Shawn Hunter Event Quotations

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.

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.

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.

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.