The organisers of the Amgen Tour of California, AEG, have announced the 12 host cities for the 2014 edition of the race on Tuesday. Start of an upcoming edition will return to Sacramento, the state’s capital city, which last hosted the race in 2011.

“The City of Sacramento could not be more proud to host the Amgen Tour of California and Stage 1 to kick off race festivities for such a distinguished group of athletes,” said Kevin Johnson, mayor of Sacramento.

“There is no better way to start the race’s route through California’s iconic landmarks, attractions and scenery than in the state’s capital city.”

The route of eight-day race will cover over 700 miles in total, with one individual time trial on stage 2 and two mountaintop finishes on stage 3 (Mount Diablo) and stage 6 (Mountain High). Along their way, cyclists will travel from north to south of the state, passing through 11 host cities including Folsom, San Jose, Monterey, Cambria, Pismo Beach, Santa Barbara, Santa Clarita, Mountain High, Pasadena, and Thousand Oaks, as well as Mount Diablo. Folsom, Cambria, Pismo Beach, and Mountain High are all first-time host cities.

“We strive to raise the bar each year to present an Amgen Tour of California that not only continues to attract and challenge the world’s top cyclists, but also fittingly features and promotes California’s unique sights and striking scenery,” said Kristin Bachochin, executive director of the Amgen Tour of California and senior vice president of AEG Sports, in a press release. “We’re confident our worldwide audience will enjoy everything next year’s race has to offer — from epic climbs to rolling hills and thrilling finishes; it’s a testament to California’s iconic terrain.”

Stage 1 will begin and finish in the state’s capital, which previously hosted the prologue in 2009 as well as stage finishes in 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2011.

An early individual time trial will take place on stage 2 in nearby Folsom.

For stage 3, the peloton will return to San Jose, the only city to have participated in all nine editions of the race. Leaving the city, the field will travel north, gaining in elevation all the way to a first summit finish atop Mount Diablo.

Stage 4 from Monterey to Cambria and stage 5 from Pismo Beach to Santa Barbara should be a sprinter-friendly ones, as the route heads back to the Pacific Coast Highway.

Santa Clarita will host the start of stage 6, which will culminate in a second mountaintop finish, in Mountain High.

The peloton will return to Santa Clarita for the start of stage 7, before finishing in Pasadena.

The final stage of the Amgen Tour will start and finish in Thousand Oaks, home to the title sponsor, which previously hosted finishes in 2010 and 2011.

The 2014 Amgen Tour of California:

Stage 1: Sunday, May 11 – Sacramento 
Stage 2: Monday, May 12 – Folsom (Individual Time Trial)
Stage 3: Tuesday, May 13 – San Jose to Mount Diablo State Park
Stage 4: Wednesday, May 14 – Monterey to Cambria
Stage 5: Thursday, May 15 – Pismo Beach to Santa Barbara
Stage 6: Friday, May 16 – Santa Clarita to Mountain High
Stage 7: Saturday, May 17 – Santa Clarita to Pasadena
Stage 8: Sunday, May 18 – Thousand Oaks

The eight-day race takes place from May 11-18, 2014, with final route details have yet to be announced.