Canadian Cyclist

 

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

Stage 4: Pismo Beach to Avila Beach, 173.1
1 Peter Sagan (Tinkoff - Saxo) 4:06:56
2 Wouter Wippert (Drapac Professional Cycling)
3 Mark Cavendish (Etixx - Quick Step)
4 Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Jamis - Hagens Berman)
5 Tyler Farrar (MTN - Qhubeka)
6 Jasper Stuyven (Trek Factory Racing)
7 Jean-Pierre Drucker (BMC Racing Team)
8 Daniel Oss (BMC Racing Team)
9 Jure Kocjan (Team Smartstop)
10 John Murphy (Unitedhealthcare Cycling Team)
11 Zico Waeytens (Team Giant - Alpecin)
12 Guillaume Boivin (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies)
13 Tom Van Asbroeck (Team Lotto Nl - Jumbo)
14 Logan Owen (Axeon Cycling Team)
15 Graeme Brown (Drapac Professional Cycling)
16 Travis McCabe (Team Smartstop)
17 Ruben Guerreiro (Axeon Cycling Team)
18 Robert Gesink (Team Lotto Nl - Jumbo)
19 Ben Hermans (BMC Racing Team)
20 Robin Carpenter (Hincapie Racing Team)
21 Alex Howes (Team Cannondale - Garmin)
22 Mike Teunissen (Team Lotto Nl - Jumbo)
23 Daniel Alexander Jaramillo Diez (Jamis - Hagens Berman)
24 Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx - Quick Step)
25 Benjamin King (Team Cannondale - Garmin)
26 Koen De Kort (Team Giant - Alpecin)
27 Lawson Craddock (Team Giant - Alpecin)
28 Justin Oien (Axeon Cycling Team)
29 Andrea Peron (Team Novo Nordisk)
30 Manuel Senni (BMC Racing Team)
31 Dion Smith (Hincapie Racing Team)
32 Fred Rodriguez (Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis)
33 Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Trek Factory Racing)
34 Michael Schär (BMC Racing Team)
35 Danilo Wyss (BMC Racing Team)
36 Eric Marcotte (Team Smartstop)
37 Gavin Mannion (Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis)
38 Kristoffer Skjerping (Team Cannondale - Garmin)
39 Joonas Henttala (Team Novo Nordisk)
40 Christian Knees (Team Sky)
41 Joseph Lloyd Dombrowski (Team Cannondale - Garmin)
42 Martijn Verschoor (Team Novo Nordisk)
43 Nicolae Tanovitchii (Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis)
44 Janez Brajkovic (Unitedhealthcare Cycling Team)
45 Carter Jones (Team Giant - Alpecin)
46 Phillip Gaimon (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies)
47 Rob Britton (Team Smartstop)
48 Charles Planet (Team Novo Nordisk)
49 Jay McCarthy (Tinkoff - Saxo)
50 Alexander Braico (Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis)
51 Riccardo Zoidl (Trek Factory Racing)
52 Peter Kennaugh (Team Sky)
53 Ruben Zepuntke (Team Cannondale - Garmin)
54 Philip Deignan (Team Sky)
55 Maarten Wynants (Team Lotto Nl - Jumbo)
56 Joseph Rosskopf (BMC Racing Team)
57 Laurent Didier (Trek Factory Racing)
58 Lachlan Norris (Drapac Professional Cycling)
59 Tao Geoghegan Hart (Axeon Cycling Team)
60 Jacques Janse Van Rensburg (MTN - Qhubeka)
61 Matthew Busche (Trek Factory Racing)
62 Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (Team Sky)
63 Edward King (Team Cannondale - Garmin)
64 Gregory Obando Brenes (Jamis - Hagens Berman)
65 Martin Kohler (Drapac Professional Cycling)
66 Stephen Leece (Jamis - Hagens Berman)
67 Toms Skujins (Hincapie Racing Team)
68 Chris Butler (Team Smartstop)
69 Ian Boswell (Team Sky)
