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Last Updated: 2 Apr 2018 - 8:45:17 PM |
TOUR OF CALIFORNIA: ROCHE ON ATTACK ON STAGE THREE, SAGAN WINS AGAIN
By Shane Stokes
16 May 2012,
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| Peter Sagan takes win number three |
After dominating the finishing sprints in the first and second stage of the race, Peter Sagan (Liquigas Cannondale) completed a hat-trick when he sprinted to his third consecutive victory in this year’s Amgen Tour of California.
The Slovakian rider beat Heinrich Haussler (Garmin Barracuda) and Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma Quick Step) plus the rest of the front group, clocking up another time bonus.
He consequently extended his overall lead over triple runner-up Haussler to twelve seconds, with Jeff Louder (UnitedHealthcare) a further dozen seconds behind.
Irish duo Nicolas Roche (Ag2r La Mondiale) and Philip Deignan (UnitedHealthcare) both finished in the main peloton and remain in contention overall. Roche was aggressive in the finale, going clear for several kilometres with Fabio Duarte (Colombia Coldeportes) but the duo were reeled in eight and a half kilometers from the line.
He placed 47th at the finish with Deignan 65th. Both were in the same time as Sagan, and are 36th and 41st overall, 30 seconds back.
EARLY MOVE, THEN ROCHE SEIZES CHANCE LATER ON:
Soon after the start in San Jose, Jeremy Vennell (Bissell), Sebastian Salas (Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies), Pat McCarty (Spidertech powered by C10) and Wilson Marentes (Colombia-Coldeportes) attacked, opening a lead of over eight minutes over the first two climbs of the stage.
Differences in their strength and commitment became clear later on and 69 kilometres from the line, Vennell and Marentes pushed onwards. However they would be reeled in 45 kilometres later, ending their time out front.
Roche played his card on the last climb of the day, Patterson Pass (km 170.5). The Ag2r La Mondiale rider was tracking a move launched by former world under 23 champion Fabio Duarte (Colombia Coldeportes). While the Colombian was stronger on the climb and did the bulk of the work there, leading them over the top 18 seconds clear, Roche came through after the summit and drove the pace along.
However the peloton was determined to set up a bunch finish and was chasing hard behind. With 8.5 kilometres to go, Roche and Duarte shook hands, realizing that the move was futile. They sat up and waited for the chasers.
Other attacks followed but, predictably, these efforts didn’t get far ahead of the attentive peloton. The Rabobank team of Michael Matthews and the Liquigas Cannondale squad of race leader Peter Sagan did a lot of the work to keep things together, with the race leader sitting back in the peloton until close to the line.
That prompted speculation about whether or not he was going to dispute the sprint, but he quickly moved up inside the final two kilometres, pushed into a good position before the final corner, then blasted home for his third consecutive win.
Roche and Deignan finished in the same group and are settling in well prior to the harder stages ahead. Roche had a scare on day one when he crashed just outside the three kilometres to go point, being brought down by Michael Matthews (Rabobank), who had clipped a wheel. Fortunately he was given the same time as the bunch, and didn’t incur any losses.
Deignan was active towards the end of stage two, driving the pace on the final climb of Bear Creek, sending many riders out the back and leading over the summit.
Roche was 19th on the stage with Deignan 50th. They are now 36th and 41st overall heading into today’s 209.6 kilometre race from Sonora to Clovis, the longest of the race. A bunch sprint is the most likely outcome again, particularly as the race’s time trial follows tomorrow.
Both Irishmen will perform as well as possible there, then fight for high GC positions on the subsequent mountain stages to Big Bear Lake and Mount Baldy.
