2013 Tour of California Host Cities Set

The Tour of California will make history in 2013, by taking their north-to-south tradition and completely flipping the script.

For the first time in the race's history, the Tour of California will start in Southern California and make its way north.

"I'm very excited to hear about the new South-North route for the 2013 Amgen Tour of California," said Chris Horner, the 2011 Tour of California champion. "After growing up in San Diego, I love seeing the race back on the roads I've ridden for the past 25 years."

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The race will be in San Diego County for the first time since 2009. The festivities will start in Escondido, a suburb northeast of San Diego. According to the North County Times, Escondido will host a week of parties and media events leading up to the start on May 12th. The first stage will start and finish in Escondido before creeping its way north. The finish line will be in Santa Rosa, north of San Francisco.

Here's a complete list of the 2013 host cities:

• Stage 1: Sunday, May 12 — Escondido
• Stage 2: Monday, May 13 — Murrieta to Greater Palm Springs
• Stage 3: Tuesday, May 14 — Palmdale to Santa Clarita
• Stage 4: Wednesday, May 15 — Santa Clarita to Santa Barbara
• Stage 5: Thursday, May 16 — Santa Barbara to Avila Beach
• Stage 6: Friday, May 17 — San Jose (individual time trial)
• Stage 7: Saturday, May 18 — Livermore to Mt. Diablo
• Stage 8: Sunday, May 19 — San Francisco to Santa Rosa

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