Pasadena, CA - February 21, 2009 – The day after the General Classification was all but decided, the penultimate stage of the 2009 Amgen Tour of California offered up the same difficult, hilly and technical course that was used as the final stage of last year’s race.With fans lining the demanding finishing circuit through the area surrounding the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Rinaldo Nocentini (ITA) of AG2R-La Mondiale edged out Hayden Roulston (NZL) of Cervelo Test Team in a photo finish, three-up sprint. Pieter Weening (NED) of Rabobank followed closely behind to take third.
The 31-year-old Italian, whose last major win came at the 2008 Gran Premio di Lugano had this to say after his victory. “We had two riders (of the 10) in the front group, so we are really happy how we played our tactics to our advantage. In the final sprint, I didn’t know the other two riders, but the way they played it was to my advantage. They set me up well for the finish that happened,” said Nocentini. “There was an initial attack by a Rabobank rider, but we worked together to keep the breakaway together in the last three kilometers. I was pretty confident I could win, but I didn’t know for sure. I’m very content with how it came out.”
“Stage 7 opened with a gradual 25-mile climb out of Santa Clarita, through Acton, to the intersection of Angeles Forest Road. Showcasing the breathtaking beauty of the San Gabriel Mountains, the course continued uphill to the massive Millcreek Summit, which at 4,906 ft. is the second-highest elevation ever reached in the race. The riders then headed down a 15-mile trek to Angeles Crest Highway before dropping precipitously to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Surrounded by mountains and the legendary stadium, the field concluded the stage with five challenging laps on a rolling five-mile circuit around the picturesque Rose Bowl.”
On the final day of the 2008 Amgen Tour of California, George Hincapie (Team Columbia-Highroad) sprinted to victory from a small breakaway group on the same difficult route. And early on during the stage, it looked as if Hincapie had similar plans.
The day began with several attacks and counter-attacks. After an hour and a half into the stage, Hincapie, Saxo Bank rider Frank Schleck (LUX) and five were finally able to establish a break.
“As the riders approached the only King of the Mountain (KOM) of the stage Millcreek Summit, team managers were urged to warn their riders about the enormous crowds lining the turns on the descent. A similar warning was issued as the pack headed into the finishing circuits at the Rose Bowl, a testament to the huge crowds that have turned out to watch the race throughout the past eight days.”
At 48 miles into the race, a break of 10 strong led by Hincapie, included Chris Baldwin (USA) of Rock Racing, Addy Engels (NED) of Quick Step, Martin Elmiger (SUI) of AG2R-La Mondiale, Markus Zberg (SUI) of Team BMC, Christian Vande Velde (USA) of Garmin-Slipstream, Schleck, Weening, Roulston, and Nocentini.
After a series of attacks on the final two laps, Weening, Nocentini and Roulston opened up a gap that proved to be the winning move. The trio dueled to the finish. With Roulston taking out the sprint along the left rail and Nocentini and Weening on the right there was some doubt as to who actually crossed the line first. But for a few premature celebrations when someone relaxes for a split second and gets pipped at the line, the winner always knows who came across the line first.
Results
1. Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale
2. Hayden Roulston (NZl) Cervélo TestTeam
3. Pieter Weening (Ned) Rabobank
4. Markus Zberg (Swi) BMC Racing Team
5. Martin Elmiger (Swi) AG2R La Mondiale
6. Chris Baldwin (USA) Rock Racing
7. George Hincapie (USA) Team Columbia - Highroad
8. Fränk Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank
9. Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin - Slipstream
10. Addy Engels (Ned) Quick Step
Levi Leipheimer retained the overall lead with 36 seconds over David Zabriskie (USA) of Garmin-Slipstream heading in the final stage of the race tomorrow.
General Classification
1. Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana
2. David Zabriskie (USA) Garmin - Slipstream
3. Michael Rogers (Aus) Team Columbia - Highroad
4. Jens Voigt (Ger) Team Saxo Bank
5. Thomas Lövkvist (Swe) Team Columbia - Highroad
6. Lance Armstrong (USA) Astana
7. Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank
8. Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Astana
9. Christopher Horner (USA) Astana
10. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas
News and Noteworthy
- Levi Leipheimer (USA) of Astana retained the overall lead heading into the final stage of the race, which will take riders into San Diego County for the first time, as they race from Rancho Bernardo to Escondido tomorrow.
“This was a hard stage in the beginning,” said Leipheimer. “There were a lot of attacks with riders dangerous for the overall general classification. It took a while before there was a breakaway with which we could agree.” Added Leipheimer, “The Rose Bowl had a ton of people on the floor today,”. “When we rode in, there was so much noise from the crowd. All of the guys were really motivated by that.”
