February 20/06 9:05 am - Tour of California: Stage 1 Full Results & Report

Posted by Editoress on 02/20/06
 

Tour of California

Reports made possible by the support of MAXXIS tires

The Amgen Tour of California began in proper today, with a 131 kilometre stage from Sausalito to Santa Rosa. Starting in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge, across the San Francisco Bay from downtown San Francisco, the riders headed out in bright sunshine and blue skies. Just over three hours later, Juan Jose Haedo gave the new Toyota-United Cycling Team its first ever win as he outsprinted Olaf Pollack (T Mobile) and Stuart O'Grady (Team CSC).

However, the crowd wasn't there to see a sprint finish - they wanted to cheer on their local hero - Levi Leipheimer (Gerolsteiner), who retained the leaders jersey by finishing safely in the pack. An estimated 50,000 spectators lined the 5 kilometre finishing circuit, wearing 'Go Levi' t-shirts and waving signs and banners. Official estimates put the total number of spectators for the day at 130,000.

The stage did not offer any particular difficulties, with no ranked climbs, and only one intermediate sprint. Gerolsteiner set tempo at the front, and did not react after Jean Marc Marino (Credit Agricole) attacked approximately 25 kilometres in, even when he was joined by Jackson Stewart (Kodakgallery.com-Sierra Nevada). The duo took the points at the sprint in Point Reyes Station and gradually opened up their lead to three and a half minutes.

The gap began to fall with 50 kilometres to go (35 kilometres before the circuit), and the leaders were caught as the peloton entered Santa Rosa. Health Net began to set up for the sprint and then suffered a set back when their main speedster - Gord Fraser - flatted on the first lap. His team mates tried to slow things down at the front, and Fraser did get back on, but too late and using too much energy to contest the sprint.

Haedo played it smart, getting on the Team CSC train. "I got on O'Grady's wheel and stayed there until about two hundred metres to go, when I took the front."

When it was pointed out that he won by a good four bike length gap, he shrugged and said "Yeah, yeah". This sprinter will be one to watch. Haedo also admitted that the win has taken the pressure off his new team, now that they have their first win.

Race Notes

- Justin England (Toyota-United) crashed on rough road, but was able to rejoin the peloton.

- It was pointed out that Gerolsteiner has put all their eggs in one basket - Levi - while Discovery and Team CSC have numerous riders able to challenge for the lead. Levi responded: "We are just taking it day by day. It's true that Discovery and CSC have 2-3 riders each that are a threat, but they have to take the chances, they have to attack us. We just have to be ready to defend."

He confirmed that the team is more than ready. "The team is very motivated, they came up to the area (around Santa Rosa) for a week to train before the race. Plus, they know what it is like for a rider coming into his hometown in the lead. This is a team effort - I won the Prologue, but they kept it for me today."