They've pushed the start time back from 10:15 to 11:45, and should therefore be starting under sunny skies and on dry-ish roads after a thorough soaking rain last night. Winds are from the W and SW at around 10mph today, and generally crosswinds for the long stretch heading south on Mines Rd and San Antonio Rd.
I covered the main climb on this stage in some detail here, so will not elaborate further, except to say Mt Hamilton is a bitch of a climb with horrible, asphalt washboard road that will have your Garmin reporting grades for 14,16 and up to 24% right at the top. Temps will be mid-50s at the top of Hamilton, and its eastern face will be sunny, protected from the wind, and fairly warm.
Expect to see a lot of clothing being stripped off on the long descent to the base of Hamilton from the junction of San Antonio Rd and Del Puerto Canyon Rd, which took the riders into Patterson last year after their climb up Mines Rd.
Great times for European sports fans, as I watched Dirk Nowitzki play the closest thing to a perfect basketball game I've seen in almost 30 years. Really, and truly a fantastic, perhaps once in a lifetime performance.
I kind of enjoyed the poor-man's live blogging from the comments section below yesterday, so think I'll get me a big cup of coffee and have another go at that in a few minutes.
Post Script: An emotional day for Andy Schleck, as his teammate Wouter Weylandt was laid to rest in Belgium today. 2,000 friends, family and fans paid their respects. Schleck was reportedly in tears at the start. A fitting tribute to life cut tragically short.
Congratulations to Chris Horner, and Levi Leipheimer, who now hold 1st and 2nd place in the general category. They worked their butts off, as did all of the RadioShack squad, so deserved it. Rumor was Lance Armstrong was in the crowd watching..
78 comments:
Again, another great report.
Looks better with the dry and snow-free conditions.
Bet those legs are talking after the winds yesterday.
Thank you, and good morning Robin. How is SC today? Hot again?
A 10-man breakaway group has formed, in what is still flat terrain, and has 40 seconds on the pack.
With Thor Hushovd in the breakaway, they are opening up a gap fast. Now up to 2:40. Don't have his telemetry, but at 180 lbs, and good climbing legs, he has the watts to blow open a big lead at the front of a 10-man breakaway.
Besides Hushovd, the other 9 breakaway riders are Martin Pedersen (Leopard Trek), Lars Boom (Rabobank Cycling Team), Rubens Bertogliati (Team Type 1-Sanofi Aventis), Will Routley (Team Spidertech Powered By C10), Ben Jacques-Maynes (Bissell Cycling), Jeremy Vennell (Bissell Cycling), Alastair Loutit (Jelly Belly p/b Kenda), Jesse Anthony (Kelly Benefit Strategies-OptumHealth) and James Stemper (Kenda/5-hour Energy Pro Cycling presented by Geargrinder)
Results of the 1st KOM are
Lars Boom
Will Routley
Jesse Anthony
Rubens Bertogliati
Gap now 2:30-ish
CyclingNews.com is reporting light rain and damp roads, but not soaking rain or the fierce winds of yesterday.
As Sac is about 60 miles east of the course today, as the crow flies, whatever weather they get, we'll be getting here in 6 hours or so.
If you like cherries look for them in a store near you. Mine are epic this year as I recently fertilized, and with the rain I'm sure the packing sheds around Lodi are working 100+ hour weeks to get those out to market before the rain spoils them.
Rubens Bertogliati (Team Type 1-Sanofi Aventis), one of the riders in the break, told Laura Weislo that he will be hanging out in the US to race the Philadelphia International Classic with his teammate Aldo Ino Ilesci in early June. The two loved Tahoe so much they're going to rent an apartment after the Tour of California and stay up there to get some altitude training in before heading to Philly.
Yeah, Tahoe is the bomb for training. I still prefer Minden, Nv, but both provide access to the greatest training routes in the world. There are at least a dozen good passes in the area, and 4-5 that are epic HCs.
Very dissappointed, as it looks like the Shack Tracker won't start coverage until after the Mt Hamilton climb when starting at 1:55PM PDT.
Radioshack is controlling the Peleton for Leipheimer, who is a favorite to win this climbing stage with the mtn top finish he's campaigned for several years in a row now.
Gap now down to the 1:35 range.
Hard to tell exactly from the TourTracker, but it looks like they are getting close to the junction, and will start heading downhill to the base of Mt Hamilton soon.
On the fast descent of San Antonio Rd the breakaway is being reeled in and the gap is under a minute now. RadioShack will want their team leading up and over the approach climb to Mt Hamilton for Leipheimer.
Sounds like they are not yet at the junction - marked by the only sign of human habitation - a small bar and grill that anchors the 2nd rest stop on the Canyon Classic, and hosts the lunch stop for the recent Devil Mountain Double Century.
After the junction, the road is straight and fast and slightly downhill for about 5 miles iirc. Normally a carpet of wildflowers until the 1st of May.
LOL, yeah, about that downhill feed zone, too fast for some riders to catch their feed bag, and not much time for the domestics to fetch them one. Hope they have some high-GI fuel on them or they aren't going to be competitive on Hamilton.
The Peleton is FLYING down that shallow downgrade of San Antonio Rd. The kind of shallow grade that invites you to put down some power and fly, not the kind that heats up your brakes. I'm guessing 30+ mph.
There are some VERY rough, steep, twisting, descending turns at the end of that straight, so expect some crashes.
Humm, it looks like the summit of the approach climb to Hamilton is itself a KOM. All the more necessary for RadioShack to be up front, ensuring Leipheimer's rotation at the front gets him a KOM with the break swallowed fully up.
