Tour of California leader abandons

Fans and fellow racers were surprised Wednesday when race leader Tyler Farrar (Slipstream Chipotle p/b H30) dropped off the pace on the climb just 72 km into stage three of the Tour of California from Modesto to San José. He made it back to the peloton but was soon off again, this time falling quickly behind the caravan and then pulling out of the race at about 85km.

The promising Farrar was suffering miserably on all of the climbs and was at times seen shaking his head as he could not hold the pace. The 23 year-old complained of a stomach ailment - perhaps due to food poisoning or the flu. The unfortunate Farrar then had to ride the rest of the stage in the broom wagon. Astana's Levi Leipheimer rode into the lead with a decisive performance for the day.

Stay tuned to Cyclingnews for in depth post-race coverage of the Tour of California stage three.

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Kirsten Frattini has been the Editor of Cyclingnews since December 2025, overseeing editorial operations and output across the brand and delivering quality, engaging content.

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Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.