2008 Amgen Tour of California Kicks Off Sunday, Feb 17

Top level professional racing returns to the United States on Sunday as the Amgen Tour of California kicks off the 2008 season, and I couldn't be more excited.

• Amgen Tour of California Schedule and Stage Details
  
• Video highlights and broadcast schedule
  
• Official website for the Amgen Tour of California
  

Seriously, with the line-up expected to comprise the 136-rider field, no one would blame you if you blinked and suddenly wondered if you had been transported back (or forward) in time to July and found yourself watching the Tour de France, as some of the top dogs in cycling will be burning their way across the Golden State in the coming week.

The race kicks off with a prologue Sunday, then it's seven more days of a stage race that'll take riders across 650 miles of California. Among the contenders you'll see racing:

• Paolo Bettini (ITA), Quick Step - 2007 World Road Race Champion
  
• Tom Boonen (BEL), Quick Step - 2007 Tour de France winner Stage 6 and 12; first overall Sprint
  
• Fabian Cancellara (SUI), Team CSC - World Time Trial Champion, and winner of 2007 Tour de France prologue and Stage 3
  
• Levi Leipheimer (USA), Astana - Stage 19 winner, 2007 Tour de France
  
• George Hincapie (USA), High Road - winner, 2007 Tour of Missouri
  
• Oscar Freire Gomez (ESP), Rabobank
  
• Bobby Julich (USA), Team CSC
  
• David Millar (GBR), Slipstream Chipotle Presented By H30
  
• Fred Rodriguez (USA), Rock Racing
  
• Rory Sutherland (AUS), Health Net Presented by Maxxis
  

TV coverage will be in the Versus Network, the same channel that carried the Tour de France, so if you're lucky enough to get Versus, you'll have bike racing on your tube every day for the next eight days. If not, check out the Versus website for video highlights

Related Links

• Amgen Tour of California Schedule and Stage Details
  
• Video highlights and broadcast schedule
  
• Official website for the Amgen Tour of California