Shawn Hunter Quotations

One of our goals for this race is to help raise the level of the sport in America. With Americans as the top-five riders into today's time trial and the top-five in the overall classification, the strength of U.S. riders in international cycling is evident here in California.

Having had more than 1 million fans in attendance at the Amgen Tour of California in the last week is one of the many reasons we can declare this inaugural event a success. With such positive feedback from the cycling governing body, the cyclists themselves, the cities we rode through, and the dedicated fans, we are now committed more than ever to being even bigger and better in 2007.

Our hardest decision for next year is where to take the race. So many communities want us to come there.

Our partners are as vital to the success of this event as the athletes and host cities. Their belief in this race, support of our vision and commitment to ensuring that this event was a great experience for everyone involved made this one of the greatest first-year events that I have ever been a part of.

Nancy Brown's commitment to personal growth and education make her a role model for all administrative professionals.

We continue to be thrilled with the tremendous support from the great California fans we have seen every day in record numbers. I truly believe that years from now, fans of this great sport will look back upon this event as a true moment of truth that played a significant role in the development of road cycling as a major sports competition. With records for largest-ever crowds for both a cycling race and an athletic event held in the state of California on track to be broken, we can easily witness first-hand the popularity of cycling to an incredibly broad and diverse group of all ages.

We're coming back in 2007 and already are thinking about ways to make this event even better. We are extremely satisfied with this first year, and the best is yet to come.

With a field of cycling teams that is clearly considered world-caliber, fans have shown their excitement and appreciation for the race by attending in record numbers. With each day of racing becoming more exciting and dramatic, it is clear that the coverage, word-of-mouth and results have established this race as one of the greatest sporting events held in recent years.

With something educational and entertaining on offer for adults and kids alike, the Amgen Tour of California Lifestyle Festival presented by Health Net, is a cornerstone of the race. Each day, the festival gives us an opportunity to have a positive and lasting impact on the cities that have opened their roads to this race.

It's clear that the race is taking on a momentum of its own; the crowd support on the road today was beyond anything we've seen yet. From the start in San Luis Obispo and on through all of the towns along the course, people were out in the thousands to support the best cyclists in the world race to Santa Barbara.

After talking to the (Santa Rosa) police and the CHP, we believe there were about 130,000 people out there. We knew we had something special here, and I think it is exceeding all of our expectations.

In building the Amgen Tour of California in its first year, we are excited to find such a committed partner as KB Home to help further the healthy lifestyle messages of this race and the excitement about cycling to communities across the state.