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Robert Gesink leading this pack on the final day. Photo by Dave Storm
Robert Gesink - stage 7 winner from the Netherlands. Photo by: Richard Masoner/Cyclelicious
(Update Sunday. May 20) After building up a large overall lead in his mountain stage win on Saturday, Robert Gesink (Netherlands), held on to win the Tour of California on Sunday. Dave Zabriske (US) came in second overall and Tom Danielson (US) came in third. Peter Sagan won the Stage 8 race in LA after previously winning the first four stages, but his over all time was not fast enough to win the tour.
Gesink’s total time was 30 hours, 42 minutes and 32 secondss – beating Zabriskie by :46 seconds and Danielson by :54 seconds.
Read more about the final race day here: LA Times.
(Update Sat. May 19) Robert Gesink from the Netherlands won the day, and took the overall lead in a difficult mountain stage on Mt. Baldy. The Amgen Tour of California concludes tomorrow with a relatively short 42 mile finale through Los Angeles.
Dave Zabriske after taking the lead yesterday, fell to 2nd in the overall time standings, now :46 seconds behind the new leader, Gesink.
See official Amgen 2012 Tour of California website
Video interview with Gesink on Fri. May 18 – the before his big win at Mr. Baldy.
Dave Zabriskie Photo: By Richard Masoner / Cyclelicious
(Update Fri. May 18) Stage 6 ended after a mountain climb in Southern California’s Big Bear Lake area. French cyclist Sylain Georges won the day, surviving the approaching peloton by :28 seconds.
Dave Zabriskie was able to retain the yellow jersey, after his winning the time trials on Thursday.
(Update Thurs. May 17) Standings in the Amgen Tour of California shifted after the time trials in Bakersfield, as Dave Zabriskie (USA) came in with the fastest time to win the day and take the lead. Zabriskie will wear the yellow leader jersey in tomorrow’s race.
Peter Sagan who had won the previous four stages by brief seconds in each race, was 3:27 off Zabriskie’s time, falling considerably in the standings. But with the next two two mountainous stages in Southern California, experts will have a hard time to predict an overall winner at this point. Ben Jacques-Maynes from Watsonville came in 2:39 behind the winning time. And previous Tour of California winner Levi Leipheimer was 1:44 behind the leader.
(Update Wed. May 16) After winning in the three previous stages, Peter Sagan again sprinted to his 4th win in as many days. In 90+ degree heat, the stage finished in Clovis.
More info about the the Tour.
(Update Tues. May 15) Peter Sagan did it for the third day in a row, with a devastating sprint into the first place position with just a moment to spare before crossing the finish line in Tuesday’s Amgen Tour of California, in Livermore. On Wednesday, racers will begin a 130 mile course in Sonora, and skirting the foothills of the Sierra, to finish in Clovis.
More info on the next 5 final stages of the Tour.
Monday May 14 | Peter Sagan rounded the final corner on the outside – behind a small pack of leaders and catapulted himself into the lead with a final sprint that left the others behind. Sagan’s dominance in the final moments was a dramatic finish to Stage 2 of the Amgen Tour of California. The race began at 11:05 a.m. in San Francisco, caming down the coast on Highway 1 to Bonny Doon Road, where it then wound through the heart of the Santa Cruz mountains, before heading down Old San Jose Rd. to the town of Soquel, and ending at Cabrillo College in Aptos.
Sagan, who had won Stage 1 the day before, faced his own problems during the Stage 2, losing time when he was involved in a minor crash – falling from his bike. He could be seen shaking it off, stretching his arm as he got back into the race from behind the peloton. Further along the course with his team car by his side, he also executed a very well coordinated front wheel change.
Ben Jacques-Maynes from Watsonville stayed up with the pack, and is currently in 6th place overall, being just 16 seconds off the lead.
