Tour of California stage 3: Skujins wins in San Jose
Cavendish slips out of leader's jersey
Toms Skujins took the biggest win of his career in San Jose, pulling off an audacious 55km solo ride to the finish line that also saw him move into the leader’s jersey on stage 3 of the Tour of California. The 23-year-old started to hit the wall in the final kilometre of the climb as Team Sky led the chase behind realising that the GC could be riding away from them, but held firm to take the lead from Peter Sagan (Tinkoff-Saxo) by 32 seconds.
Sagan led home the chasers for his third second place in three days ahead of Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx-Quick-Step). Mark Cavendish saw his overall lead disappear as he finished in the gruppeto, several minutes down on Skujins.
"The last split I heard was like two minutes," Skujins said after the finish. "And then I thought this last 2km is going to be insufferable. I didn’t look back at all like the whole race, except for that last kilometre because I was like, ‘No way they are going to catch me.’ It was such a relief to get those last 200 metres, because that’s when I really knew that I going to get it."
Skujins was part of a seven-man escape that launched off the back of an attack by Roy Curvers (Giant-Alpecin) and Travis Meyer (Drapac). Joining the pair were Skujins Daniel Oss (BMC), Jonny Clarke (UnitedHealthcare), Oscar Clark (Hincapie), and Evan Huffman (Team SmartStop).
They built up a lead of nearly five minutes, as Oss went after the mountains classification, but then underestimated the wily Latvian on the climb to Mt. Hamilton, where Skujins stuck in the knife.
Oss chased with Clarke and Huffman all the way to the top, but on the deceptively technical descent, Huffman first lost contact and then Skujins and Clarke each came to grief several times on the descent, but without incident.
Still, Skujins held a lead of two minutes on his chasers, with the peloton four minutes behind as he headed up the penultimate climb and rode himself into the mountains classification.
The Tinkoff-Saxo team chased the seven-man escape from where it left the peloton 36km into the stage until the race hit Mt. Hamilton, the massive hors categorie ascent crested just under 50km to the finish. Sagan chased back through the team cars on the climb, rejoining the peloton after the descent but absent one important item: race leader Mark Cavendish, who threw in the towel on the mountainous stage.
It looked as if Sagan might win the stage, as the finish suited him, but there were two things standing in his way: first, the very determined and underestimated Skujins, who threw caution to the wind even after his two near crashes, hurtling down each descent and then holding his own going uphill, and second, the lack of teammates.
Team Sky looked to keep the general classification in control, but weren't going to chase Skujins down just to hand the yellow jersey over to Sagan. British champion Peter Kennaugh looked increasingly frustrated by the situation as the final 10km clicked down, until finally Phil Deignan took charge and whittled the leader's gap down.
They timed it just well enough to deny Sagan the stage win, but keep Kennaugh and Henao in contention at 47 seconds, time easy enough to get back on Sagan when the race heads up Mt. Baldy, but with plenty of other contenders in tow. Etixx-Quickstep salvaged the day with a fine third place from Julian Alaphilippe, with Cavendish in the points classification lead and Alaphilippe in the white jersey of best young rider.
"Today I thought might be a chance to maybe show myself if the condition was there. Voila, my condition was good," Alaphilippe said. "I was able to stay in the front group with the best guys. In the end it was clear we couldn't catch Skujins, so congratulations to him for a strong stage. I still wanted to go for the podium on the uphill finish and I did it. Against a guy like Peter Sagan I can be satisfied with a third place. Now I am in the White Jersey for Best Young Rider, and fourth in the GC. Tomorrow begins more chances for sprints with Mark. We'll see what we can do. I'm learning more and more day-by-day, and if there can be an opportunity for me in the next days, why not, we will see what I can do to protect my overall position."
In addition to the race lead, Skujins holds the mountains classification.
