That's right Cutters, the Italians are coming, along with the French, the Spaniards, the Americans, the Germans, the Dutch-- yeah, even the Dutch. They're all going to be in the City this weekend to compete in this year's Amgen Tour of California.

We're talking the real deal. This isn't some club-level Saturday morning crit for free tubes at the local bike shop (no offense), this it the best road cyclists in the world, competing for top-tier elite international cycling teams like Discovery Channel, CSC, T-Mobile, Rabobank, and more, in serious competition.

This is also the Bay Area's first look at pro cycling since the Floyd Landis and Operacion Puerto hoo-haws rocked the pro tour last summer.

The eight-stage road race starts with a prologue time trial in the City on Sunday. Each subsequent stage features a different course as the riders make their way around the Bay Area for three more days before heading south towards the ultimate finish line in Long Beach on Sunday, February 25.

2006 prologue winner Levi Leipheimer looks to conquer Telegraph Hill again this year on his way to becoming the 2007 Tour of California GC winner. Photo from Chainreaction.com.

In just its second year, the Tour of California is already arguably the most important road race in the western hemisphere. In addition to drawing top international competition, the tour is a great showcase for the state and a great spectator event for local residents and cycling fans. Now we too can live out our Tour de France dreams of getting really, really drunk, stripping down to our red, white, and blue bicycle shorts, and running alongside David Zabriskie for 100 yards shouting unintelligibly at the top of our lungs before getting taken out by a camera motorbike. Good times.

One disappointing thing about the tour is course selection. We understand that not every course can be a Beyond Category seaside climb. We also understand the need for flat, fast stages. But Sacramento? Stockton? How about Point Reyes? We'd love to see the peloton battling that wind. Or how about Mt. Hamilton. Nothing like a 25-mile climb to shake out the pack. Not that the NoCal stages are bad, we'd just like to see a little more imagination and a little less politicking.

Another issue this tour needs to address is the lack of female competition. No excuse. There's interest. It's time.

The 2006 Cali foreshadowed the Tour de France later that summer, with Landis, the once and future disputed 2006 Tour de France champion, using a strong climbing performance, just as he would in France, to capture the Cali title over Santa Rosa homie Levi Leipheimer. With home-field advantage and with Landis' cycling future uncertain and Team Phonak disbanded, Leipheimer is an odds-on favorite to win this year's Tour of California.

And look out for the big ball of wax. Leipheimer signed with the powerful Discovery Channel team in the offseason, a team that also just signed cycling's other pariah, Ivan Basso. It looks like a tough fight this year in France between Discovery Channel's Leipheimer, Basso, or maybe Yarolsav Popovych, and Team Astana's Alexandre Vinokourov. Watch out for Vino this summer, he's pissed about last year and desperate to win in what will probably be his last legitimate shot at the maillot jeune.

Last year's Cali prologue was awesome, with great weather, large crowds, and a palpable buzz of excitement swelling our heads with European ennui. Ribbons of spectators literally cascaded down the shoulders of Telegraph Hill, all clambering for a view of the next rider coming up the hill. Finish line spectators were witness to a couple of passes and a spectacular one-bike crash just 100 yards short of the finish line. Leipheimer put down a 4:53 to take the day. Americans Bobby Julich, George Hincapie, Landis, and former Berkeley resident Zabriskie finished in spots two through five behind Leipheimer.

Going off at two-minute intervals this Sunday, riders will hammer west along the Embarcadero from the Ferry Building, turn up Stockton and climb like animals to the finish line at the base of Coit Tower. Most riders will do it in less than six minutes; the winner will do it in less than five. Try it sometime.

Other local stages include visits to Sausalito, Santa Rosa, the Napa Valley, Sacramento, Stockton, Milpitas, and San Jose. If you can't make it out to the ropes, or even if you can, check out the castrated coverage on OLN, er Versus.