Snow with icy and wet road conditions in the Lake Tahoe region have forced race organizers to delay the start first stage of the Amgen Tour of California.

Tahoe Roads this weekend. Twitpic photo from @fcbrian.

Stage 1 will begin at 1:15 PM if weather conditions improve, and the course has been shortened to 50 miles, with the racers riding up the west side of Lake Tahoe from South Lake Tahoe to the finish at Northstar. A final determination will be made at noon after a check of the weather and road conditions.

There should be no changes to the finish time at Northstar. The Lifestyle Festival at the finish will still open at noon PT, with the Amgen Breakaway Mile also remaining on schedule for 2:30 p.m. PT.

Snow showers continue around Lake Tahoe, but the snow is not sticking to the roads. Winds from the Southwest will pick up significantly this afternoon with gusts to 45 MPH. As of this posting time, it’s 30 degrees at South Tahoe.

Monday’s Stage 2 will run from Squaw Valley to Sacramento, passing through Truckee, CA and through Donner Pass. Snow is expected to continue Monday at the higher elevations in the Sierra Mountains.