional bike race, is modeled after the Tour de France and features the best cyclists from around the world. The section of the race that will be racing through the area of San Luis Obispo will be starting in Pismo Beach and continuing on until Morro Bay, according to the press release.
For those wanting to catch a glimpse of the race, it will be broadcasted on NBC Sports, or you can watch in person as they rush through the streets of San Luis Obispo. Downtown will also feature a high-speed mid-race sprint, where the racers pretend it is a finish line and pedal as fast as they can to the “finish line” in an attempt to be the first to cross it. The first three bikers to cross the mid-way finish line will receive bonus points and prizes.
Along with the race, there will be a large block party taking place in downtown San Luis Obispo between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Music by the Zongo All-Stars and DJ Malik will be featured during the festivities. There will also be a beer garden, locally made cider, a cornhole tournament, lawn games, a window decorating contest and a children’s bike race. To help alleviate the traffic in the area and to get people downtown and where they need to go, the trolley will be running from 1:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.