AToC Stage 4: Cav’ clips Boonen, Leipheimer keeps lead
Even Mark Cavendish didn’t expect to win stage 5 of the Amgen Tour of California on Wednesday. “It wasn’t a stage I’d targeted,” he admitted after bringing home a furious field sprint in Clovis, just holding off Tom Boonen of Quick Step, with Saxo Bank’s J.J. Haedo in third. The field sprint meant that there were no changes in the GC, with Levi Leipheimer of Astana keeping the yellow jersey by a 24-second margin over Columbia’s Michael Rogers.
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Photo: Casey B. Gibson
Even Mark Cavendish didn’t expect to win stage 5 of the Amgen Tour of California on Wednesday. “It wasn’t a stage I’d targeted,” he admitted after bringing home a furious field sprint in Clovis, just holding off Tom Boonen of Quick Step, with Saxo Bank’s J.J. Haedo in third.
The field sprint meant that there were no changes in the GC, with Levi Leipheimer of Astana keeping the yellow jersey by a 24-second margin over Columbia’s Michael Rogers.
Cavendish didn’t target the Clovis stage as one he could win because the 115.8-mile course included a succession of steep climbs — five official ones and as many others that would warrant having categories in most stage races — through the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. But his Columbia-Highroad teammates had more faith in him.
Stage 4, Merced to Clovis, 186 km (116 miles)
Winner: Mark Cavendish (Columbia-Highroad)
Leader: Levi Leipheimer (Astana)
Winner’s average speed: 39.54 kph (24.57 mph)
Rabobank Best Young Rider: Robert Gesink (Rabobank)
Best Team: Team Columbia-Highroad
Herbalife Sprint Leader: Francisco Mancebo (Rock Racing) 30 points; Thor Hushovd (Cervelo TestTeam) 22 points
Amgen Couragous Award: Tyler Hamilton (Rock Racing)
California King of the Mountains Leader: Francisco Mancebo (Rock Racing)
Peloton: Eleven riders dropped out for illness or injury: Kim Kirchen (Team Columbia-High Road); Oscar Freire (Rabobank), Scott Nydam (BMC Racing Team), Jonathan Garcia (BMC), John Murphy (Ouch), Fabio Calabria (Team Type 1), Phil Southerland (Team Type 1), Bradley Huff (Jelly Belly Cycling Team), David Kemp (Fly V), Jonathan Cantwell (Fly V), Victor Hugo Pena (Rock Racing). That leaves 108 riders to start stage 5.
Up next: Stage 5’s 216 km (134 miles) from Visalia to Paso Robles is the longest stage of the tour.
Michael Barry, who had helped get Cavendish back to the peloton on Tuesday after the young British sprinter was dropped on the Cat. 1 Sierra Road, was totally confident. Talking before the start on Wednesday in Merced, Barry said the team is focused on delivering its top sprinter to the line.
“Our goal is to get Cav over the climbs, and if the race is controlled I think he has a good shot of making it to the finish,” said Barry. “He’s climbing better than he ever has. He rides within himself, and his progression in his climbing in the last year is remarkable.”
Barry didn’t have to pace Cavendish back to the pack Wednesday because the race was controlled by Leipheimer’s Astana team. “It was very hard the opening hour or so,” Leipheimer said. “We had to chase down a lot of attacks before we even reached the climbs.”
Astana’s Chechu Rubiera controlled the last of the breaks over the flats of the Central Valley just before the day’s only significant break developed 25 miles into the stage. Saxo Bank’s Jason McCartney, who’d already attacked twice, went for a third try, this time with Cervélo’s Serge Pauwels.
Photo: Courtesy
Then, halfway up the long opening climb, they were joined by a remarkable pairing: Floyd Landis of OUCH-Maxxis, who’s on his comeback from a much-publicized two-year suspension, and his former Phonak teammate Tyler Hamilton, now with Rock Racing, who is working hard to re-establish his own reputation a year after emerging from his own suspension. Hamilton’s teammate Paco Mancebo, eager to gain more points in the Best Climber competition, was also chasing.
Hamilton explained, “The goal was to make sure no one dangerous got away. Jason McCartney was third in the KOM standings, so I bridged up to him. And when I saw Paco coming, and I waited for him.”
