May 13/15 20:03 pm - Tour of California: Stage 4

Posted by Editoress on 05/13/15
 

Tinkoff-Saxo’s Peter Sagan, who has posted second place finishes in each of the race’s first three stages, finally earned a first place finish at today’s Stage 4 of the 10th anniversary Amgen Tour of California.  The victory brings his record for career wins at the race to 12 over rival sprinter Mark Cavendish (Etixx – Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team), who now tallies 7 stage wins after winning the 2015 race’s first two stages.

Presented by SRAM, the Stage 4 start in Pismo Beach and finish in Avila Beach were only about 7 miles apart, but the 107.6-mile (173.16 km) course between the two beachfronts treated riders to coastal breezes, strawberry fields and plenty of California Central Coast countryside.

Approaching the first sprint in Guadalupe, four riders flew off front including William Clarke (Drapac Professional Cycling), who also spent day one in the breakaway, and Gregory Daniel (Axeon Cycling Team).   MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung’s four-time African Time Trial Champion Daniel Teklehaimanot gave chase near the second sprint and remained with the breakaway until they were caught just under the 100-mile (160.9 km) mark.

Around the halfway mark after the only King of the Mountain (KOM) climb of the day where riders gained more than 1,000 feet (304 metres) of elevation in 4.7 miles (7.6 km) on the Category 3 climb, the gap was at 2:30 with Hincapie Racing Team and Etixx – Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team pacing the peloton through the countryside.

Daniel took the first three sprints and tried to make a solo run to the finish with about 24 kilometres to go, reminiscent of the last time the Amgen Tour of California ended in Avila Beach in 2013, when 2015 Race Ambassador Jens Voigt rode solo to his last win as a professional cyclist.

After stunning the peloton and holding his lead for several miles, 20-year-old Daniel ultimately was pulled back into the peloton as teams began jockeying to put their sprinters into play for a finish line shootout. A flutter of activity in the peloton saw Tinkoff-Saxo and Sagan push their way to the front, trailed closely by Cavendish.

BMC Racing Team’s Daniel Oss, who gained notice yesterday riding in the breakaway, surprised the assemblage of sprinters by bolting ahead of everyone at the 1 kilometre mark. Drapac Professional Cycling’s Wouter Wippert responded along with Sagan and Cavendish, who were several positions back. Wippert looked as though he might take the stage in the final meters, but Sagan catapulted past them over the finish line, earning his first stage win after three consecutive days finishing second. Cavendish followed in third.

The only movement on the leader board from today is that Sagan’s performance puts him 10 seconds closer to the general classification leader, now back 22s from Hincapie Racing Team’s Toms Skujins, who retains the Amgen Race Leader Jersey for another day.

“The team rode brilliantly, so I just had to sit back and relax and enjoy the day,” said Skujins, adding that his team will defend the yellow jersey as long as they can.

Courtesy Tour of California


Team Smartstop Report


The Pacific Ocean provided the backdrop for the start of the fourth stage of the Amgen Tour of California on the Pismo Beach Pier.

Wednesday the riders faced 173.1km of high speed racing featuring one Category Three climb and a course that was almost guaranteed to end in a sprint finish.

Racing started from the gun, with riders fighting to get in the early breakaway. There were a number of attempts at breakaway and when one was reeled back in another was launched until a group of five finally got away from the Hincapie Racing Team controlled peloton.

Team SmartStop planned to spend the day protecting Rob Britton from the wind and any dangers the course put in front of them in order to keep his third place on the general classification, as well as save Jure Kocjan and Travis McCabe for the final sprint into Avila Beach.

"They looked after me really well today," said Britton, "They stayed around me the whole race and kept me out of the wind, especially when there was a cross wind section coming up."

"We stayed together really well as a group today I thought."

Once the race hit the final 10km to go, the team was ready to set up for Travis McCabe in the sprint, and unfortunately Bobby Sweeting flatted and with the pace set high by Tinkoff-Saxo he was not able to chase back on to the peloton.

"Today we decided that Travis would do the sprint because it really suited him but at the end we lost Bobby and he is a very important part of the lead out train," said Kocjan.

With 5km to go McCabe, Travis Livermon, Eric Marcotte and Kocjan were lined up ready to have a crack against the world tour sprinters.

"It was crazy and chaotic as no team was organized, there was a downhill headwind, he [McCabe] was on the right and I was on the left, I hoped he was on my wheel but he wasn't," said Kocjan.

Kocjan was sitting up the front of the peloton coming into 800m to go when in the final left corner his pedal hit the ground causing him to stop himself from crashing and losing momentum at the same time.

Peter Sagan took out the stage in true Sagan fashion, with a wheelie on the line, with Kocjan eventually sprinting in for ninth.

"There are still two more chances, I feel better today and the form is coming so I hope I can make something of the next couple of stages and I am looking forward to the next two chances for the sprint," said Kocjan.

Results from the fourth stage in California

Previous Stages

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3