The second stage from Davis to Santa Rosa will begin on roads familiar from the 2009 edition, taking in the flat first third of the stage before entering the hills of Napa County, but new for 2010 will be a bit of a speed hump before the fast downhill run into Santa Rosa - the Trinity Road climb.
The route starts out flat, tame roads before heading into the rolling hills that skirt Lake Berryessa, providing a good warm-up for the first major climb on Howell Mountain road, where the students of Pacific Union College will once again line the sides of the road for the KOM sprint just outside their campus gates.
After a twisting plunge into the heart of wine country, the riders will be diverted from last year's route, heading across the valley and up to the daunting Trinity Road summit used in the opposite direction in previous years.
Vaughters' Views
The race already gets hard and hilly before the European teams have totally gotten over jet lag, as this day heads up the backside of Trinity Grade just 30 kilometres from the finish line. In past years, this is the type of stage where Levi Leipheimer would put his stamp of authority on the event and leave the rest of us racing for second place.
I imagine this year Levi has a similar plan in mind, as a win in his hometown of Santa Rosa would be a dream come true for him. With strong climbers like Vincenzo Nibali coming to the race this year, and the event being at a later date where more riders are approaching 100 per cent of their fitness, things won't be as simple for Leipheimer as in the past.
I'd look more for a group of 5 to 15 elite climbers and GC contenders sprinting out the finish in Santa Rosa. Someone who can climb and sprint a bit would be my pick. Maybe George Hincapie if he's not too tired from the Classics? Or a guy that can sprint better than most little climbers: Lance Armstrong.
-
Neilson Powless, Larry Warbasse, Michael Matthews among men's field at Maryland Cycling Classic to challenge defending champion Mattias Skjelmose
Alison Jackson, Tiffany Cromwell, Lauren Stephens add star-power in debut of women's UCI one-day race in Baltimore -
September will mark the end of the road for Ceratizit Pro Cycling after failed sponsorship hunt
Women's WorldTour team confirmed to compete at Maryland Cycling Classic before wrapping up at end of season after a decade of racing -
'With the team we've got, it's well within our grasp' – UAE Team Emirates-XRG ready to step into Vuelta a España spotlight at team time trial
Emirati squad looking for victory on Wednesday with leaders João Almeida and Juan Ayuso sitting 10th and 11th on GC -
'The bad and the beauty of team time trials, everyone is nervous' – Ineos Grenadiers ready to embrace the stress in pursuit of back-to-back Vuelta a España stage wins
British squad confident of challenging stage 5 team race against the clock in Figueres, but admit they 'haven't got the best lineup' against UAE and Visma
