Amgen Tour of California Gives Folsom Businesses A Boost

The Amgen Tour of California bicycle race has come through Sacramento and Folsom and now heads to San Jose. Local business owners say the event benefited them as had been predicted.

Tourism officials in the Sacramento area promised a big boost to business from the Amgen Tour of California's stages in Sacramento and Folsom. Volunteers for the race were up early and eating early at the Black Rooster on Sutter Street in Folsom.

Gary Gainey owns the restaurant and coffee bar. He says events like this increase the number of customers tenfold.

"Any time you have an opportunity in a historic district like this to get people to come down and venture into the area but more than anything else just come in and experience what Folsom's historic district has to offer, it's a great opportunity for all of us."

Local business owners say they're sad to see the tour leave. Jim Metzker owns Dorothea's Shoppe on Sutter Street in Folsom with his wife Sherri. He says business picked up last week as riders, teams, journalists and fans arrived in Folsom and Sacramento. 

"It's fantastic that Amgen's willing to put on an event like this and that it's going to have a great financial impact," says Metzker. "It's been a fantastic weekend we had a great sales weekend.  Lot of foot traffic in here over the last three days Friday Saturday and Sunday."

The Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates the two day event will yield $8 million in economic activity for the region. To maximize the long term benefit, Sacramento and Folsom's visitor's bureaus went worldwide with advertising to 80 countries during cable and internet broadcasts of the race.