This could be the pivotal stage of this year’s Amgen Tour of California.

Stage 6 is not only long, at 105 miles, but it features four King of the Mountain climbs, two sprints and a demanding finishing circuit in Santa Clarita. With this year’s individual time trial being less selective than last year’s, there could be several contenders separated by just a few seconds at this point in the race.

After a start in view of the Santa Barbara shoreline, Stage 6, which is sponsored by Health Net, will be the last chance for a solid favorite to emerge before the circuit race finale in Long Beach. Once the peloton hits Highway 150, the racers will face two KOMs before passing Lake Casitas and riding into the scenic town of Ojai for the first sprint of the day.

The third KOM will be just a few miles outside Ojai, and then the course will head downhill into Santa Paula for the second sprint of the day among fragrantcitrus groves.

The day’s final climb comes in the ominous Balcom Canyon, where in 2006,nearly 10,000 fans formed a narrow corridor for the riders. The cyclists will end the day with three circuits in Santa Clarita that finish at McBean Parkway at the Valencia Town Center.