2008 Tour of Missouri Live Updates: Stage 2

for live coverage of stage 2

Today’s 126-mile stage is the longest of the tour. It is also the stage where last year the critical, race-shaping breakaway went clear. George Hincapie won the stage, then held the lead until the race finish.

To VeloNews.com’s live coverage of stage 2 of the Tour of Missouri.

We join the race at mile 80, where we have five men clear by more than two minutes.

Are Andreas Schillinger (Team Sparkasse), Reid Mumford (Kelly Benefit Strategies-Medifast), Mike Sayers (BMC), Andy Guptill (Colavita-Sutter Home) and Andrew Randell (Symmetrics).

The five men went clear at mile 17.

With their man Mark Cavendish in the yellow leader’s jersey after taking stage 1 in the sprint, Columbia have been patrolling the front from the gun.

In the last few miles the gap has started to fall.

Reid Mumford recently became a father, and his Kelly benefit Strategies teammates asked us to give him a shout out.

Good on ya, Reid.

As the five riders continue to work well together.

VeloNews spoke to Mark Cavendish at the start of today’s stage in Clinton. He said he was happy to get the win yesterday on American soil, especially after being relegating following a sprint win earlier in the year at the Amgen Tour of California. “Obviously I tried a lot in California, so it’s great to get one,” Cavendish said. “It’s great for the sponsor. It’s great for myself, it’s great for the fans watching the race.”

In sharp contrast to yesterday’s moody weather, riders are enjoying sunshine in the run towards Springfield today. There’s a bit of a wind, but nothing serious.

The Italian squad’s Francesco Chicchi scored a third-place finish yesterday behind Cavendish and Garmin-Chipotle’s Tyler Farrar. They seem eager to ensure another sprint finish today.

Considering Columbia has a few men in its stable in the GC hunt — George Hincapie the top among them — how hard will the team ride to ensure a sprint today? Cavendish said at the start that the team can have its cake and eat it, too.

“We’ve got quite a strong team, even outside the guys who are going for GC,” he said. “You saw how the young guys rode yesterday. Guys like John Devine, Craig Lewis. They brought the gap back quite easily, quite comfortably, so it shouldn’t be too much trouble to keep it together today.”

Columbia continues to hold the gap at just over two minutes.

The five off the front are:
Andreas Schillinger (Team Sparkasse)
Reid Mumford (Kelly Benefit Strategies-Medifast)
Mike Sayers (BMC)
Andy Guptill (Colavita-Sutter Home)
Andrew Randell (Symmetrics)

Mike Sayers, a longtime rider in the U.S. scene, announced he will be hanging it up after the Tour of Missouri. But, true to form, he’s not going without a fight. He’s taking his pulls in the breakaway to keep hope alive.

Columbia’s young American, John Devine, is riding the front in the drops. Although the composition behind Columbia changes, the color of the jerseys on the front of the pack really hasn’t changed all day.

Columbia is riding like a machine, letting the break dangle – not allowing too much of a gap, but not bringing it down too quickly, either.

Barry recently finished 9th at the Olympic road race, and is preparing to ride for Canada at the upcoming world championships. For now, however, he’s riding a stiff tempo at the front of the field for his man Cavendish.

Walnut Grove is a small town just northwest of Sprinfield. While there are no categorized climbs on today’s stage, riders are constantly hitting small rollers and little undulations.

The town of Willard hosts the day’s second sprint.

Results of the first sprint in Stockton:
Andreas Schillinger (Sparkasse)
Mike Sayers (BMC)
Andy Guptill (Colavita)

Garmin’s sprinter, Tyler Farrar, is wearing the green points jersey today. Mark Cavendish leads the points competition, but he’s of course in the yellow today.

Farrar opened the sprint on stage 1, jumping at about 200 meters to go. Cavendish said Farrar’s early sprint allowed him to jump into the draft for a precious few seconds before launching his own.