It was a great move by the seasoned Rock Racing teammates, because at the top of the climb, Mancebo took the KOM sprint ahead of McCartney, followed by Hamilton and Pauwels. This quartet had only an eight-second gap over the 2,276-foot summit before heading into a succession of plunging downhills and stiff climbs that could have split the race apart had the Astana team decided to race as hard as they did on the opening stage of this race. Instead, Hamilton’s foursome were 1:40 clear at the sprint in the mountain town of Mariposa, and 2:45 clear at the summit of the second categorized climb at mile 41.
Photo: Graham Watson
After Mancebo also took this KOM, he decided to go back to the peloton. If he had remained in the break, Astana would have chased the leaders because the Spanish climber was only 53 seconds behind Leipheimer on GC. So, instead of chasing, Astana continued to set a moderate pace on the difficult course, allowing Hamilton, McCartney and Pauwels to push their lead to more than six minutes at the day’s second sprint in Oakhurst at 64 miles. This was right at the foot of the day’s longest climb on Crane Valley Road.
This hill topped out at 3,650 feet elevation, where ankle-deep snow had to be cleared a few hours before the race arrived. And it was here that Columbia-High Road switched gears. The California-based team lost its senior rider Kim Kirchen on one of the descents before Oakhurst when the Luxembourger was trying to put on his rain jacket because of the cooling temperatures. He got the jacket caught in his wheel and fell heavily, breaking his right scapula and clavicle. In the same crash, a favorite to win the stage, Oscar Freire of Rabobank, fell on his chest and broke two ribs.
Losing Kirchen reduced Columbia’s chances, but Barry then stepped in to do the work of two men on the Crane Valley climb. He pulled the peloton all the way up the 6-mile ascent, riding between banks of snow near the top, to cut the breakaway’s lead to 4:30. At the same time, three Columbia teammates rode with Cavendish to make sure he stayed in the back of the group.
With the gap going down and with 46 miles of racing remaining, it was clear that the break could be caught. “Every kilometer I believed we would stay away,” Hamilton said. “McCartney is an incredibly strong, great rider to have in that break, but I knew the sprinters teams would eventually put on a chase.”
Photo: Graham Watson
Columbia’s George Hincapie said, “We had to use our guys early to chase down the break and nobody wanted to help us.” The catch was made about three miles from the finish, where the Cervélo team of Tuesday’s winner Thor Hushovd took over the head of the field. They poured on the speed around the streets of old town Clovis, and the Norwegian looked set for a repeat victory.
But Hincapie was confident. “I kept Mark Renshaw and Cavendish right there behind the Cervélo train. I was kind of out in the wind on my own, with those guys behind me. I pulled off with about 700 meters to go,” the American said.
Cavendish said, “Renshaw got the lead-out right past the whole Cervélo team, and when he dropped me off with 220 meters to go there was only going to be one outcome.”
“It was a normal sprint, you know,” Cavendish added. Maybe it was normal for the 23-year-old Brit, but when he sat up and raised his arm in triumph, he didn’t see that Boonen was throwing his bike at the line just to his left. On crossing paths minutes after the finish, Boonen gestured to Cavendish, putting two fingers together and saying, “Three millimeters, eh?”
That was the margin of Cavendish’s first stage victory at the California race. He was first across the line in Santa Clarita last year but lost the win because the officials said he received too much help from his team car after flatting on the finish circuit. So this latest win was “massive for me and for the team,” he said.
But was this victory more important than any other, like the two stages he won at the Giro d’Italia or the four he took at the Tour de France last year? “A win for me is a win,” he said. “I am greedy that way. I like to be first across the line — not just in cycling. In everything I want to be the best.”
Photo: Graham Watson
There’s more sunshine in the forecast for Thursday’s longest and flattest day, the 134.3-mile stage 5 across the Central Valley between Visalia and Paso Robles, just north of San Luis Obispo. The finish is flat and straight. It looks like another won made for Mr. Cavendish!
