Sagan wins Tour of California stage to Pasadena
Wiggins safe in yellow on penultimate stage
It took seven stages, but Peter Sagan has finally added to his Tour of California tally, finishing off fine work from his Cannondale team to win the sprint in Pasadena over BMC's Thor Hushovd. Danny van Poppel (Trek) was third.
The general classification remained the same at the top 10, with Wiggins safely in the yellow jersey heading into the final stage. Rohan Dennis (Garmin-Sharp) had no chance to gain time on the Sky rider, while Lawson Craddock (Giant-Shimano) maintained his podium position in third.
Saturday's stage win marked Sagan's 11th at the Tour California and his 60th professional win.
"I am very happy for the victory because I am a finish man, and today we did very, very good work," Sagan said. "It's a very important victory for me and the team, because I am always near the front from the first stage; fourth place, second place is not good, no?"
The 146.5km stage from Santa Clarita to Pasadena began with the usual non-threatening breakaway but ended in a dizzying series of turns on the 5km city circuit.
Greg Van Avermaet (BMC), Ben King (Garmin-Sharp), Lars Boom (Belkin), Chad Haga (Giant-Shimano), Isaac Bolivar (UnitedHealthcare), Luis Lemus (Jelly Belly) and Eloy Teruel (Jamis-Hagens Berman) were the lucky riders to tackle the two classified climbs off the front. But Cannondale helped keep the gap to a minimum - theleaders only gained 2:35 before the long downhill run to Pasadena helped the peloton whittle down the gap to just 20 seconds by the entry to the circuit.
"I was kind of surprised the gap came down so much on the downhill," King said. "We had some big guys and some great descenders in that group. It was a little surprising to hear we were back down to 20 seconds, because I didn't think it was possible to go faster than we were on the downhill.
King and Van Avermaet, who was celebrating his 29th birthday, were the last survivors, and while there were a number of counter-attacks, it was always going to be a sprint.
"We didn't have too many minutes in front," Van Avermaet said of the late effort. "Just before we arrived at the circuit it was already 20 seconds, so we knew it would be hard. But once you're in the break you have to go full gas for it. I had a good guy with Ben King with me, and he was working pretty good. We tried to stay out front as long as possible."
Cannondale caught the leaders but eventually ran out of men for the finale, and Taylor Phinney took over to lead out Hushvod. But Sagan's daring and technical skills were unmatched by the Norwegian champion. The Slovakian dove through the final turns to the front and emerged with a healthy advantage at the line.
Wiggins was relieved to get through the day unscathed, happy that a break without Cannondale in it went so that Sagan's team would do the work. The long, fast descent and high-speed run into town could have been dangerous to his lead.
"It's never really done until you cross the line," he said. "With the speed we were going - you puncture then and you're not going to get back into the race, even with a change. We were wary about that. I'm just glad another day's down and it's down to tomorrow now."
Sunday's final stage is a short-but-difficult 122.4 km circuit race. Riders will do three laps of a 32.9km loop that features two category 4 climbs and one category 3, including three trips up the Rock Store climb. The stage finishes with three loops of a pancake flat 7.4km closing circuit. It could be another day for the sprinters who can climb, and it could mean another day of the sprinters' teams taking over the workload from Team Sky.
"It depends who's there, really, and how the race pans out at the start," Wiggins said. "I haven't really looked at the route yet, so I'll have to get back and have a look at it and try and think of all the scenarios that could happen tomorrow and work out a strategy. But I guess Peter [Sagan] will probably have another go if he's there. It's pretty difficult, and [Mark Cavendish] will probably not make it again."
Sagan raced on a similar circuit in the 2010 race. He finished 11th on that stage, and he said he remembers it as being very tough.
"I know these climbs," he said. "Every climb is hard. If they go slow maybe I can come in to sprint."
No matter how the stage plays out, Wiggins was confident that he could pull off the overall victory in Thousand Oaks.
"I think we'll continue to do the same thing - keep an eye on the Garmin guys," he said. "I'm sure we'll be alright."
Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Peter Sagan (Svk) Cannondale | 3:24:33 |
2 | Thor Hushovd (Nor) BMC Racing Team | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
3 | Danny Van Poppel (Ned) Trek Factory Racing | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
4 | Zakkari Dempster (Aus) Team NetApp-Endura | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
5 | John Degenkolb (Ger) Team Giant-Shimano | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
6 | Matteo Trentin (Ita) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
7 | Jens Keukeleire (Bel) Orica GreenEdge | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
8 | Nicky Van Der Lijke (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
9 | Kiel Reijnen (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team | Row 8 - Cell 2 |
10 | Taylor Phinney (USA) BMC Racing Team | Row 9 - Cell 2 |
11 | Lawson Craddock (USA) Team Giant-Shimano | Row 10 - Cell 2 |
12 | Jacob Rathe (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis | Row 11 - Cell 2 |
13 | Adam Yates (GBr) Orica GreenEdge | Row 12 - Cell 2 |
14 | Ruben Zepuntke (Ger) Bissell Development Team | Row 13 - Cell 2 |
15 | Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Team Sky | Row 14 - Cell 2 |
16 | Carter Jones (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | Row 15 - Cell 2 |
17 | José Joao Pimenta Costa (Por) Team NetApp-Endura | Row 16 - Cell 2 |
18 | Luis Romero Amaran (Cub) Jamis - Hagens Berman | Row 17 - Cell 2 |
19 | Alex Howes (USA) Garmin Sharp | Row 18 - Cell 2 |
20 | Peter Stetina (USA) BMC Racing Team | Row 19 - Cell 2 |
21 | Javier Megias Leal (Spa) Team Novo Nordisk | Row 20 - Cell 2 |
22 | Gregory Brenes (CRc) Jamis - Hagens Berman | Row 21 - Cell 2 |
23 | Johan Esteban Chaves Rubio (Col) Orica GreenEdge | Row 22 - Cell 2 |
24 | Rohan Dennis (Aus) Garmin Sharp | Row 23 - Cell 2 |
25 | Laurens Ten Dam (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team | Row 24 - Cell 2 |
26 | Tiago Machado (Por) Team NetApp-Endura | Row 25 - Cell 2 |
27 | Tom Danielson (USA) Garmin Sharp | Row 26 - Cell 2 |
28 | Daan Olivier (Ned) Team Giant-Shimano | Row 27 - Cell 2 |
29 | David De La Cruz Melgarejo (Spa) Team NetApp-Endura | Row 28 - Cell 2 |
30 | Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Spa) Trek Factory Racing | Row 29 - Cell 2 |
31 | Lars Boom (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team | Row 30 - Cell 2 |
32 | Clément Chevrier (Fra) Bissell Development Team | Row 31 - Cell 2 |
33 | Matthew Busche (USA) Trek Factory Racing | Row 32 - Cell 2 |
34 | Iker Camano Ortuzar (Spa) Team NetApp-Endura | Row 33 - Cell 2 |
35 | Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Trek Factory Racing | Row 34 - Cell 2 |
36 | Kristijan Koren (Slo) Cannondale | Row 35 - Cell 2 |
37 | Thomas Damuseau (Fra) Team Giant-Shimano | Row 36 - Cell 2 |
38 | Javier Alexis Acevedo Colle (Col) Garmin Sharp | Row 37 - Cell 2 |
39 | Daniel Jaramillo Díez (Col) Jamis - Hagens Berman | Row 38 - Cell 2 |
40 | Robert Víctor Squire (USA) Jamis - Hagens Berman | 0:00:12 |
41 | Daniel Summerhill (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team | Row 40 - Cell 2 |
42 | George Bennett (NZl) Cannondale | Row 41 - Cell 2 |
43 | Jack Bobridge (Aus) Belkin Pro Cycling Team | Row 42 - Cell 2 |
44 | Benjamin King (USA) Garmin Sharp | Row 43 - Cell 2 |
45 | Nathan Brown (USA) Garmin Sharp | Row 44 - Cell 2 |
46 | Joseph Lloyd Dombrowski (USA) Team Sky | Row 45 - Cell 2 |
47 | Lucas Euser (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team | Row 46 - Cell 2 |
48 | Andreas Schillinger (Ger) Team NetApp-Endura | Row 47 - Cell 2 |
49 | Michael Schär (Swi) BMC Racing Team | Row 48 - Cell 2 |
50 | Lawrence Warbasse (USA) BMC Racing Team | Row 49 - Cell 2 |
51 | Ben Jacques-Maynes (USA) Jamis - Hagens Berman | Row 50 - Cell 2 |
52 | William Routley (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | Row 51 - Cell 2 |
53 | Amaël Moinard (Fra) BMC Racing Team | Row 52 - Cell 2 |
54 | Chad Haga (USA) Team Giant-Shimano | Row 53 - Cell 2 |
55 | Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team | Row 54 - Cell 2 |
56 | Eloy Teruel Rovira (Spa) Jamis - Hagens Berman | 0:00:17 |
57 | Ian Boswell (USA) Team Sky | 0:00:29 |
58 | Paul Voss (Ger) Team NetApp-Endura | 0:00:35 |
59 | Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Cannondale | 0:00:37 |
60 | Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Cannondale | 0:01:04 |
61 | Danny Pate (USA) Team Sky | 0:01:19 |
62 | Christopher Jones (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team | 0:01:35 |
63 | Tao Geoghegan Hart (GBr) Bissell Development Team | 0:01:49 |
64 | Joshua Edmondson (GBr) Team Sky | 0:02:36 |
