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Tour of California asks fans to leave paint at home
With the hours counting down to the start of the Amgen Tour of California, race officials have one small request: Please leave your cans of paint at home.
Medalist Sports technical director Chuck Hodge, one of the men responsible for designing stage routes, also has the responsibility of applying for race permits to city and county officials. Whether it’s at the Tour of California or Tour de Georgia, Hodge said one of the biggest obstacles in the permit-application process comes down to community anger over roads covered with the painted names of riders.
"I know every cycling fan thinks it’s great to paint 10-foot-high names of their favorite riders on the roads but we have constantly been hammered by these counties about that," Hodge said. "I don’t think people realize the impact on what the local community thinks about the race. Permitting is always a tenuous thing, and the paint on the roads doesn’t help us bring the race back."
Hodge said the race organization encourages people to go out and cheer, using street chalk or handheld signs.
"Be creative with your signage," Hodge said. "But please be considerate of people in the community. They are there the next day, once the race is gone, and we’re not."
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