Photo Gallery
Results
1. Mark Cavendish Team Columbia-High Road in 04:42:38
2. Tom Boonen Quick Step at 00:00:00
3. José Haedo Juan Team Saxo Bank at 00:00:00
4. Thor Hushovd Cervelo Test Team at 00:00:00
5. Tyler Farrar Garmin-Slipstream at 00:00:00
6. Markus Zberg Bmc Racing Team at 00:00:00
7. Freddy Rodriguez Rock Racing at 00:00:00
8. Sebastian Haedo Lucas Colavita/sutter Home P/b Cooking Light at 00:00:00
9. Bernard Sulzberger Fly V Australia P/b Successful Living Foundation at 00:00:00
10. Martin Elmiger Ag2r La Mondiale at 00:00:00
11. Davide Frattini Colavita/sutter Home P/b Cooking Light at 00:00:00
12. Kiel Reijnen Jelly Belly Cycling Team at 00:00:00
13. Matthew Wilson Team Type 1 at 00:00:00
14. Jacopo Guarnieri Liquigas at 00:00:00
15. Francesco Chicchi Liquigas at 00:00:00
16. Steven Cozza Garmin-Slipstream at 00:00:00
17. Frank Pipp Bissell Pro Cycling at 00:00:00
18. Valeriy Kobzarenko Team Type 1 at 00:00:00
19. Mark Renshaw Team Columbia-High Road at 00:00:00
20. Levi Leipheimer Astana at 00:00:00
21. Matthew Crane Jelly Belly Cycling Team at 00:00:00
22. Pieter Weening Rabobank at 00:00:00
23. Christopher Horner Astana at 00:00:00
24. Janez Brajkovic Astana at 00:00:00
25. George Hincapie Team Columbia-High Road at 00:00:00
26. Ian Mckissick Bmc Racing Team at 00:00:00
27. Jens Voigt Team Saxo Bank at 00:00:00
28. Enrique Gutierrez Rock Racing at 00:00:00
29. Kevin Seeldraeyers Quick Step at 00:00:00
30. Glen Chadwick Rock Racing at 00:00:00
31. Oscar Sevilla Rock Racing at 00:00:00
32. Michael Rogers Team Columbia-High Road at 00:00:00
33. Thomas Danielson Garmin-Slipstream at 00:00:00
34. Jeremy Vennell Bissell Pro Cycling at 00:00:00
35. Francisco Mancebo Rock Racing at 00:00:00
36. Vincenzo Nibali Liquigas at 00:00:00
37. Stuart O’grady Team Saxo Bank at 00:00:00
38. Christian Vandevelde Garmin-Slipstream at 00:00:00
39. Karl Menzies Ouch Presented By Maxxis at 00:00:00
40. Thomas LÖvkvist Team Columbia-High Road at 00:00:00
41. Luis Romero Amaran Colavita/sutter Home P/b Cooking Light at 00:00:00
42. Yaroslav Popovych Astana at 00:00:00
43. Alessandro Vanotti Liquigas at 00:00:00
44. Patrick Mccarty Jonathan Ouch Presented By Maxxis at 00:00:00
45. Thomas Peterson Garmin-Slipstream at 00:00:00
46. Christophe Riblon Ag2r La Mondiale at 00:00:00
47. David Zabriskie Garmin-Slipstream at 00:00:00
48. Mauricio Alberto Ardila Cano Rabobank at 00:00:00
49. Grischa Niermann Rabobank at 00:00:00
50. Andy Schleck Team Saxo Bank at 00:00:00
51. Robert Gesink Rabobank at 00:00:00
52. Nick Reistad Jelly Belly Cycling Team at 00:00:00
53. Gustav Larsson Team Saxo Bank at 00:00:00
54. Walle Jurgen Van De Quick Step at 00:00:00
55. Ben Day Fly V Australia P/b Successful Living Foundation at 00:00:00
56. Bauke Mollema Rabobank at 00:00:00
57. Stef Clement Rabobank at 00:00:00
58. Chris Baldwin Rock Racing at 00:00:00
59. Svein Tuft Garmin-Slipstream at 00:00:00
60. Pedro Horrillo Munoz Rabobank at 00:00:00
61. Ben Jacques-maynes Bissell Pro Cycling at 00:00:00
