Amgen Tour of California relocated from Big Bear Lake to Santa Clarita due to snow

BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. (KABC) -- With a forecast of rain and 3 to 6 inches of snow expected Friday, the Amgen Tour of California, which was scheduled to take place in Big Bear Lake for the 10th year in a row, has been moved to Santa Clarita.

The move has left the resort community, which was expecting a lot of business, looking more like a ghost town.

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"Conditions will not be safe for riders, teams, partners, fans or staff participating or attending the Individual Time Trial events," race officials said in a press release.

"For most of the people that own businesses here, they're going to lose out on a lot of revenue," said Bone-Side Down Barbecue & Grill owner Ron Arteaga.

Restaurants like the Bone-Side Down Barbecue & Grill in Big Bear Lake will not be the only ones affected. The move will also affect many of the hotels and lodges, including the Sleepy Forest Cottages.

"It's definitely gonna affect all the businesses up here," said resort manager Josh Pool. "As far as lodges go, I'm sure we're going from being fully-booked to at least 75 percent occupied or so."

"Everyone's obviously disappointed. We had a lot of people working really hard," said Chris Riddle, vice president of marketing for Big Bear Mountain Resorts.

"We are extremely appreciative of everything the Big Bear Lake Organizing Committee has done for us this past year and in years past. While it is truly unfortunate that the community of Big Bear Lake will not fully capitalize on the impact as expected, our decision had to be based on the safety of the riders, the teams, the fans and residents," said Kristin Klein, the Amgen Tour of California Executive Director. "We owe everyone in Big Bear Lake a debt of gratitude and look forward to the opportunity to return to Big Bear Lake in the coming years."

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The mid-spring storm is also causing problems for mountain bikers at Snow Summit. For the second weekend in a row, they're going to delay opening.

"We're not going to open Friday, but we plan to open on Saturday in the afternoon by 1 o'clock. If we can open a little earlier, we will," Riddle said.

"We needed this back in January, not in May," one woman said.

But if there's something to learn in Big Bear Lake, it's actually something most people should already know: "You just can't fight Mother Nature!"

The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch in the area until 6 p.m. Friday.

For more information on the Amgen Tour of California, visit www.amgentourofcalifornia.com.