The Amgen Tour of California, the largest cycle race in the country, will once again pedal its way through San Jose for 2014. This makes San Jose the only city to have hosted a stage of the race for each of Amgen’s nine years.

This year, the race begins in Sacramento. After traveling up into the foothills of Folsom for the second stage, the racers come to the South Bay for the third stage, starting in San Jose and then facing the grueling climb up Mountain Diablo for a finish at the peak. From there, the race heads to Monterey before wending its way south. The other stops include Pismo Beach, Santa Barbara, Santa Clarita, Mountain High, Pasadena and Thousand Oaks.

The race organizers see the schedule as not only a chance to stage a race fitting of the world’s top cyclists, but also to highlight California’s diverse and beautiful scenery. Hence, the inclusion of the peak of Mount Diablo, the dunes of Pismo and the quaint beachy vibe of Santa Barbara. Said Kristin Bachochin, executive director of the Amgen Tour of California: “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 by sea, it’s a testament to California’s iconic terrain.” San Jose, a huge population center surrounded by dramatic hills, provides the perfect venue for one of Amgen’s stages, a fact that the race organizers seem to have caught on to.

Of course, the Amgen is no stranger to the doping scandals that have been rocking professional cycling in recent years. Previous Amgen champion Levi Leipheimer was fired from his team before last year’s race as a result of the investigation into Lance Armstrong. Leiphemer was suspended for six months after he admitted to using performance enhancing drugs. He announced his retirement from professional cycling last spring.

Tejay van Garderen won the 2013 Amgen Tour, his first significant stage-race win as a professional cyclist.