California: Van Garderen wins stage 4 TT, seizes yellow jersey
Tejay van Garderen overhauls Egan Bernal in stage 4 time trial, taking the overall lead with a stage win to boot.
Tejay van Garderen dominated the time trial to move into first place and the yellow jersey. Photo: Casey B. Gibson | <a href="http://www.cbgphoto.com">www.cbgphoto.com</a>
Published May 16, 2018 05:03PM
He’s not the defending champion, but the last time Tejay van Garderen raced the Amgen Tour of California, he won, and after going fastest in Wednesday’s stage 4 time trial, he’s back in the yellow jersey.
Van Garderen, winner of the 2013 Tour of California clocked a time of 40:47 on the 34.7km run from San Jose to Morgan Hill. He won the day ahead of his BMC teammate Patrick Bevin, who was second, seven seconds slower.
“Today was special motivation. I had my girls here, I have good memories here from five years ago,” said van Garderen, referring to his family who were at the race. “I didn’t expect it to go quite so well. I had it in the back of my mind on Gibraltar that if I kept it within a minute, I could take it back today.”
Tao Geoghegan Hart rounded out the day’s podium in third, 32 seconds down, despite working tirelessly for his Team Sky leader Egan Bernal on Monday’s Gibraltar stage.
The Colombian Bernal, on the other hand, tumbled out of the overall lead with an 18th-place finish. He ceded 1:23 to van Garderen and now sits 23 seconds behind on GC in second place.
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EF Education First-Drapac’s Daniel Martinez — another Colombian — is third overall, 37 seconds behind after a solid 10th-place finish in the time trial.
Van Garderen should have no trouble defending his lead in Thursday’s stage 5, a flat ride from Stockton to Elk Grove over 176.5km.
The only obvious opportunity remaining for Bernal — or another rider — to challenge for the overall is Friday, a stage that climbs high up to Lake Tahoe.
“Tomorrow and Sacramento [Saturday] should be sprint days,” van Garderen added. “We really just need to worry about that stage into Tahoe. We have a really strong team and motivation is high.”
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Stage 4 results
1. Tejay Van Garderen, BMC RACING TEAM, in 40:47.33
2. Patrick Bevin, BMC RACING TEAM, at :07
3. Tao Geoghegan Hart, TEAM SKY, at :32
4. G Lawson Craddock, TEAM EF EDUCATION FIRST – DRAPAC P/B CANNONDALE, at :46
5. Filippo Ganna, UAE TEAM EMIRATES, at :49
6. Mikkel Bjerg, HAGENS BERMAN AXEON, at :53
7. Jack Bauer, MITCHELTON – SCOTT, at :55
8. Neilson Powless, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at :56
9. Maciej Bodnar, BORA – HANSGROHE, at :57
10. Daniel Felipe Martinez Poveda, TEAM EF EDUCATION FIRST – DRAPAC P/B CANNONDALE, at :57
11. Nils Politt, TEAM KATUSHA ALPECIN, at :59
12. Brent Bookwalter, BMC RACING TEAM, at :59
13. Serghei Tvetcov, UNITEDHEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL CYCLING TEAM, at 01:00
14. Taylor Phinney, TEAM EF EDUCATION FIRST – DRAPAC P/B CANNONDALE, at 01:02
15. Michael Hepburn, MITCHELTON – SCOTT, at 01:15
16. Pavel Sivakov, TEAM SKY, at 01:16
17. Nikias Arndt, TEAM SUNWEB, at 01:19
18. Egan Arley Bernal Gomez, TEAM SKY, at 01:23
19. William Barta, HAGENS BERMAN AXEON, at 01:28
20. Joseph Rosskopf, BMC RACING TEAM, at 01:29
21. Evan Huffman, RALLY CYCLING, at 01:34
22. Adam Yates, MITCHELTON – SCOTT, at 01:36
23. Michael SchÄr, BMC RACING TEAM, at 01:41
24. Brandon Mcnulty, RALLY CYCLING, at 01:43
25. Silvan Dillier, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 01:49
26. Gavin Mannion, UNITEDHEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL CYCLING TEAM, at 01:49
27. Reto Hollenstein, TEAM KATUSHA ALPECIN, at 01:56
28. Laurens De Plus, QUICK – STEP FLOORS, at 01:59
29. Sean Bennett, HAGENS BERMAN AXEON, at 02:01
30. Rafal Majka, BORA – HANSGROHE, at 02:04
31. Toms Skujins, TREK – SEGAFREDO, at 02:05
32. Kasper Asgreen, QUICK – STEP FLOORS, at 02:07
33. Simon Clarke, TEAM EF EDUCATION FIRST – DRAPAC P/B CANNONDALE, at 02:12
34. Robert Britton, RALLY CYCLING, at 02:13
35. Ian Boswell, TEAM KATUSHA ALPECIN, at 02:26
36. Kristijan Đurasek, UAE TEAM EMIRATES, at 02:35
37. Nathan Van Hooydonck, BMC RACING TEAM, at 02:38
38. Ben Gastauer, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 02:39
39. Mathias Frank, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 02:46
40. Ian Garrison, HAGENS BERMAN AXEON, at 02:54
41. Lukasz Wisniowski, TEAM SKY, at 02:55
42. Ivo Oliveira, HAGENS BERMAN AXEON, at 03:01
43. Alvaro Jose Hodeg Chagui, QUICK – STEP FLOORS, at 03:01
44. Alex Howes, TEAM EF EDUCATION FIRST – DRAPAC P/B CANNONDALE, at 03:04
45. Robin Carpenter, RALLY CYCLING, at 03:08
46. Daniel Oss, BORA – HANSGROHE, at 03:12
47. Julien Vermote, TEAM DIMENSION DATA, at 03:17
48. Jai Hindley, TEAM SUNWEB, at 03:17
49. Peter Stetina, TREK – SEGAFREDO, at 03:17
50. Matteo Fabbro, TEAM KATUSHA ALPECIN, at 03:18
51. Luke Rowe, TEAM SKY, at 03:19
52. Iljo Keisse, QUICK – STEP FLOORS, at 03:22
53. Rúben Guerreiro, TREK – SEGAFREDO, at 03:24
54. Jasper Stuyven, TREK – SEGAFREDO, at 03:28
55. Jasper Philipsen, HAGENS BERMAN AXEON, at 03:29
56. Taylor (t.j.) Eisenhart, HOLOWESKO | CITADEL P/B ARAPAHOE RESOURCES, at 03:31
57. Stijn Vandenbergh, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 03:32
58. Cyril Gautier, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 03:32
59. Nicola Conci, TREK – SEGAFREDO, at 03:32
60. Peter Sagan, BORA – HANSGROHE, at 03:39
61. Benoit Cosnefroy, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 03:39
62. Danilo Wyss, BMC RACING TEAM, at 03:40
63. Sebastian Henao Gomez, TEAM SKY, at 03:44
64. Antwan Tolhoek, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at 03:48
65. Maarten Wynants, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at 03:52
66. Pawel Poljanski, BORA – HANSGROHE, at 03:54
67. Fernando Gaviria Rendon, QUICK – STEP FLOORS, at 03:54
68. Edward Ravasi, UAE TEAM EMIRATES, at 03:56
69. Jhonnatan Narvaez, QUICK – STEP FLOORS, at 04:06