Tour Of California Says Sierra Snow Could Cause Crashes Sunday
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© KCRAAn image of Lake Tahoe.

Lake Tahoe, Calif. -- Don't put your snow shovels away just yet.

The latest weather forecast is predicting 3 inches of snow at lake level in the Tahoe basin this weekend.

"It's going to be a dramatic change from today," said Placerville's Bill Rose as he prepared to hike near Echo Summit.

Forecasters said the snow is expected to start falling Saturday night and continue into Sunday.

"Today couldn't be better. It's sunny and beautiful. But, big weather changes are common this time of year," said backcountry skier Jake Maker.

Higher elevations around Lake Tahoe could see 6 inches of snow by Sunday evening, according to the National Weather Service.

The late winter weather will strike the Sierra just as organizers are kicking off the Amgen Tour of California.

"We are hopeful that it'll all be a joke and that the sun will be shining on Sunday," said Andrew Messick, the head of the Tour of California.

On Sunday, cyclists will ride Stage 1 of the race, which will take them around Lake Tahoe one and a half times before they climb over Brockway Summit to the finish at Northstar Resort.

Snow accumulating on roadways could make the ride too dangerous for the slick tires on the high performance racing bikes.

"It's impossible to race in snow. The one race I did in snow...all the riders crashed a few times," said TeamType1 bike rider Yure Kocjan.

Race organizers said they are in close communication with the weather forecasters, racing teams and community leaders to work on a contingency plan if conditions worsen.

"Given the temperature in Tahoe today, I'm guessing we'll just be dealing with wet pavement. Regardless, we'll probably be taking the air pressure out of the tires to give the riders more traction," said TeamType1 mechanic Andy Stone of Carmichael.

They have not said what those contingencies would be in case of bad weather.

"Obviously we are watching the forecast. If we have ice on the roads we will have to react to that and change plans," said Race Director Jim Burrell.

Burrell said decisions will be made Saturday night on whether to alter the course or postpone the race.

"The riders like challenges and I think (with the forecast) we will have that for them," said Lake Tahoe Visitor Authority's Carol Chapin.

"If it gets bad as it could possibly get for this time of year, (the weather) could be a huge factor," said Stone.