70 Tom Zirbel (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies)
71 Michael Woods (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies)
72 Luis Romero Amaran (Jamis - Hagens Berman)
73 Laurens Ten Dam (Team Lotto Nl - Jumbo)
74 James Oram (Axeon Cycling Team)
75 Daniel Eaton (Axeon Cycling Team)
76 Johann Van Zyl (MTN - Qhubeka)
77 Jacob Rathe (Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis)
78 Kevin De Mesmaeker (Team Novo Nordisk)
79 Joseph Lewis (Hincapie Racing Team)
80 Geoffrey Curran (Axeon Cycling Team)
81 Danny Van Poppel (Trek Factory Racing)
82 Jordan Kerby (Drapac Professional Cycling)
83 Steve Fisher (Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis)
84 Danny Pate (Team Sky)
85 Jesus Hernandez Blazquez (Tinkoff - Saxo)
86 Xabier Zandio Echaide (Team Sky) all s.t.
87 Thomas Soladay (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) 0:21
88 Evan Huffman (Team Smartstop)
89 Stijn Devolder (Trek Factory Racing) both s.t.
90 Matti Breschel (Tinkoff - Saxo) 0:24
91 Jos Van Emden (Team Lotto Nl - Jumbo)
92 Sep Vanmarcke (Team Lotto Nl - Jumbo)
93 Campbell Flakemore (BMC Racing Team)
94 David Williams (Jamis - Hagens Berman)
95 Thierry Hupond (Team Giant - Alpecin)
96 Andzs Flaksis (Hincapie Racing Team)
97 Lachlan David Morton (Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis)
98 Darren Lapthorne (Drapac Professional Cycling)
99 Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Etixx - Quick Step) all s.t.
100 Matt Brammeier (MTN - Qhubeka) 0:32
101 Michael Morkov (Tinkoff - Saxo)
102 Johnathan Freter (Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis)
103 Matteo Trentin (Etixx - Quick Step)
104 Travis Meyer (Drapac Professional Cycling)
105 Daniel Summerhill (Unitedhealthcare Cycling Team) all s.t.
106 Dennis Van Winden (Team Lotto Nl - Jumbo) 0:38
107 Markel Irizar Aranburu (Trek Factory Racing) 0:39
108 Roy Curvers (Team Giant - Alpecin) 0:39
109 Yves Lampaert (Etixx - Quick Step) 0:45
110 Eric Young (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) s.t.
111 Tanner Putt (Unitedhealthcare Cycling Team) 0:51
112 Martin Velits (Etixx - Quick Step)
113 Mark Renshaw (Etixx - Quick Step)
114 Matthew Harley Goss (MTN - Qhubeka) all s.t.
115 Gerald Ciolek (MTN - Qhubeka) 0:55
116 Joseph Schmalz (Hincapie Racing Team) 0:58
117 Travis Livermon (Team Smartstop) 1:06
118 Oscar Clark (Hincapie Racing Team) s.t.
119 Nathan Earle (Team Sky) 1:36
120 Stijn Vandenbergh (Etixx - Quick Step) 3:06
121 Daniele Bennati (Tinkoff - Saxo) 0:00
122 Daniele Ratto (Unitedhealthcare Cycling Team) 5:23
123 Daniel Teklehaimanot (MTN - Qhubeka)
124 Lasse Norman Hansen (Team Cannondale - Garmin)
125 Gregory Daniel (Axeon Cycling Team)
126 Jesse Anthony (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies)
127 David Lozano Riba (Team Novo Nordisk)
128 Robert Sweeting (Team Smartstop)
129 Jonathan Clarke (Unitedhealthcare Cycling Team)
130 Carson Miller (Jamis - Hagens Berman) all s.t.
131 Will Routley (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) 5:27
132 Javier Megias Leal (Team Novo Nordisk) 5:29
133 Kiel Reijnen (Unitedhealthcare Cycling Team) 10:02
134 William Clarke (Drapac Professional Cycling) s.t.
 
