Photo gallery: Highlights from the 2011 Amgen Tour of California

The 2011 Amgen Tour of California got off to a decidedly chilly start which resulted in a cancelled first stage however once in the warmer climes of Nevada City on stage 2, it was all systems go for yet another memorable edition of North America's largest race.

The Tour of California was highlighted by fast sprinting where the quicker members of the peloton were unafraid to show their frustrations; where Sky and HTC-Highroad battled for sprint supremacy only to be overcome by Peter Sagan and Liquigas-Cannondale.

When it came to the race's high peaks, Mt Baldy had been the stage predicted to present us with the overall winner, however the work had already been done. The tightly-fought contest between RadioShack teammates Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner was a genuine boon for this year's race. In the end it was the work that Horner had done on the stage 4 Sierra Road climb which presented the likeable veteran with overall victory.

Horner then put in a heroic performance in the Solvang time trial to ensure that he had enough of a gap on Leipheimer. Together, they crossed the line on Mt Baldy producing some of the most memorable footage of the race in its history.

Here's a look at the 2011 Amgen Tour of California from behind the lenses of Jonathan Devich and Mark Johnson who were out on the road for Cyclingnews over the past week.

 

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As a sports journalist and producer since 1997, Jane has covered Olympic and Commonwealth Games, rugby league, motorsport, cricket, surfing, triathlon, rugby union, and golf for print, radio, television and online. However her enduring passion has been cycling.

 

Jane is a former Australian Editor of Cyclingnews from 2011 to 2013 and continues to freelance within the cycling industry.