I think Thor Hushovd should contest RadioShack's plan, and hammer the approach climb. He'll have time to recover somewhat on the descent to the base of the main Hamilton climb, and being a good climber, his best shot at controlling the climb.
10 minutes till the Shack Tour Tracker starts coverage. They'll be on Hamilton by then, but not over it. Yeah!!!
I think CyclingNews has Thor's strategy wrong. I think he went with the break to push the pace. A big, strong, high-wattage climber should press his power advantage in the 'flats' visa-vie the kites by pushing the pace all the way to the climb. With a 10-man break, he's not exactly going it alone. Smart move Thor!
Results of the 2nd KOM are..
Will Routley
Jesse Anthony
Lars Boom
Rubens Bertogliati
The gap is back up to 1:10 as they are at the steep, twisty descent now. Let's hope there are no crashes.
They should be seeing the 2 small lakes that mark the bottom of the descent right about NOW. 5KM to the approach climb, and 7KM to the main climb. Time to hit the G-A-S guys!!!
Tour Tracker is coming up ....
Mt Hamilton was omitted last year, and has been somewhat controversial as it pretty much decided the entire race on the 3rd stage back in 2009.
TT up... RadioShack all together at the front
Chopper's right down in the trees. Looks like a scene from Apocalypse Now! Green, green, green. WOW. What beauty!
They're on the approach climb now!
Thor's up front of RadioShack and the Peleton! Go big guy!
Looks like they are on the main climb now. WOW these guys are strong/fast. Oh to be 20-something again.
http://shacktracker.amgentourofcalifornia.com/
hope you're watching
13mph up Hamilton. I didn't average 5 on the Canyon Classic.
Rubens Bertogliati just barely holding a lead over RadioShack at the head of the Peleton.
As expected, all of the foul wx gear is gone, and jerseys are all zipped down in front.
Jens Voight and Ryder Heyjadal right behind RadioShack, who are really pushing the pace. This road is so steep it's just barely hanging onto the mountain. The surface is very poor, and the descent can be very treacherous and unforgiving.
1 lone break rider is only 30 meters ahead of RadioShack.
Somebody hand Phil a map. He doesn't seem to realize they are already ON Mt Hamilton.
They've just passed thru the large hair-pin turn. The immediate aftermath is flatish, but morphs into the 2nd steepest grade of the climb in about 300 yards.
The Peleton is TOTALLY shattered. Just a long string of sub-groups. SaxoBank has fallen off the back.
Chris Horner is at the front, sudding it up big-time.
They're done with the climb... cresting now.. really flying
Lead group is ~ 30 riders. Descent is very technical, and speeds over 50mph for the bricks.
Descending through fog now. RadioShack still controlling the race.
This is a very long 4,000 ft descent. About 20 miles worth.
A nice, and rare, longish straight stretch just now on the descent.
Ryder Hesjedal (Team Garmin-Cervelo) launches an attack on a small climb that interrupts the descent. A good bit of road for a Cross rider.
Schleck is trying to address a flatting tire, and has been waiting for a team car for some time now.
Flatting tire on a technical descent... uuugh. Good luck Andy.
Martens and Hesjedal on a small 2-man break.
Hesjedal is leaving Martens behind, as well as RadioShack. Martens looks out of control at times, while Hesjedal seems to be nailing every turn, diving into the apex of each turn. Risky descent though at Hesjedal's speeds.
RadioShack firmly in control at the front of the Peleton. Hesjedal and Martens off the front, though Hesjedal is 800 yards ahead of Martens.
A slight uphill in the course right now, and Hesjedal has waited for Martens to join his effort off the front.
Schleck seems to have only needed a couple of water bottles, so is on the back of the Peleton.
Don't know if it's offered, but it would be worth $50 to get a ride up to the top of Hamilton just to do this roller-coaster descent. What a blast!!!
Wow, Hesjedal is within inches of the white line at the edge of the road on what is increasingly a course of long, gently bending descents.
Martens is off the course!
Hesjedal tried to wait, but Martens is off, safely, on a small bit of gravel road.
This is the one and ONLY part of the race where I'd beat the entire pack. At 5'9", a 29" inseam, riding a 54cm and 190 lbs I go downhill like greased lightening, often passing kites pedaling furiously in 53-11 gears. I'd be the guy with a bad case of perma-grin as I passed Hesjedal! :D
Oh, Martens has rejoined Hesjedal now.
Peleton's speed ~ 36mph.
Someone tell Hesjedal to move his seat forward 25mm. He's way off the front of the seat.
Crowds 3-4 deep on both sides of the road as we start up Sierra Rd.
Hesjedal has dropped Martens like a greased turd.
Schleck is right behind Leipheimer, who's in 3rd position at the front of the Peleton.
RadioShack at the front of the Peleton totally controlling the pace.
Peleton just swallowed up Martens
BIG George is moving up through the Peleton
Horner and Leiphimer putting the hammer down, dropping the Peleton, still 30 seconds to Hesjedal.
15 seconds now
Ryder is caught! Hushovd moving up.
Horner dropping Leipheimer!
TJ VanGarderen leading a small chase group
Horner dancing on the pedals now, still opening the gap as he climbs away.
Hesjedal is hanging with Leipheimer, and their being joined by Rory Sutherland
Horner opens gap to over a minute
I wonder if Leipheimer missed his feed bag???
Horner is less than 800 meters from the finish
500 meter marker passed
200 meter marker passed. Horner has a big smile for the crowd
Horner's finished!
Schleck is trying to break away from Leipheimer and Southerland
Horner up by 1:15 on the chase group
Horner wins the stage, and the overall, and will be wearing the yellow jersey tomorrow.
at 1:15+
Schleck
Sutherland
Leipheimer
Post a Comment