The 2012 Tour of California begins in earnest on Sunday with Stage 1's ride through Santa Rosa. The cyclists will start with a couple of loops around Santa Rosa-proper before leaving for the rest of Sonoma County. The marks the real beginning of this 115.9 mile race. Through the ride in Sonoma, the cyclists will face a couple of sprints and four climbs.
The race will start at 11:50 a.m. MT and finish around 4:49 p.m. MT, which should certainly have the makings of an exciting finish to Day 1. The weather is expected to be partly cloudy and have a high of 79-degrees Fahrenheit. There is zero percent chance of rain.
Television coverage for the Tour begins on NBC Sports Network at 2:00 p.m. MT on Sunday with a preview of this year's race. Just 60 minutes later, live coverage of the race begins, which will have the last two hours or so of the race.
Stick with this Tour of California StoryStream, cycling blog Podium Cafe and the Tour of California's official site for more.