As with last year, riders will bomb through a downtown circuit in Springfield three times before hitting the final finish line.

The five-man breakaway is still rotating through, although their gap is coming down.

Out of the day-long breakaway last year, George Hincapie took the sprint ahead of Dominque Rollin (now Toyota-United) and Health Net-Maxxis’ Frank Pipp. All three are here again this year.

About 25 miles to go for the field, with a 2:05 gap to the break.

Although not ON the front, the German squad has been sitting up there near Columbia today. Yesterday, their man Eric Baumann took fourth in the sprint.

With his wrists on his handlebars, Columbia’s Barry is in TT posture on the front of the field. He swings off and Devine pulls through.

Well, a few sprinters here, if you ask them, or there teammates. Toyota’s Rollin says he’s confident teammate Ivan Dominguez can beat him. Dominguez got hung up in a crash yesterday. We’ll see how he does today.

We’re getting down to the business end of the race now.

Again with BMC’s Sayers in second

To recap, we have the following men off the front:
Andreas Schillinger (Team Sparkasse)
Reid Mumford (Kelly Benefit Strategies-Medifast)
Mike Sayers (BMC)
Andy Guptill (Colavita-Sutter Home)
Andrew Randell (Symmetrics)

Chicchi must be feeling good for the sprint. The finishing chute is fairly wide open, with a slight bend to the left right before the line. The multiple corners within the finishing circuits should help keep things strung out.

That would of course be the men of Liquigas, Columbia and Sparkasse in formation to make the catch.

And, stage left, the fat lady begins to clear her voice.

Randell marks him, followed by Sayers and Guptill. Mumford sits up.

And gets a gap on his breakaway companions. Schillinger tries to claw across solo.

As Schillinger joins Sayers at the front of the race.

Now we have four back together: Sayers, Schillinger, Randell and Guptill. Mumford is in between the four and the pack.

But is quickly marked.

But it’s still mostly Columbia with sprinklings of Liquigas doing the work.

But now the four breakaway riders are eyeing each other cautiously, losing time.

The four riders are back to riding cohesively in the breakaway.

Garmin’s time trial specialist moves to the front. Having just won the U.S. time trial championship, he’s not a guy to bet against for tomorrow’s 18-mile individual effort.

Breakaway of four still holding on the town’s outskirts.

The bleachers are packed at the finish, and big crowds are lining the circuit.

The vehicles are being pulled out of the gap.

Followed by Columbia, Liquigas into the town of Springfield.

Four men are clear:
Andreas Schillinger (Team Sparkasse)
Mike Sayers (BMC)
Andy Guptill (Colavita-Sutter Home)
Andrew Randell (Symmetrics)

The leaders have a fleeting 30 seconds.

Peloton is singlefile, and the riders give up the ghost.

Now Sayers and Schillinger give it the final go. And now Sayers goes again! Never say die, eh?

We have gruppo compacto with about 10km to go

And everyone is battling for position up front.

About five guys are down, a couple Kelly, a Colvita rider

Farrar is up there in green.

Symmetrics rider Will Routley takes a solo dig.

With about 50 meters on the field.

Two laps of the Springfield circuit to go.

He comes through the finish line, now with two laps to go. For the sprinters and their teams, the circuits are a great way to scope out where to make their moves.

6.4km to go. Columbia on the front. Like you had to ask.

Cavendish keeps is cool behind his teammates, riding with his hands on the hoods. Tyler Farrar is on his wheel.

But Columbia shut it down.

Cavendish is in the drops now.

Columbia, Garmin, Liquigas on the front into a left corner.

None other than Christian Vande Velde takes the front for Garmin

Eisel takes the front

Followed by Sparkasse and Liquigas.

Looks like it was Eric Baumann (Sparkasse) taking second, with Francesco Chicchi (Liquigas) in third.

To live coverage of stage 2 of the Tour of Missouri. Check VeloNews.com soon for a complete report from our man Neal Rogers, full results and photography from Casey Gibson.