GC
1 Toms Skujins (Hincapie Racing Team) 18:10:57
2 Peter Sagan (Tinkoff - Saxo) at 0:22
3 Rob Britton (Team Smartstop) 0:43
4 Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx - Quick Step) 0:44
5 Daniel Alexander Jaramillo Diez (Jamis - Hagens Berman) s.t.
6 Robert Gesink (Team Lotto Nl - Jumbo) 0:47
7 Ben Hermans (BMC Racing Team)
8 Dion Smith (Hincapie Racing Team)
9 Lawson Craddock (Team Giant - Alpecin)
10 Jay McCarthy (Tinkoff - Saxo)
11 Peter Kennaugh (Team Sky)
12 Janez Brajkovic (Unitedhealthcare Cycling Team)
13 Joseph Rosskopf (BMC Racing Team)
14 Danilo Wyss (BMC Racing Team)
15 Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (Team Sky)
16 Michael Woods (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies)
17 Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Trek Factory Racing)
18 Joseph Lloyd Dombrowski (Team Cannondale - Garmin)
19 Manuel Senni (BMC Racing Team)
20 Phillip Gaimon (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies)
21 Tao Geoghegan Hart (Axeon Cycling Team)
22 Benjamin King (Team Cannondale - Garmin)
23 Riccardo Zoidl (Trek Factory Racing)
24 Matthew Busche (Trek Factory Racing) all s.t.
25 Lachlan Norris (Drapac Professional Cycling) 0:56
26 Carter Jones (Team Giant - Alpecin) 1:03
27 Ian Boswell (Team Sky) 1:13
28 Christian Knees (Team Sky) 1:17
29 Philip Deignan (Team Sky) 1:35
30 Laurent Didier (Trek Factory Racing) s.t.
31 James Oram (Axeon Cycling Team) 1:38
32 Gregory Obando Brenes (Jamis - Hagens Berman) 1:54
33 Ruben Guerreiro (Axeon Cycling Team) 3:17
34 Alex Howes (Team Cannondale - Garmin) 4:23
35 Michael Schär (BMC Racing Team) s.t.
36 Jasper Stuyven (Trek Factory Racing) 5:43
37 Laurens Ten Dam (Team Lotto Nl - Jumbo) 7:03
38 Jacques Janse Van Rensburg (MTN - Qhubeka) 8:10
39 Travis McCabe (Team Smartstop) 8:32
40 Daniel Oss (BMC Racing Team) 9:02
41 Jesus Hernandez Blazquez (Tinkoff - Saxo) 10:47
42 Chris Butler (Team Smartstop) 11:06
43 Gavin Mannion (Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis) 12:01
44 Ruben Zepuntke (Team Cannondale - Garmin) 12:23
45 Gregory Daniel (Axeon Cycling Team) 13:14
46 Danny Pate (Team Sky) 14:04
47 Alexander Braico (Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis) 14:06
48 Robin Carpenter (Hincapie Racing Team) 15:36
49 John Murphy (Unitedhealthcare Cycling Team) 15:45
50 Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Jamis - Hagens Berman)
51 Logan Owen (Axeon Cycling Team)
52 Daniel Eaton (Axeon Cycling Team)
53 Geoffrey Curran (Axeon Cycling Team) all s.t.
54 Oscar Clark (Hincapie Racing Team) 16:03
55 Daniele Bennati (Tinkoff - Saxo) 16:09
56 Andzs Flaksis (Hincapie Racing Team)
57 Lachlan David Morton (Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis) both s.t.
58 Daniel Summerhill (Unitedhealthcare Cycling Team) 16:17
59 Markel Irizar Aranburu (Trek Factory Racing) 16:18
60 Roy Curvers (Team Giant - Alpecin) 16:24
61 Matthew Harley Goss (MTN - Qhubeka) 16:36
62 Nicolae Tanovitchii (Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis) 17:36
63 Evan Huffman (Team Smartstop) 17:49
64 Xabier Zandio Echaide (Team Sky) 18:15
65 Jonathan Clarke (Unitedhealthcare Cycling Team) 19:05
66 Mark Cavendish (Etixx - Quick Step) 20:15
67 Jean-Pierre Drucker (BMC Racing Team) 20:35
68 Zico Waeytens (Team Giant - Alpecin) 20:39
69 Tyler Farrar (MTN - Qhubeka)
70 Guillaume Boivin (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies)
71 Jure Kocjan (Team Smartstop)
