The route for the ninth edition of Tour of California will include two mountaintop finishes and a picturesque but difficult ride along iconic Highway 1. With an early time trial on stage 2 and queen stage with Mount Hamilton and Mount Diablo on stage 3, the winner will be anything but clear-cut as the week progresses.

In past editions, the time trial and queen stage came late in the race, and the leader after that point had to defend his top position for only one or two remaining days. This year five days of racing follow the Mount Diablo stage, making it more difficult for the leader's team to defend the yellow jersey.

The race will start with a 193.1 km stage – the longest of the race – in and around Californian state capital Sacramento, finishing with three laps of a circuit at the State Capitol Building. Stage 2 then immediately brings the time trial, a relatively flat 20.1 km out-and-back route in Folsom.

Stage 3 is considered the queen stage. From the start in San Jose, the peloton will tackle the long ascent of Mount Hamilton with 22 switchbacks. After a rolling middle part of the stage, the summit finish at Mount Diablo after 174.6 km will turn the overall classification upside down, with the stage winner almost certainly being the new wearer of the yellow jersey.

Highway 1, stretching along the Californian coast, is the venue for stage 4, 165.1 km from Monterey to Cambria. Stage 5 starts on the 1,200-foot Pismo Beach pier and then heads inland. The finish in Santa Barbara comes after 174 km, with the climb San Marcos Pass cresting at 30 km to go.

151.8-km long Stage 6 features the second mountaintop finish of the race. Starting in Santa Clarita, two categorised climbs await the peloton before the long slog up Big Pine Road to the finish at Mountain High North. Stage 7 also departs from Santa Clarita, and crosses the Angeles National Forest with two KOM sprints on its 142.8 km to Pasadena. The stage finishes with three laps in downtown Pasadena.

The race will finish with four laps of a circuit for a total 134.4 km in Thousand Oaks, home of race sponsor Amgen. The Rock Store climb on the circuit isn't long, but it is steep – and if the overall classification is close coming into the final stage, the lead could change on the last day.

The 2014 Tour of California will be held from May 11 to May 18.

2014 Tour of California

Stage 1: Sunday, May 11 – Sacramento; 193.1 km

Stage 2: Monday, May 12 – Folsom (individual time trial); 20.1 km

Stage 3: Tuesday, May 13 – San Jose to Mount Diablo State Park; 174.6 km

Stage 4: Wednesday, May 14 – Monterey to Cambria; 165.1 km

Stage 5: Thursday, May 15 – Pismo Beach to Santa Barbara; 174 km

Stage 6: Friday, May 16 – Santa Clarita to Mountain High; 151.8 km

Stage 7: Saturday, May 17 – Santa Clarita to Pasadena; 142.8 km

Stage 8: Sunday, May 18 – Thousand Oaks circuit race; 134.4 km