By Aimee YEGHIAYAN BECK

On Saturday, Stage 7 of the 9th Annual Amgen Tour of California passed through La Cañada at around 2:30 p.m. before finishing in Pasadena. The eight-stage cycling tour began in Sacramento on May 11, traveled down the coast, ultimately ending in Thousand Oaks on Sunday after covering approximately 710 miles.

Stage 7 of the race began in Santa Clarita with a route that followed a high desert path in Acton, continuing into  the Angeles National Forest. According to its website, after passing the Mount Wilson Observatory, the riders began a long, steep, and very technical descent into La Cañada Flintridge. The race this year included the La Cañada streets of Green Lane, Princess Anne Road, Commonwealth Avenue, Foothill Boulevard and Berkshire Avenue. From there, cyclists entered Pasadena, finishing the leg of the tour at Pasadena City Hall.

The Tour de France-style cycling road race had some of the world’s top professional cycling teams competing. Sir Bradley Wiggins, 2012 Tour de France winner, was Britain’s first winner of the Tour of California. He hopes to repeat the victory in this year’s Tour de France.

  Aimee YEGHIAYAN BECK