Sagan won by a whisker, and there were a few surprises along the way
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Daniel Oss celebrates his king of the mountain jersey with his guitar in 2015 Amgen Tour of California
The 2015 Tour of California was a short race for Andrew Talansky, who dropped out on the opening day.
Peter Sagan shows the pain of the effort requires to finish sixth at the top of Mt. Baldy and keep his overall hopes alive.
Toms Skujins and Hincapie defended the race lead through three stages.
A short climb greets the riders early int he race during the 2015 Tour of California.
The peleton climbs during stage seven of the 2015 Amgen Tour of California
The peleton climbs during stage seven of the 2015 Amgen Tour of California
Ian Boswell leads the bunch on the early slopes of Mt. Baldy during stage 7 at the 2015 Tour of California.
The peloton descends on the way to the finish in Santa Clarita during the 2015 Amgen Tour of California Stage 5
Axel and Eddy Merckx talk before the start of the final stage in downtown Lo Angeles.
Peter Sagan does a wheelie after finishing third in stage 8 and winning the general classification of the 2015 Amgen Tour of California
Team Sky celebrate with champagne after winning the team general classification after stage eight of the 2015 Amgen Tour of California
The peloton passes the Walt Disney Concert Hall during stage eight of the 2015 Amgen Tour of California from Los Angeles to Pasadena
Peter Sagan's third place in the final stage of the 2015 Tour of California lifted him past Julian Alaphilippe by three seconds.
Rain soaked the riders on the way to Santa Clarita in the 2015 race.
Julian Alaphilippe wins stage 7 at the 2015 Tour of California.
Mark Cavendish survived the Baldy climb to secure the green jersey at the 2015 Tour of California.
Julian Alaphilippe lloks back at his rivals before dropping them all on his way to winning atop Mt. Baldy in the 2015 race.
Team Sky's Ian Boswell and Sergio Henao joined forces to finish second and third on the stage 7 climb to Mt. Baldy.
Scenery along the stage 3 route of the 2015 Tour of California.
The peloton climbs near San Jose during stage 3 of the 2015 Tour of California.
Toms Skujins wins stage 3 of the 2015 Tour of California after a long solo break.
Dirt roads were featured on the opening day in Sacramento.
US champion Eric Marcotte checks over his shoulder as he leads the bunch.
The breakaway puts in the work during stage 1.
The peloton rolls out of Nevada City.
The peloton snakes along Calaveras Road early during stage two of the 2015 Amgen Tour of California
Laurens ten Dam has been a favourite at the Tour of California.
Former NBA star Bill Walton road the 2015 route ahead of the race.
Peter Sagan took his first win of 2015 in Avila Beach.
Peter Sagan celebrates his win in Avila Beach.
Mark Cavendish draws a crowd before another stage start.
Peter Sagan takes time to meet some local children at the stage 4 start in Pismo Beach.
Mark Cavendish wins a wet sprint in Santa Clarita during the 2015 Tour of California.
Toms Skujins mugs for the camera after keeping the jersey during stage 5 of the 2015 Tour of California.
Palms line the road for the start of stage five of the 2015 Amgen Tour of California from Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita
Matthew Goss of MTN-Qhubeka collect rain gear from his team car during the climb of Balcom Canyon Road during stage five of the 2015 Amgen Tour of California
The peloton descends Grimes Canyon Road during stage five of the 2015 Amgen Tour of California
Mark Cavendish and Peter Sagan have a chat during the 2015 Tour of California.
Peter Sagan poses for a picture with his 2015 Tour of California trophy in front of the Rose Bowl
The Tour of California's 10th edition in 2015 set a high bar for star power and drama, with Tinkoff's new multi-million dollar man Peter Sagan emerging from an early season slump to add two more stage wins to his California record, then taking things to an entirely different level by winning the overall with a bike throw on the final day.
Sagan didn't win the final stage in Pasadena last year, that honour went to Mark Cavendish, one of four the Manxman would get in 2015, but the time bonus for Sagan's third-place stage finish lifted the Slovakian past Etixx-QuickStep's Julian Alaphilippe, who had taken the overall race lead from Sagan on the previous day when the stage finished atop Mt. Baldy.
Although Sagan lost the yellow jersey to Alaphilippe on the summit finish, his improbable sixth-place result there, just 47 seconds down on Alaphilippe and ahead of notable climbers like Robert Gesink and Laurens ten Dam, kept him close enough to leap past the French revelation and take the final 2015 overall crown in front of the legendary Rose Bowl stadium.
In between Cavendish's sprint domination, Alaphilippe's race-changing ascent up Mt. Baldy and Sagan's heroics, the 2015 race saw Latvian Hincapie rider Toms Skujins sneak away for a clever stage win on a hilltop outside of San Jose, while a planned Big Bear Lake time trial had to be scrapped because of snow and was replaced by a much shorter course around an amusement park.
This year's race features one of the best start lists in the race's history, with a Tour of California record-setting 10 WorldTour teams ready to take on the Pro Continental and domestic Continental teams over eight days from May 15-22. Get ready for Sunday's start in San Diego by looking at some of the best moments from last year's race in the gallery above, then check out our video below of five riders to watch next week in the Golden State.
