Part of the mission of this event is to give back to the communities that we visit. As an investment in the future of California's children, the education curriculum is a core element of that mission and will help ensure that we leave a positive footprint on communities throughout the state.

A lot of investment internationally is driven by people's understanding of the places that they visit.

This is the right place and the right time to do this. I was blown away by the traction cycling has in California.

The level of competition coming to the inaugural Tour is unprecedented in the United State and rivals any race that was held worldwide last year.

We built this race on three objectives: to create a great experience for riders, the communities and the corporate sponsors. The cities that we visited this year are very pleased with the positive effect that the race had on their communities. Not only have our 2006 host cities asked us back, but new cities have also inundated us with requests to come to their areas next year.

One of biggest challenges we had in putting the race together wasn't where to go, it was where not to go. The good news is the route will change every year. There are plenty of other opportunities for other cities down the road.