Bob Colarossi Quotations

One of biggest challenges we had in putting the race together wasn't where to go, it was where not to go. The good news is the route will change every year. There are plenty of other opportunities for other cities down the road.

For us, this is a great time to invest. The number of recreational cyclists has never been higher. For me, it all points upward -- that we are on the upswing of growth.

Part of the mission of this event is to give back to the communities that we visit. As an investment in the future of California's children, the education curriculum is a core element of that mission and will help ensure that we leave a positive footprint on communities throughout the state.

The Amgen Tour of California is attracting a caliber of riders in its first year that is evidence of the high esteem the race is being given by the international cycling community. This field is unprecedented in the history of modern American cycling and we're excited to host such an accomplished group of cyclists. It's our goal to give them a first-class experience in California.

We need to figure out how to grow the sport outside of enthusiast. So we are no longer just preaching to the choir.

We house, feed and transport 650 people for 10 days.

We built this race on three objectives: to create a great experience for riders, the communities and the corporate sponsors. The cities that we visited this year are very pleased with the positive effect that the race had on their communities. Not only have our 2006 host cities asked us back, but new cities have also inundated us with requests to come to their areas next year.

It would be silly to say it wouldn't have been great to have Lance here. But what you do have is a very level playing field, which makes it a very exciting race.

It's bringing a world-class sporting event right to the streets of their city that's free.

I hoped to see a lot of people, but I had no idea it was going to look like this. As far as I could see was people. It was like Woodstock.

Along with setting a higher standard for bicycle racing in the United States, we have an opportunity to create a new benchmark for interactive race viewing by collaborating with Adobe to bring original content to the official race Web site. The unique experience provided by the live race viewer will give fans unrivaled access to the nuances of race strategy and the beauty of our California backdrop.

For an event that has never happened, it's truly unprecedented. This does not look or feel like a first-year event.

This is the right place and the right time to do this. I was blown away by the traction cycling has in California.

The level of competition coming to the inaugural Tour is unprecedented in the United State and rivals any race that was held worldwide last year.