62. Thomas Frei Bmc Racing Team at 00:00:00
63. Brian Vandborg Liquigas at 00:00:00
64. Marco Velo Quick Step at 00:00:00
65. Ivan Basso Liquigas at 00:00:00
66. Timothy Johnson Ouch Presented By Maxxis at 00:00:00
67. Andy Guptill Colavita/sutter Home P/b Cooking Light at 00:00:00
68. Kjell CarlstrÖm Liquigas at 00:00:00
69. Carlos Barredo Quick Step at 00:00:00
70. Gregory Rast Astana at 00:00:00
71. Peter Latham Bissell Pro Cycling at 00:00:00
72. Hubert Dupont Ag2r La Mondiale at 00:00:00
73. Michael Barry Team Columbia-High Road at 00:00:00
74. Phillip Gaimon Jelly Belly Cycling Team at 00:00:00
75. Fränk Schleck Team Saxo Bank at 00:00:00
76. Tom Zirbel Bissell Pro Cycling at 00:00:00
77. Mathias Frank Bmc Racing Team at 00:00:00
78. Brett Lancaster Cervelo Test Team at 00:00:00
79. Lopez De Castro Inigo Cuesta Cervelo Test Team at 00:00:00
80. José Luis Rubiera Vigil Astana at 00:00:00
81. Will Routley Jelly Belly Cycling Team at 00:00:00
82. Lance Armstrong Astana at 00:00:00
83. Daniel Oss Liquigas at 00:00:00
84. Stéphane Goubert Ag2r La Mondiale at 00:00:00
85. Curtis Gunn Fly V Australia P/b Successful Living Foundation in 04:42:56 at 00:00:18
86. Hayden Roulston Cervelo Test Team in 04:43:11 at 00:00:33
87. Dominique Rollin Cervelo Test Team in 04:43:11 at …
88. Rinaldo Nocentini Ag2r La Mondiale in 04:43:20 at 00:00:42
89. Christopher Jones Team Type 1 in 04:43:24 at 00:00:46
90. Rory Sutherland Ouch Presented By Maxxis in 04:43:24 at …
91. Floyd Landis Ouch Presented By Maxxis in 04:43:24 at …
92. Cameron Evans Ouch Presented By Maxxis in 04:43:24 at …
93. Addy Engels Quick Step in 04:43:24 at …
94. Aaron Olson Colavita/sutter Home P/b Cooking Light in 04:43:24 at …
95. Tyler Hamilton Rock Racing in 04:43:24 at …
96. Bradley White Ouch Presented By Maxxis in 04:43:24 at …
97. Jeffry Louder Bmc Racing Team in 04:43:24 at …
98. Tyler Wren Colavita/sutter Home P/b Cooking Light in 04:43:24 at …
99. Kevin Hulsmans Quick Step in 04:43:24 at …
100. Kevin De Weert Quick Step in 04:43:24 at …
101. Carlos Sastre Candil Cervelo Test Team in 04:43:24 at …
102. Jason Mccartney Team Saxo Bank in 04:43:24 at …
103. Trent Lowe Garmin-Slipstream in 04:43:24 at …
104. Alexandre Moos Bmc Racing Team in 04:43:34 at 00:00:56
105. Steve Morabito Astana in 04:43:34 at …
106. Adam Hansen Team Columbia-High Road in 04:44:18 at 00:01:40
107. Serge Pauwels Cervelo Test Team in 04:44:29 at 00:01:51
108. Bernard Van Ulden Jelly Belly Cycling Team in 04:46:02 at 00:03:24
1. Levi Leipheimer Astana in 18:33:52
2. Michael Rogers Team Columbia-High Road in 18:34:16 at 00:00:24
3. David Zabriskie Garmin-Slipstream in 18:34:20 at 00:00:28
4. Lance Armstrong Astana in 18:34:22 at 00:00:30
5. Christopher Horner Astana in 18:34:26 at 00:00:34
6. Janez Brajkovic Astana in 18:34:30 at 00:00:38
7. Thomas LÖvkvist Team Columbia-High Road in 18:34:30 at 00:00:38
8. José Luis Rubiera Vigil Astana in 18:34:30 at 00:00:38
9. Vincenzo Nibali Liquigas in 18:34:30 at 00:00:38
10. Robert Gesink Rabobank in 18:34:31 at 00:00:39