72 Koen De Kort (Team Giant - Alpecin)
73 Andrea Peron (Team Novo Nordisk)
74 Eric Marcotte (Team Smartstop)
75 Mike Teunissen (Team Lotto Nl - Jumbo)
76 Danny Van Poppel (Trek Factory Racing)
77 Jordan Kerby (Drapac Professional Cycling)
78 Charles Planet (Team Novo Nordisk)
79 Justin Oien (Axeon Cycling Team)
80 Joseph Lewis (Hincapie Racing Team)
81 Joonas Henttala (Team Novo Nordisk)
82 Edward King (Team Cannondale - Garmin) all s.t.
83 Stijn Devolder (Trek Factory Racing) 21:00
84 Kristoffer Skjerping (Team Cannondale - Garmin) 21:01
85 Sep Vanmarcke (Team Lotto Nl - Jumbo) 21:03
86 Thierry Hupond (Team Giant - Alpecin) s.t.
87 Daniel Teklehaimanot (MTN - Qhubeka) 21:06
88 Matteo Trentin (Etixx - Quick Step) 21:11
89 Javier Megias Leal (Team Novo Nordisk) 21:14
90 Dennis Van Winden (Team Lotto Nl - Jumbo) 21:17
91 Luis Romero Amaran (Jamis - Hagens Berman) 21:28
92 Mark Renshaw (Etixx - Quick Step) 21:30
93 Tanner Putt (Unitedhealthcare Cycling Team) s.t.
94 Martijn Verschoor (Team Novo Nordisk) 21:34
95 Martin Kohler (Drapac Professional Cycling) s.t.
96 Travis Meyer (Drapac Professional Cycling) 22:06
97 Travis Livermon (Team Smartstop) 22:07
98 Michael Morkov (Tinkoff - Saxo) 22:19
99 Joseph Schmalz (Hincapie Racing Team) 22:33
100 Johann Van Zyl (MTN - Qhubeka) 23:10
101 Maarten Wynants (Team Lotto Nl - Jumbo) s.t.
102 Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Etixx - Quick Step) 23:27
103 Yves Lampaert (Etixx - Quick Step) 23:55
104 Thomas Soladay (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) 24:04
105 Steve Fisher (Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis) 24:08
106 Matt Brammeier (MTN - Qhubeka) 24:15
107 Will Routley (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) 24:16
108 Campbell Flakemore (BMC Racing Team) 25:14
109 Jacob Rathe (Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis) 25:51
110 Lasse Norman Hansen (Team Cannondale - Garmin) 26:02
111 David Lozano Riba (Team Novo Nordisk) s.t.
112 Robert Sweeting (Team Smartstop) 26:20
113 Tom Van Asbroeck (Team Lotto Nl - Jumbo) 26:23
114 Darren Lapthorne (Drapac Professional Cycling) 26:26
115 Jesse Anthony (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) 26:57
116 Fred Rodriguez (Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis) 27:03
117 Tom Zirbel (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies)
118 Stephen Leece (Jamis - Hagens Berman) both s.t.
119 Eric Young (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) 27:39
120 Johnathan Freter (Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis) 27:43
121 Wouter Wippert (Drapac Professional Cycling) 27:47
122 Jos Van Emden (Team Lotto Nl - Jumbo) 27:49
123 Kevin De Mesmaeker (Team Novo Nordisk) 27:55
124 Nathan Earle (Team Sky)http://www.canadiancyclist.com/admintools/news_edit.php 27:57
125 Martin Velits (Etixx - Quick Step) 28:49
126 Gerald Ciolek (MTN - Qhubeka) 30:31
127 Kiel Reijnen (Unitedhealthcare Cycling Team) 31:33
128 Stijn Vandenbergh (Etixx - Quick Step) 31:56
129 Carson Miller (Jamis - Hagens Berman) 32:50
130 David Williams (Jamis - Hagens Berman) 33:15
131 Daniele Ratto (Unitedhealthcare Cycling Team) 33:21
132 Graeme Brown (Drapac Professional Cycling) 33:32
133 Matti Breschel (Tinkoff - Saxo) 34:07
134 William Clarke (Drapac Professional Cycling) 37:16


Previous Stages

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

 

 

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