Tour of California Stage Start comes to Morro Bay Wednesday morning

It kind of snuck up on me this year, but the Tour of California is coming back to the Central Coast. This time, Wednesday’s Stage 4 will begin out at Morro Rock in Morro Bay. The Rock’s backdrop is one of the special things on the Central Coast and people from around the world will be able to take in the majesty of Estero Bay as they get out of town.

Last year’s stage finish in Avila was really fun! By Owen Main

Being from Cayucos, I thought about going there to shoot the guys riding through, but instead I’ll be down at the Rock looking for the favorites, camera in-hand.

As for the race, Julian Alaphilippe is the leader going into Wednesday. Alaphilippe, a 23 year-old frenchman, won the climb to the finish on Gibralter Rd. in Santa Barbara on Tuesday. He’ll mark the third different rider in the leader’s jersey in three days.

For Morro Bay, it’s their first time hosting a stage. It’s really remarkable how many awesome places there are for a bike race on the Central Coast. In my memory, I know stages have started or finished in Pismo Beach, Avila Beach, San Luis Obispo, Cambria, and Paso Robles. Morro Bay is joining in, but you can’t tell me that places like Cayucos or Arroyo Grande wouldn’t also be awesome stage hosts. With our proximity to Highway 1, the Central Coast should always have at least one stage start or finish around here.

Tips for those who want to go watch the start: get there early — the start is at 9:55, so plan to get into town at least an hour or two early. Parking far away and walking will be two things you can count on, especially with the limited traffic flow the ithsmus provides.

If you see me, say hi. And have fun y’all.