11. Oscar Sevilla Rock Racing in 18:34:31 at 00:00:39
12. Jens Voigt Team Saxo Bank in 18:34:32 at 00:00:40
13. Ivan Basso Liquigas in 18:34:34 at 00:00:42
14. Thomas Danielson Garmin-Slipstream in 18:34:34 at 00:00:42
15. Kevin Seeldraeyers Quick Step in 18:34:43 at 00:00:51
16. Francisco Mancebo Rock Racing in 18:34:45 at 00:00:53
17. Bauke Mollema Rabobank in 18:36:02 at 00:02:10
18. Walle Jurgen Van De Quick Step in 18:36:04 at 00:02:12
19. Carlos Barredo Quick Step in 18:38:24 at 00:04:32
20. Grischa Niermann Rabobank in 18:38:24 at 00:04:32
21. Fränk Schleck Team Saxo Bank in 18:38:32 at 00:04:40
22. Lopez De Castro Inigo Cuesta Cervelo Test Team in 18:38:37 at 00:04:45
23. Thomas Peterson Garmin-Slipstream in 18:39:48 at 00:05:56
24. George Hincapie Team Columbia-High Road in 18:39:51 at 00:05:59
25. Tom Zirbel Bissell Pro Cycling in 18:39:52 at 00:06:00
26. Ben Jacques-maynes Bissell Pro Cycling in 18:39:53 at 00:06:01
27. Christian Vandevelde Garmin-Slipstream in 18:39:56 at 00:06:04
28. Enrique Gutierrez Rock Racing in 18:40:00 at 00:06:08
29. Gustav Larsson Team Saxo Bank in 18:40:00 at 00:06:08
30. Luis Romero Amaran Colavita/sutter Home P/b Cooking Light in 18:40:00 at 00:06:08
31. Yaroslav Popovych Astana in 18:40:01 at 00:06:09
32. Ian Mckissick Bmc Racing Team in 18:40:05 at 00:06:13
33. Pieter Weening Rabobank in 18:40:05 at 00:06:13
34. Thomas Frei Bmc Racing Team in 18:40:12 at 00:06:20
35. Hubert Dupont Ag2r La Mondiale in 18:40:20 at 00:06:28
36. Hayden Roulston Cervelo Test Team in 18:40:28 at 00:06:36
37. Floyd Landis Ouch Presented By Maxxis in 18:40:42 at 00:06:50
38. Kevin De Weert Quick Step in 18:40:53 at 00:07:01
39. Dominique Rollin Cervelo Test Team in 18:42:46 at 00:08:54
40. Jeremy Vennell Bissell Pro Cycling in 18:42:55 at 00:09:03
41. Steven Cozza Garmin-Slipstream in 18:43:00 at 00:09:08
42. Martin Elmiger Ag2r La Mondiale in 18:43:01 at 00:09:09
43. Frank Pipp Bissell Pro Cycling in 18:43:06 at 00:09:14
44. Will Routley Jelly Belly Cycling Team in 18:43:18 at 00:09:26
45. Stuart O’grady Team Saxo Bank in 18:48:31 at 00:14:39
46. Patrick Mccarty Jonathan Ouch Presented By Maxxis in 18:48:43 at 00:14:51
47. Stéphane Goubert Ag2r La Mondiale in 18:48:51 at 00:14:59
48. Jason Mccartney Team Saxo Bank in 18:48:55 at 00:15:03
49. Svein Tuft Garmin-Slipstream in 18:49:05 at 00:15:13
50. Glen Chadwick Rock Racing in 18:49:21 at 00:15:29
51. Davide Frattini Colavita/sutter Home P/b Cooking Light in 18:49:32 at 00:15:40
52. Cameron Evans Ouch Presented By Maxxis in 18:49:48 at 00:15:56
53. Alexandre Moos Bmc Racing Team in 18:50:12 at 00:16:20
54. Andy Schleck Team Saxo Bank in 18:50:36 at 00:16:44
55. Matthew Crane Jelly Belly Cycling Team in 18:51:34 at 00:17:42
56. Rory Sutherland Ouch Presented By Maxxis in 18:52:37 at 00:18:45
57. Valeriy Kobzarenko Team Type 1 in 18:54:32 at 00:20:40
58. Thor Hushovd Cervelo Test Team in 18:54:59 at 00:21:07
59. Tom Boonen Quick Step in 18:55:03 at 00:21:11
60. Rinaldo Nocentini Ag2r La Mondiale in 18:55:18 at 00:21:26