65 | Isaac Bolivar Hernandez (Col) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team | 0:04:39 |
66 | Edward King (USA) Cannondale | 0:06:16 |
67 | Roy Curvers (Ned) Team Giant-Shimano | Row 66 - Cell 2 |
68 | Mathew Hayman (Aus) Orica GreenEdge | 0:06:21 |
69 | Leigh Howard (Aus) Orica GreenEdge | Row 68 - Cell 2 |
70 | Koen De Kort (Ned) Team Giant-Shimano | Row 69 - Cell 2 |
71 | Gregory Daniel (USA) Bissell Development Team | Row 70 - Cell 2 |
72 | Fred Rodriguez (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis | Row 71 - Cell 2 |
73 | Moreno Hofland (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team | Row 72 - Cell 2 |
74 | Luis Lemus (Mex) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis | Row 73 - Cell 2 |
75 | Mark Cavendish (GBr) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team | Row 74 - Cell 2 |
76 | Jesse Sergent (NZl) Trek Factory Racing | Row 75 - Cell 2 |
77 | Jens Voigt (Ger) Trek Factory Racing | Row 76 - Cell 2 |
78 | Calvin Watson (Aus) Trek Factory Racing | Row 77 - Cell 2 |
79 | Steve Fisher (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis | Row 78 - Cell 2 |
80 | Matthew Harley Goss (Aus) Orica GreenEdge | Row 79 - Cell 2 |
81 | Christian Knees (Ger) Team Sky | Row 80 - Cell 2 |
82 | Caleb Fairly (USA) Garmin Sharp | Row 81 - Cell 2 |
83 | Carlos Verona Quintanilla (Spa) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team | Row 82 - Cell 2 |
84 | Alex Candelario (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | Row 83 - Cell 2 |
85 | Damien Howson (Aus) Orica GreenEdge | Row 84 - Cell 2 |
86 | Nathan Earle (Aus) Team Sky | Row 85 - Cell 2 |
87 | Guillaume Boivin (Can) Cannondale | Row 86 - Cell 2 |
88 | Markel Irizar Aranburu (Spa) Trek Factory Racing | Row 87 - Cell 2 |
89 | Ryan Anderson (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | Row 88 - Cell 2 |
90 | Juan Jose Haedo (Arg) Jamis - Hagens Berman | Row 89 - Cell 2 |
91 | Joonas Henttala (Fin) Team Novo Nordisk | Row 90 - Cell 2 |
92 | Scott Zwizanski (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | Row 91 - Cell 2 |
93 | Maarten Wynants (Bel) Belkin Pro Cycling Team | Row 92 - Cell 2 |
94 | Scott Thwaites (GBr) Team NetApp-Endura | Row 93 - Cell 2 |
95 | Serghei Tvetcov (Mda) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis | Row 94 - Cell 2 |
96 | Kevin De Masmaeker (Bel) Team Novo Nordisk | Row 95 - Cell 2 |
97 | Thomas Leezer (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team | Row 96 - Cell 2 |
98 | Luke Rowe (GBr) Team Sky | 0:06:33 |
99 | Matthew Lloyd (Aus) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis | 0:07:15 |
100 | Tanner Putt (USA) Bissell Development Team | 0:08:12 |
101 | Martin Kohler (Swi) BMC Racing Team | 0:12:47 |
102 | Mark Renshaw (Aus) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team | Row 101 - Cell 2 |
103 | Niki Terpstra (Ned) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team | Row 102 - Cell 2 |
104 | Martin Velits (Svk) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team | Row 103 - Cell 2 |
105 | Jens Mouris (Ned) Orica GreenEdge | Row 104 - Cell 2 |
106 | Cameron Wurf (Aus) Cannondale | Row 105 - Cell 2 |
107 | Dennis Van Winden (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team | Row 106 - Cell 2 |
108 | Jonathan Clarke (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team | Row 107 - Cell 2 |
109 | Ken Hanson (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team | Row 108 - Cell 2 |
110 | John Murphy (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team | Row 109 - Cell 2 |
111 | Martijn Verschoor (Ned) Team Novo Nordisk | Row 110 - Cell 2 |
112 | Charles Bradley Huff (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | Row 111 - Cell 2 |
113 | Eric Young (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | Row 112 - Cell 2 |
114 | Matt Cooke (USA) Jamis - Hagens Berman | Row 113 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Bel) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team | Row 114 - Cell 2 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | Header Cell - Column 3 |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Benjamin King (USA) Garmin Sharp | 5 | pts |
2 | Luis Lemus (Mex) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis | 3 | Row 1 - Cell 3 |
3 | Eloy Teruel Rovira (Spa) Jamis - Hagens Berman | 1 | Row 2 - Cell 3 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | Header Cell - Column 3 |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Benjamin King (USA) Garmin Sharp | 5 | pts |
2 | Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team | 3 | Row 1 - Cell 3 |
3 | Isaac Bolivar Hernandez (Col) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team | 1 | Row 2 - Cell 3 |