Amgen

Episode 87, Cars, bikes mix in cycling caravan

For every cyclist competing in a professional bike race, there’s seemingly a corresponding vehicle. But it’s not an exact parallel. In fact, in top-level races, there are several times more team, organization, media and sponsor vehicles, equipment trucks, fans’ motorhomes and police cars and motorcycles than competitors. Like the cyclists, race vehicles get down time at hotels, but otherwise, they’re all almost always on the move, climbing mountains, negotiating narrow roads and descending at top speeds. Volvo saw an opportunity at this year’s event and provided three V60 AWD T6 Inscription trim wagons for the seven-rider team. Team managers Michael Sayers and Michael Creed are driving the cars during every stage. Scott Schnitzspahn, USA Cycling’s vice president of Elite Athletics,

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Tour of California, stage 1: Sacramento to Santa Rosa via 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe

The start of the 2012 Amgen Tour of California is in Santa Rosa, about two hours from my Sacramento home, and it was my first freeway driving with 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe. My weekly driver edition is the Korean manufacturer's 348-hp 3.8L V6 sports car with stealth looks and surprisingly quick acceleration — and an under $30,000 price tag. Like other high-powered sports cars, the Genesis Coupe does certain things quite well. It's nimble and fast, which affords impressive lane changes and bolting along freeway ramps to merge into traffic with little effort. The Genesis Coupe has a six-speed manual transmission and it shifts through gears adequately, but not smoothly. One frustration: Shifting into reserve is a struggle, although at

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