61. Gregory Rast Astana in 18:55:19 at 00:21:27
62. Markus Zberg Bmc Racing Team in 18:55:20 at 00:21:28
63. Tyler Wren Colavita/sutter Home P/b Cooking Light in 18:56:16 at 00:22:24
64. Steve Morabito Astana in 18:56:16 at 00:22:24
65. Matthew Wilson Team Type 1 in 18:57:52 at 00:24:00
66. Phillip Gaimon Jelly Belly Cycling Team in 18:57:52 at 00:24:00
67. Mathias Frank Bmc Racing Team in 18:57:53 at 00:24:01
68. Mauricio Alberto Ardila Cano Rabobank in 18:57:54 at 00:24:02
69. Timothy Johnson Ouch Presented By Maxxis in 18:57:54 at 00:24:02
70. Sebastian Haedo Lucas Colavita/sutter Home P/b Cooking Light in 18:58:07 at 00:24:15
71. Bradley White Ouch Presented By Maxxis in 18:58:34 at 00:24:42
72. Addy Engels Quick Step in 18:58:42 at 00:24:50
73. Trent Lowe Garmin-Slipstream in 18:58:43 at 00:24:51
74. Christopher Jones Team Type 1 in 18:58:45 at 00:24:53
75. Brian Vandborg Liquigas in 18:59:56 at 00:26:04
76. Jeffry Louder Bmc Racing Team in 19:00:35 at 00:26:43
77. Aaron Olson Colavita/sutter Home P/b Cooking Light in 19:01:06 at 00:27:14
78. Bernard Van Ulden Jelly Belly Cycling Team in 19:01:29 at 00:27:37
79. Serge Pauwels Cervelo Test Team in 19:02:00 at 00:28:08
80. Mark Cavendish Team Columbia-High Road in 19:03:32 at 00:29:40
81. Mark Renshaw Team Columbia-High Road in 19:03:37 at 00:29:45
82. José Haedo Juan Team Saxo Bank in 19:03:44 at 00:29:52
83. Tyler Farrar Garmin-Slipstream in 19:03:44 at 00:29:52
84. Peter Latham Bissell Pro Cycling in 19:03:46 at 00:29:54
85. Brett Lancaster Cervelo Test Team in 19:03:48 at 00:29:56
86. Stef Clement Rabobank in 19:03:50 at 00:29:58
87. Ben Day Fly V Australia P/b Successful Living Foundation in 19:03:51 at 00:29:59
88. Kiel Reijnen Jelly Belly Cycling Team in 19:03:51 at 00:29:59
89. Pedro Horrillo Munoz Rabobank in 19:03:51 at 00:29:59
90. Marco Velo Quick Step in 19:03:52 at 00:30:00
91. Michael Barry Team Columbia-High Road in 19:03:54 at 00:30:02
92. Chris Baldwin Rock Racing in 19:03:54 at 00:30:02
93. Christophe Riblon Ag2r La Mondiale in 19:03:55 at 00:30:03
94. Nick Reistad Jelly Belly Cycling Team in 19:04:01 at 00:30:09
95. Bernard Sulzberger Fly V Australia P/b Successful Living Foundation in 19:04:07 at 00:30:15
96. Kjell CarlstrÖm Liquigas in 19:04:19 at 00:30:27
97. Curtis Gunn Fly V Australia P/b Successful Living Foundation in 19:04:34 at 00:30:42
98. Tyler Hamilton Rock Racing in 19:04:36 at 00:30:44
99. Kevin Hulsmans Quick Step in 19:04:48 at 00:30:56
100. Carlos Sastre Candil Cervelo Test Team in 19:06:38 at 00:32:46
101. Adam Hansen Team Columbia-High Road in 19:06:51 at 00:32:59
102. Karl Menzies Ouch Presented By Maxxis in 19:08:51 at 00:34:59
103. Daniel Oss Liquigas in 19:09:05 at 00:35:13
104. Freddy Rodriguez Rock Racing in 19:10:31 at 00:36:39
105. Alessandro Vanotti Liquigas in 19:10:43 at 00:36:51
106. Jacopo Guarnieri Liquigas in 19:10:47 at 00:36:55
107. Andy Guptill Colavita/sutter Home P/b Cooking Light in 19:10:51 at 00:36:59
108. Francesco Chicchi Liquigas in 19:12:14 at 00:38:22