Category: Tour of California

Here's a sight that not many would have predicted when bike race organizers announced the most difficult mountain stage ever in the Amgen Tour of California:

Three-time champion Levi Leipheimer setting the pace for yellow jersey leader Chris Horner in the final kilometers to the finish on Mount Baldy.

Their RadioShack teammates had destroyed the field by setting a high pace throughout the 80-mile Stage 7, and the last rivals had dropped off the back before Leipheimer and Horner rolled across the finish line with a victory salute.

Unless something goes horribly wrong in the final Stage 8, Horner looks to be assured of a victory ….

Sixth place was good enough for Chris Horner (Radio Shack) to hold onto the yellow jersey after Friday's individual time trial concluded in Solvang at the Amgen Tour of California.

Dave Zabriskie (left, Garmin Cervelo) won the stage, setting a record over the 15-mile course. The previous record holder, Levi Leipheimer (RadioShack) finished second, 14 seconds behind Zabriskie.

While Horner remained in 1st overall, he lost time to Leipheimer who now trails his teammate by 38 seconds. This could result in some interesting team tactics on the summit finish of Mt. Baldy on Saturday. ….

Slovakian cyclist Peter Sagan (Liquigas) won a mass sprint after a grueling 134-mile bike race over four climbs on Thursday.

The Stage 5 race from Seaside to Paso Robles had been rerouted off the scenic Route 101 along the Pacific Coast several weeks ago because highway crews were still trying to clear landsides that blocked the road.

With the abandonment of Stage 1, the stage on Thursday served as the hump day. Only 3 stages remain….

Smiling all the way to the top of the Sierra Grade, Chris Horner catapulted himself into the lead of the Amgen Tour of California on Wednesday.

The veteran cyclist was part of a RadioShack group that appeared ready to help deliver team leader and three-time ATOC champion Levi Leipheimer to a victory on the mountainous Stage 4 bike race.

But when it came to the 9.4% grade on the Sierra Road, Horner set a pace that even Leipheimer couldn't follow ….

Sky Procycling captured its second sprint finish at the Amgen Tour of California on Tuesday, this time as Greg Henderson powered over the finish line.

The 34-year-old New Zealander usually sets up his teammates for victories, like Monday's sprint win in Sacramento by Ben Swift. But as he approached the finish line in front of the lead group in Modesto, he didn't see any teammates behind him so he kept hammering hard.

It made for a long sprint, but the trailing Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervelo) couldn't quite reach his back wheel. JJ Haedo (Saxo Bank) finished second with Hushovd in third …

A British cycling speedster earned the overall leader's jersey at the Amgen Tour of California on Monday by winning the mass sprint finish in Sacramento.

No, Mark Cavendish (HTC-Columbia) didn't return this year. He's battling for stage wins at the Giro d'Italia this week.

This is another sprinting phenom from the UK, Ben Swift for Team Sky. The victory in Sacramento marked the 23-year-old's fifth win this season.

After a Stage 1 snow cancellation at Lake Tahoe on Sunday, the weather continued to threaten ….

The snowy weather that gives the Sierra Nevada its name is chasing the Amgen Tour of California out of the mountains on Monday for a Stage 2 start at 12:15 p.m. (PT) in Nevada City.

The stage was supposed to start at 10:15 a.m. at North Lake Tahoe – Squaw Valley.

The new route picks up the Stage 2 route and wraps up in Sacramento at about the same time — 3:30 to 4 p.m. — for an abbreviated 61-mile stage …

UPDATE: 1:25 P.M, Sunday, May 15, 2011 — Organizers abandoned plans to go ahead with a shortened Stage 1 of the Amgen Tour of California and canceled the race due to inclement weather.

Snow showers and high winds were sweeping across the route. Race officials had earlier delayed the ride by nearly 3 hours and shortened the route. [Photo shows intermediate sprint site this morning in Tahoe City.]

CyclingNews reported that a group of cyclists staged a protest and refused to ride in the conditions. Race president Andrew Messick apparently talked to the cyclists as everyone lined up at the start line ready to go.

There aren't a lot of facts right now, but this will make for interesting reading later on ….

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The familiar voices of Phil Liggett, Paul Sherwen and Bob Roll return to cable on Sunday when the Versus network's daily live coverage begins for the Amgen Tour of California bike race.

The Versus network also will broadcast a recap every night at 11 p.m.

Meanwhile, the Amgen Tour of California website will offer live video-streaming of the race with Tour Tracker. RadioShack is sponsoring that coverage, which has been rebranded as The Shack Tour Tracker. ….

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Some of the cycling world's biggest winners will be rolling across the line in South Lake Tahoe on Sunday to begin the eight-day 2011 Amgen Tour of California.

Organizers released the rosters for the 18 teams on Wednesday, and it includes a host of Tour de France podium finishers, stage winners, and World and National Champions.

Last year's winner, Michael Rogers of HTC-Columbia, will be unable to defend his title due to illness. Three-time Tour of California winner Levi Leipheimer (RadioShack) of Santa Rosa will attempt ….

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