----- Original Message -----

From: B Brand

Sent: Saturday, February 25, 2006 4:08 AM

Subject: AMGEN Tour of California and Heart Park

The reason I'm writing you is to tell you the South Bay Parkland Conservancy will be flying their banner and enjoying the race at the corner of Herondo and Harbor Drive (by the Chart House restaurant). We can't pass up the opportunity to have a presence at an international event that encircles the area we want to convert to a beautiful waterfront park. Many of us will be there handing out new brochures, selling t-shirts, visiting with friends, and just enjoying the festivities. Stop by and say hello!

The riders will also be racing past the AES tank farm that has marred our coastline for far too long. On February 15th, AES submitted an application to remove all four of these tanks (see the attached photo). More on this later in our next update, but know that things are happening. Slowly, but they are happening.

Back to this race. It is a brand new statewide wide bicycle race modeled after the Tour de France. It started last week in San Francisco and has gradually worked its way south. The 7th and final stage will be here in Redondo, and will be a circuit race that loops 7 times around the AES power plant all the way up to the border of Palos Verdes Estates. For more on the race and the course map go here:

Television coverage is for 1 hour every night at 10 p.m. on ESPN2 (Channel 36 on Adelphia in Redondo Beach). Tonight they will replay today's race from Santa Barbara to Thousand Oaks. I don't know of any live coverage?

Many world class riders and their teams will be competing. In the cycling world, this is a major event that the organizers have invested over $30 million to put on.

The race starts at 1 p.m. and will probably last until about 4 p.m. There are many street closures, including the Esplanade and Catalina Avenue, so if you live along these streets, or in the Village, Seascape or Harbor Cove apartments, access with a car will be impossible. Check the city postings for exact times.