Amgen Tour of California 2017

The Amgen Tour of California was an annual professional cycling stage race on the UCI World Tour and USA Cycling Professional Tour. First held in 2006, it was the only stop in the United States in cycling's prestigious World Tour circuit. The eight-day race covered 650–700 miles through northern and southern California. The race featured top international cyclists, such as Peter Sagan and Mark Cavendish, and was an important lead up to the Tour de France.

ROLES

Lead Designer

DUTIES PERFORMED

Design, Digital Marketing, Print + Web Design, Environmental Design

575 Miles

Tour spans both Northern and Southern California

136 Riders

17 Teams of Eight Riders

7 Stages

Seven stages (seven cities) in seven days

Overall race keyart

Process

Challenge

AEG Sports wanted the 2017 Amgen Tour of California theme to be California-inspired. One initial idea given by the client was to include palm trees. They wanted to use artwork that was not exclusively northern or southern California as the race stretches the entire Golden State. They wanted compelling artwork that tells a story of the passion, competition, and glory of the Amgen Tour of California.

Solution

I landed on watercolors, using them to paint the colors of the California coast—a commonality throughout a rider’s 782 mile ride. It also represented water—a necessity to compete in the race—and the blood, sweat, and tears riders go through over 10 days. The colors selected are the sunset meeting the morning colors of the ocean, representing the length of North America’s largest cycling race, and the riders bursting to victory.