It will be a lot of work, city officials admit, but if Lompoc can pique the interest of officials for the famed Amgen bicycle tour, the payoff could be considerable—both in exposure on the international scene and in terms of tourism revenue.
As of press time, the Lompoc City Council was scheduled to consider submitting an application to be a host city for a segment of the 2012 Amgen Tour of California at its Sept. 6 meeting.
Feelers sent out to city officials by the Sun prior to the meeting didn’t yield many concrete opinions, but those who shared their views said they were looking forward to learning how the city could make it happen in a relatively short period of time.
But if the council does decide to pursue the application, it wouldn’t come cheap. Bringing the Amgen tour to the City of Arts and Flowers would require a mobilization of resources on the quick.
Councilwoman Ashley Costa couldn’t be reached for comment as of press time, but according to sources familiar with the matter, Costa was a major driver in the process. She was even able to negotiate an extended deadline with race officials to give city officials time to discuss it.
Should the council decide to move forward, it would have to assemble a local organizing committee of volunteers to be responsible for raising $100,000 in private contributions and donations.
Even though city money won’t be used for the fundraising effort, other logistical factors, such as potential overtime for public safety employees and extra staff time, will likely be a focal point for city officials in deciding if the Amgen pursuit is feasible.
The eight-day race is scheduled to kick off in Santa Rosa in May 2012, according to the Amgen website. The racecourse, which is determined by Amgen officials, has yet to be announced.
Lompoc Mayor John Linn told the Sun he wasn’t sure how he would vote on the application, saying he looked forward to an in-depth discussion of the potential benefits and costs to the city.
Lompoc Chamber of Commerce CEO Ken
Ostini said “it would be a great benefit to the city … but there are a lot of questions still up in the air.”
Ostini said a number of local business owners and residents have already told him they would support bringing the tour to town, some pledging their time to help in whatever way they can to make it happen.
Ostini said a big benefit of the tour would be getting the Lompoc name out to an audience of people who might not be familiar with the city.
This year will mark the seventh Amgen Tour of California, which in 2011 boasted more than 2 million spectators, making it the largest annual spectator sporting event in the state, and the largest cycling event in North America.
This article appears in Sep 8-15, 2011.