Full Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Toms Skujins (Lat) Hincapie Racing Team | 4:33:10 |
2 | Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo | 0:01:06 |
3 | Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Etixx - Quick-Step | |
4 | Daniel Alexander Jaramillo Diez (Col) Jamis - Hagens Berman | |
5 | Danilo Wyss (Swi) BMC Racing Team | 0:01:09 |
6 | Robert Gesink (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo | |
7 | Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (Col) Team Sky | |
8 | Michael Woods (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | |
9 | Lawson Craddock (USA) Team Giant-Alpecin | |
10 | Joseph Lloyd Dombrowski (USA) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team | |
11 | Dion Smith (NZl) Hincapie Racing Team | |
12 | Ben Hermans (Bel) BMC Racing Team | |
13 | Joey Rosskopf (USA) BMC Racing Team | |
14 | Haimar Zubeldia Aguirre (Spa) Trek Factory Racing | |
15 | Rob Britton (Can) Team SmartStop | |
16 | Phillip Gaimon (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | |
17 | Riccardo Zoidl (Aut) Trek Factory Racing | |
18 | Peter Kennaugh (GBr) Team Sky | |
19 | Tao Geoghegan Hart (GBr) Axeon Cycling Team | |
20 | Ben King (USA) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team | |
21 | Manuel Senni (Ita) BMC Racing Team | |
22 | Matthew Busche (USA) Trek Factory Racing | |
23 | Janez Brajkovic (Slo) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling | |
24 | Jay McCarthy (Aus) Tinkoff-Saxo | |
25 | James Oram (NZl) Axeon Cycling Team | 0:01:18 |
26 | Lachlan Norris (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling | |
27 | Carter Jones (USA) Team Giant-Alpecin | 0:01:25 |
28 | Ian Boswell (USA) Team Sky | 0:01:35 |
29 | Christian Knees (Ger) Team Sky | 0:01:39 |
30 | Laurent Didier (Lux) Trek Factory Racing | 0:01:57 |
31 | Philip Deignan (Irl) Team Sky | |
32 | Gregory Obando Brenes (Crc) Jamis - Hagens Berman | 0:02:16 |
33 | Ruben Guerreiro (Por) Axeon Cycling Team | 0:03:39 |
34 | Alex Howes (USA) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team | 0:04:45 |
35 | Michael Schär (Swi) BMC Racing Team | |
36 | Jesus Hernandez Blazquez (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo | |
37 | Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Trek Factory Racing | 0:06:05 |
38 | Chris Butler (USA) Team SmartStop | 0:06:34 |
39 | Laurens ten Dam (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo | 0:07:25 |
40 | Daniel Oss (Ita) BMC Racing Team | 0:07:45 |
41 | Gregory Daniel (USA) Axeon Cycling Team | 0:08:00 |
42 | Jacques Janse van Rensburg (RSA) MTN - Qhubeka | 0:08:10 |
43 | Travis McCabe (USA) Team SmartStop | 0:08:54 |
44 | Ruben Zepuntke (Ger) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team | 0:12:23 |
45 | Gavin Mannion (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis | |
46 | Jonathan Clarke (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling | 0:13:42 |
47 | Xabier Zandio Echaide (Spa) Team Sky | 0:14:26 |
48 | Danny Pate (USA) Team Sky | |
49 | Alexandr Braico (Mda) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis | 0:14:28 |
50 | Evan Huffman (USA) Team SmartStop | 0:15:19 |
51 | Oscar Clark (USA) Hincapie Racing Team | |
52 | Jos van Emden (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo | 0:16:07 |
53 | Daniel Eaton (USA) Axeon Cycling Team | |
54 | Logan Owen (USA) Axeon Cycling Team | |
55 | Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Arg) Jamis - Hagens Berman | |
56 | Markel Irizar Aranburu (Spa) Trek Factory Racing | |
57 | Matthew Harley Goss (Aus) MTN - Qhubeka | |
58 | John Murphy (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling | |
59 | Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Bel) Etixx - Quick-Step | |
60 | Angus Morton (Aus) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis | |
61 | Daniel Teklehaimanot (Eri) MTN - Qhubeka | |
62 | Roy Curvers (Ned) Team Giant-Alpecin | |
63 | Andzs Flaksis (Lat) Hincapie Racing Team | |
64 | Javier Megias Leal (Spa) Team Novo Nordisk | |
65 | Robin Carpenter (USA) Hincapie Racing Team | |
66 | Will Routley (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | |
67 | Nicolae Tanovitchii (Mda) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis | |
68 | Geoffrey Curran (USA) Axeon Cycling Team | |
69 | Daniel Summerhill (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling | |
70 | Daniele Bennati (Ita) Tinkoff-Saxo | 0:16:31 |
