Private Donations Flood In To Save San Jose Amgen Stop

SAN JOSE (KCBS)- The wheels are turning to save the San Jose stop on this year's Amgen Tour of California bicycle race.

In the past, the city has been able to pay for the cyclists to end one leg of the race within San Jose, drawing thousands of spectators, but this year money was too tight. With the city in dire financial straits, the private sector is coming to the rescue.

KCBS' Mike Colgan Reports:

"Let me explain how easy it was," said Silicon Valley Leadership Group President Carl Guardino. "I sent out an e-mail, not to 340 member company CEOs, but to about 50. I got 32 'yes' responses. The request from the mayor was to raise $100,000, and we raised $150,000 so that we could do the charity ride on top of supporting the tour stage here in San Jose."

San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed said that the help from the private sector makes all the difference.

"If it wasn't for the fundraising from the Silicon Valley Leadership Group we wouldn't be able to do the bike race this year," said Reed.

The May 18th event promises to be one of the most exciting stage finishes in the history of the Amgen Tour. It ends at the top of Sierra Road, which is a 3.5 mile climb with an up to ten percent grade.

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