- Amgen’s Breakaway from Cancer Most Courageous Rider Jersey went to Christian Vande Velde. On hand to present the jersey was actor Luke Wilson, who is an ambassador for Amgen’s Breakaway from Cancer™ initiative and Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C).
Other celebrities included Ginnifer Goodwin, Greg Grunberg, and SU2C founder and producer Laura Ziskin; Goodwin presented the leader jersey to Leipheimer.
- Aside from Levi Leipheimer, the man of the race had to be Rock Racing’s Francisco Mancebo (ESP). From his improbable solo victory on Stage 1 to his standing atop every single rider classification, Mancebo was a daily fixture on the podium. But late in the race, the KOM leader crashed on a descent and had to abandon due to medical needs. Jason McCartney (USA) of Saxo Bank claimed the California Travel & Tourism Commission King of the Mountain (KOM) Jersey as a result.
Rock Racing Team Statement: “Following his unfortunate crash during today’s stage, Francisco Mancebo is currently receiving medical attention at Huntington Memorial hospital in Pasadena. While we are still awaiting confirmation, we believe he has suffered a concussion as well as a broken hand and elbow. The fact he is unable to continue the race does not in any way diminish his accomplishments or those of the team. Attrition took its toll and we lost two incredible riders in Paco today and Victor Hugo Pena after Stage 4, but that’s bike racing. This is such an exciting team and I am incredibly proud of everything we’ve achieved this week.”
- Ivan Basso (Liquigas) missed his scheduled start time during yesterday's ITT in Solvang because of a knee injury.
Commented Basso, “I apologize for not commenting sooner, but it was very difficult to communicate what happened yesterday quickly because I got hurt early in the morning. I had been training earlier and I hit my knee on the handlebar of my bike. I started to feel bad during the warm-up; I couldn’t push the pedal...The medical staff was amazing. I had immediate attention yesterday, and they helped me last night and again this morning. I had an MRI to check on my knee and the doctor said that I could possibly do more damage if I continued to race, so it is best if I stop now. Small problems can sometimes turn into big problems, and as a cyclist, I need a clear mind to ride, and I just can’t continue knowing that I could do more damage. I have been given such great attention. I have raced many years as a professional and I can say that the level of the medical staff here is very high...I am very sad to leave here because this is a fantastic race. I did some of my best riding in the first three or four days; I was riding really well in front. I knew I didn’t have the legs to win the race, but my intention was to do my best. I want to thank everyone, including the fans, for their support. For me, I really enjoyed the first part of the week. It is a very important race, but it’s impossible to compete in a race like this with only one good leg....There is a really high level of competition and speed in this race, and you can’t race at only fifty percent. Also, continuing to race might make the injury worse, and in this race, there is really no time to recover. Every day there are sprint and King of the Mountain (KOM) competitions, and the level of competition here is really high. This is one of the best races in the world. All of the best riders are here, and even when people are only going at fifty percent, it’s still a fast race...In the first couple of days, a lot of interesting things were happening; everyone was going full gas the whole time. But in this situation, I can’t continue. I am very sad and I promise to come again next year and do well. I have received so much support from the race staff, the fans, everyone...Again, I want to say thank you to everyone for their support, and congratulations on such a great race. I also want to say thank you to my team and the sponsors for their support. It is a great feeling knowing everyone is there for me”
Next: Stage 8 – Rancho Bernardo to Escondido (96.8 mi/155.8 km)
"Often major tours end with a largely ceremonial stage, but not the Amgen Tour of California. For the second consecutive year, the final stage will be a challenging point-to-point excursion that might produce a change in the overall leadership. In addition to two sprints, the peloton will face four King of the Mountains climbs that could force the KOM jersey to change hands as well. Amgen sponsors Stage 8, which includes the mammoth climb of Palomar Mountain, the highest point ever reached at the Amgen Tour of California at 5,123 feet. The ascent unfolds over 11.7 miles and 21 switchbacks at an average gradient of 7%. There is one last climb after Palomar Mountain on which two-time defending champion Levi Leipheimer expects a bevy of frantic last gasp attacks to ensue in pursuit of the yellow jersey. It will be a thrilling fight to the finish as winning the final stage of a major race is a highly coveted honor."
Floyd Landis (USA) of Ouch presented by Maxxis trains on the mountain and provided a glimpse into what the riders can expect tomorrow.
“The climb is pretty consistent and it goes from a five or six percent grade to an eight percent grade,” said Landis. “It’s as hard of a climb as you’ll find anywhere, especially at this stage in the race. After a week-long stage race, a lot of guys are tired, so the peloton will probably split up easier.”
Photos: AP (first); Vero Image (second & third)
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