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Amgen Tour of California (2.HC), May 13 – 30:
Stage 1, May 13: Santa Rosa:
1, Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) 186.5km in 4 hours 42 mins 35 secs
2, Heinrich Haussler (Garmin – Barracuda)
3, Fred Rodriguez (Team Exergy)
4, Leigh Howard (Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team)
5, Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing Team)
6, George Hincapie (BMC Racing Team) all same time
Irish:
48, Philip Deignan (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team)
70, Nicolas Roche (AG2R La Mondiale) at 33 secs
Intermediate sprints:
Santa Rosa - km 52.2: 1, Jeffry Louder (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team) 5 pts
Santa Rosa - km 142.8: 1, Jeffry Louder (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team) 5 pts
KOMs:
Cazadero Hwy - km 104.4 : 1, David Boily (Spidertech Powered By C10) 4 pts
Ft. Ross Rd. - km 112 : 1, David Boily (Spidertech Powered By C10) 6 pts
Ft. Ross Rd. - km 117.9 : 1, David Boily (Spidertech Powered By C10) 6 pts
Coleman Valley Rd - km 149 : 1, David Boily (Spidertech Powered By C10) 6 pts
Stage 2, May 14: San Francisco - Santa Cruz County:
1, Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) 188.5km in 5 hours 2 mins
2, Heinrich Haussler (Garmin – Barracuda)
3, Leigh Howard (Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team)
4, Koen De Kort (Argos – Shimano)
5, Fred Rodriguez (Team Exergy)
6, Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing Team) all same time
Irish:
19, Nicolas Roche (AG2R La Mondiale)
50, Philip Deignan (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team) both same time
Sprint 1 - Pacifica, 27.9km : 1, Leigh Howard (Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team) 5 pts
Sprint 2 - Half Moon Bay, 41.6km : 1, Bradley White (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team) 5 pts
Sprint 3 - Summit Rd., 165.6km : 1, Marc De Maar (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team) 5 pts
KOM:
Empire Grade (Cat. 1) 123.9km : 1, Alexandre Geniez (Argos - Shimano) 10 pts
Bear Creek (Cat. 2) 154.7km :
1, Philip Deignan (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team) 8 pts
2, Christopher Jones (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team) 7
3, Rory Sutherland (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team) 6
4, Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (Rabobank Cycling Team) 5
5, Robert Gesink (Rabobank Cycling Team) 3
Stage 3, May 15: San Jose – Livermore:
1, Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) 185.5 km in 4 hours 50 mins 49 secs
2, Heinrich Haussler (Garmin – Barracuda)
3, Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quickstep)
4, Alexander Candelario (Team Optum presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies)
5, Lloyd Mondory (AG2R La Mondiale)
6, Fred Rodriguez (Team Exergy) all same time
Irish:
47, Nicolas Roche (AG2R La Mondiale)
65, Philip Deignan (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team) both same time
Sprint 1 - Livermore - km 45.5 : 1, Wilson Alexander Marentes Torres (Colombia - Coldeportes) 5 pts
KOMs:
Calaveras Rd. - km 8.4 : 1, Sébastian Salas (Team Optum presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies) 4 pts
Mount Diablo - km 87.4 : 1, Sébastian Salas (Team Optum presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies) 10 pts
Patterson Pass - km 170.5 :
1, Fabio Andres Duarte Arevalo (Colombia - Coldeportes) 6 pts
2, Nicolas Roche (AG2R La Mondiale) 5
3, Alexandre Geniez (Argos - Shimano) 4
4, Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) 3
5, Thomas Danielson (Garmin - Barracuda) 1
Young rider : 1, Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) at 4 hours 50 mins 49 secs
General classification after stage 3 :
1, Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale 1) at 4 hours 34 mins 54 secs
2, Heinrich Haussler (Garmin - Barracuda) at 12 secs
3, Jeffry Louder (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team) at 24 secs
4, Fred Rodriguez (Team Exergy) at 26 secs
5, Ben Jacques-Maynes (Bissell Cycling
6, Marc De Maar (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team) at 27 secs
Irish:
36, Nicolas Roche (AG2R La Mondiale) at 30 seconds
41, Philip Deignan (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team) same
Sprint classificaton :
1, Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) 45 pts
2, Heinrich Haussler (Garmin - Barracuda) 36
3, Leigh Howard (Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team) 22
KOM classification :
1, Sébastian Salas (Team Optum presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies) 36 pts
2, David Boily (Spidertech Powered By C10) 32
3, Jeremy Vennell (Bissell Cycling) 16
Irish:
8, Philip Deignan (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team) 8
17, Nicolas Roche (AG2R La Mondiale) 5
Young rider classification :
1, Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) 14 hours 34 mins 54 secs
2, Josh Atkins (Bontrager Livestrong Team) at 29 secs
3, Lawson Craddock (Bontrager Livestrong Team) at 30 secs
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