71 | Koen de Kort (Ned) Team Giant-Alpecin | 0:21:01 |
72 | Zico Waeytens (Bel) Team Giant-Alpecin | |
73 | Yves Lampaert (Bel) Etixx - Quick-Step | |
74 | Joonas Henttala (Fin) Team Novo Nordisk | |
75 | Andrea Peron (Ita) Team Novo Nordisk | |
76 | Johann Van Zyl (RSA) MTN - Qhubeka | |
77 | Stijn Devolder (Bel) Trek Factory Racing | |
78 | Fred Rodriguez (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis | |
79 | Charles Planet (Fra) Team Novo Nordisk | |
80 | Mike Teunissen (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo | |
81 | Jordan Kerby (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling | |
82 | Danny van Poppel (Ned) Trek Factory Racing | |
83 | Guillaume Boivin (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | |
84 | Eric Marcotte (USA) Team SmartStop | |
85 | Edward King (USA) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team | |
86 | Tyler Farrar (USA) MTN - Qhubeka | |
87 | Tom Zirbel (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | |
88 | Jempy Drucker (Lux) BMC Racing Team | |
89 | Thierry Hupond (Fra) Team Giant-Alpecin | |
90 | David Lozano Riba (Spa) Team Novo Nordisk | |
91 | Maarten Wynants (Bel) Team LottoNL-Jumbo | |
92 | Luis Romero Amaran (Cub) Jamis - Hagens Berman | |
93 | Dennis van Winden (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo | |
94 | Tom Van Asbroeck (Bel) Team LottoNL-Jumbo | |
95 | Sep Vanmarcke (Bel) Team LottoNL-Jumbo | |
96 | Stephen Leece (USA) Jamis - Hagens Berman | |
97 | Robert Sweeting (USA) Team SmartStop | |
98 | Mark Renshaw (Aus) Etixx - Quick-Step | |
99 | Kevin De Mesmaeker (Bel) Team Novo Nordisk | |
100 | Carson Miller (USA) Jamis - Hagens Berman | |
101 | Travis Livermon (USA) Team SmartStop | |
102 | Matthew Brammeier (Irl) MTN - Qhubeka | |
103 | Mark Cavendish (GBr) Etixx - Quick-Step | |
104 | Jure Kocjan (Slo) Team SmartStop | |
105 | Joseph Schmalz (USA) Hincapie Racing Team | |
106 | Kristoffer Skjerping (Nor) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team | |
107 | Joseph Lewis (Aus) Hincapie Racing Team | |
108 | Tanner Putt (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling | |
109 | Justin Oien (USA) Axeon Cycling Team | |
110 | Lasse Norman Hansen (Den) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team | |
111 | Darren Lapthorne (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling | |
112 | Campbell Flakemore (Aus) BMC Racing Team | |
113 | Matteo Trentin (Ita) Etixx - Quick-Step | |
114 | Michael Mørkøv (Den) Tinkoff-Saxo | |
115 | Steve Fisher (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis | |
116 | Martijn Verschoor (Ned) Team Novo Nordisk | 0:21:56 |
117 | Martin Kohler (Swi) Drapac Professional Cycling | |
118 | Travis Meyer (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling | |
119 | Jesse Anthony (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | |
120 | Kiel Reijnen (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling | |
121 | Gerald Ciolek (Ger) MTN - Qhubeka | |
122 | Martin Velits (Svk) Etixx - Quick-Step | |
123 | Thomas Soladay (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | |
124 | David Williams (USA) Jamis - Hagens Berman | |
125 | Daniele Ratto (Ita) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling | |
126 | Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel) Etixx - Quick-Step | |
127 | Jacob Rathe (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis | |
128 | Nathan Earle (Aus) Team Sky | 0:22:32 |
129 | Eric Young (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | 0:26:47 |
130 | Matti Breschel (Den) Tinkoff-Saxo | |
131 | Joshua Berry (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis | |
132 | William Clarke (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling | 0:27:49 |
133 | Graeme Brown (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling | |
134 | Wouter Wippert (Ned) Drapac Professional Cycling | 0:28:19 |
DNF | Theo Bos (Ned) MTN - Qhubeka | |
DNF | Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo | |
DNF | Michal Kolár (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo | |
DNF | Marco Canola (Ita) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling | |
DNF | Scott Ambrose (NZl) Team Novo Nordisk | |
DNS | Warren Barguil (Fra) Team Giant-Alpecin | |
DNS | Tyler Magner (USA) Hincapie Racing Team |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Travis Meyer (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling |