Stage 3 Play by Play
17:17:16 Don't forget. Send in your commments and questions to us at amgentoc2007@yahoo.com.16:52:24 Stay tuned for another exciting race tomorrow. Stage 4 from Seaside to San Luis Obispo starts at 10, coverage begins at 9:45.
15:12:36 1. Jens Voigt (G), CSC
2. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Discovery
3. Chris Horner (USA) Predictor Lotto.
Leipheimer holds the jersey and it looks like Jens Voigt has moved into second overall.
15:09:19
It's Jens Voigt! Jens Voigt charges through the last turn and takes the win.
15:08:17
To finish - the chase group is coming up fast.
15:06:02
It looks like Leipheimer will hold his jersey. As the three men enter the final kilometer, Leipheimer is driving hard at the front.
15:04:41
Correction - We have 2km to go.
15:04:41
Correction - We have 2km to go.
15:04:38
Correction - We have 2km to go.
15:04:08
Voigt fades back and then attacks hard. Now we see Voigt in the lead with Leipheimer and Horner on his wheel. We have 5km to go.
14:58:42
With nine kilometers to go, the men up front are driving hard. The gap is not changing and it looks like the day's winner is going to come from this group.
14:56:02
Leipheimer is driving hard at the front of the group. Our latest time check gives this lead group is still hoding at 1:00.
14:53:02
Bruyneel comes up to give Leipheimer some encouragement. Lance Armstrong is riding shotgun in the Disco car, by the way.
14:50:43
The leaders are 15km from the finish.
14:49:39
The five leaders are at the bottom of the long drop off of Sierra Road. Leipheimer is doing the bulk of the work, with McCartney lending a hand. Horner is doing his share, too.
14:47:44
are charging down the descent of Sierra road. The gap is still holding at about 1:00.
14:44:08
The gap between the two front groups is holding at about 1:00
14:43:05
The chase group is at about 1:00. There are about 15 riders in the second group chasing the five leaders.
14:41:34
The five men up front include race leader Levi Leipheimer (Discovery); Jens Voigt (CSC); Chris Horner (Predictor Lotto); Robert Gesink (Rabobak) and Jason McCartney (Discovery)
14:38:59
The second group comes over at about 35 seconds. It's a large group, including Paolo Bettini and several riders from the original break.
14:35:26
Leipheimer leads the group over the top of the climb... now it's 22km down to the finish.
14:31:52
Correction: The Rabobank with Leipheimer is Robert Gesink.
14:30:25
We have Jason McCartney, Jens Voigt, Michael Rasmussen, Chris Horner...
is riding like a race leader. He's riding at the front of an elite group of five riders: Horner, Voigt, Rasmussen and McCartney.
14:26:20
We had technical troubles and we're back.
Up front Jens Voigt and Jason McCartney are the only men in the break that have not been passed by Levi Leipheimer.
14:14:17
Some observations from the start:
Michael Rasmussen: My leg feels fine, but I’ve caught a cold and don’t feel well at all. I’ll be lucky if I finish the tour.
Jens Voigt: J.J. was so far ahead of everyone, he had time to look back and say, ‘Come on guys. Aren’t you still pedaling?’
Tom Danielson: I learned a few things on Sierra Road last year. One thing I learned is that I need to start this race with better form…. Losing Zabriskie was a bummer. He looked really fit. I don’t see any other riders being a major threat for the time trial. Honestly, the riders I expect to be best in the time trial are all on my team.
Lance Armstrong is at the race today, riding in the Discovery Channel car with director Johan Bruyneel. He didn’t make an appearance at the start – maybe he’ll say hello to the crowds at the finish.
14:07:15
Milne is on the flats before the day's big climb. He's got about 40 seconds ahead of the other men in the break. We'll get a time check on the peloton ASAP.
13:58:39
The gap is around 3:30. The big unknown, though, is what the 10km up Sierra Road will do. For Discovery, the worst-case scenario is that Leipheimer's teammates have spent too much effort chasing and he may find himself quite isolated as the climbers from other teams put on the pressure.
13:54:54
The Slipstream team has put a rider in the front of the peloton. The men in Argyle may be deciding to protect the second-place spot on GC, now held by their guy Jason Donald. Meanwhile, Milne is leading the break by about 25 seconds and the rest of the break is holding a 3:50 lead on the main field.
13:50:33
Shawn Milne tries his hand at an attack. Over the top of a little unrated climb, Milne has scampered off the front. The HealthNet man is trying to get a bit of advantage before the climb up Sierra Road.
13:44:10
With a bit of pressure off of Discovery, the help from Rabobank has given the team a chance to rest and pick the pace up. The gap is about 3:50...
13:39:49
Despite the fact that Rabobank has Bram De Groot in the break, the team has moved to the front to lend the Discovery team a hand. That may be an indication that the Dutch team doesn't have a lot of faith in their guy's chances on the climb up Sierra Road.
13:36:34
The gap is at around 5:00. The full responsibility for the chase is still on Discovery's shoulders and it's not going well for them.
13:34:17
The break is all together working its way up the unrated climb at about 90km
13:18:39
Caught. Weird as that move was, it didn't last all that long. McCartney was quickly pulled back on the descent.
13:17:01
Discovery's Jason McCartney is attacking out of the break on the unrated climb at around 77km. His former companions are not putting in a huge effort, and may well be content to keep him hanging out on his own out there.
13:07:38
The CSC boys in the field are riding directly behind an increasingly frustrated Levi Leipheimer. The CSC team, though, looks relaxed and happy.
We got a call from VeloNews editorial director, John Wilcockson, who is up on the climb at Sierra Road. He says it's chilly up there, but despite the weather, the crowds are huge.
13:02:15
The leaders are coming up to the sprint point. Jens Voigt is going for it, too.
The men in the break:
Jurgen Van De Walle (Quick Step)
Shawn Milne (Health Net Presented By Maxxis)
Mauro Da Dalto (Liquigas)
Jens Voigt (Team CSC)
Theo Eltink (Rabobank)
Bram De Groot (Rabobank)
Charly Wegelius (Liquigas)
Steven Cozza (Team Slipstream powered by Chipotle)
William Frischkorn (Team Slipstream powered by Chipotle)
Nicolar Reistad (Jelly Belly Cycling Team)
Peter Hatton (Colavita Sutter Home)
Kirk O'Bee (Health Net Presented By Maxxis)
Mads Kaggestad (Credit Agricole)
Kyle Gritters (Health Net Presented By Maxxis)
Adam Hansen (T-mobile)
and Aaron Olsen (T-mobile)
Jason McCartney (Discovery)
12:51:45
Jens Voigt is smiling as the lead group is coming down Patterson Pass - at around 55km. This break is playing right into the CSC squad's hands. Even if it fails and they are swept up by the peloton, the team can launch its stronger climbers - Julich and possibly Vande Velde - out of the main field once they reach the day's big climb at 114km (peaking out at 128.7km).
12:45:28
The peloton is over the top of the climb, about 2:30 behind the leaders.
12:41:34
Frischkorn gets it, denying Van de Walle the top points, but the Quick Step man gets three points, which would put him into a tie for the top spot.
12:40:02
Jurgen Van de Waal will try to snag some points, but Frischkorn is there to protect the climber's jersey of his teammate Thomas Peterson.
12:34:37
The time gap is now 2:15.
8 Jens Voigt (CSC)
14 Bram De Groot (Rabobank)
26 Jason McCartney (Discovery Channel)
33 Hiekmann (Gerolsteiner)
46 Aaron Olsen
48 Jakob Piil (T-Mobile)
66 Van De Walle (Quick Step-Innergetic)
54 Kaggestad (Crédit Agricole)
73 Da Dalto
77 Wegelius
78 Willems (Liquigas)
103 Gritters
106 Shawn Milne
107 Kirk O’Bee (Health Net-Maxxis)
112 Steven Cozza (Slipstream-Chipotle)
115 Will Frischkorn (??)
137 Nick Reistad (Jelly Belly)
146 Brian Sheedy (Priority Health)
166 Mike Sayers (BMC)
12:25:49
Horner's guys are drifting back and leaving the chase work to the Discovery team.
The gap is now at 1:33. Just to update folks, the men in the break are as follows:
Jurgen Van De Walle (Quick Step)
Shawn Milne (Health Net Presented By Maxxis)
Mauro Da Dalto (Liquigas)
Jens Voigt (Team CSC)
Theo Eltink (Rabobank)
Bram De Groot (Rabobank)
Charly Wegelius (Liquigas)
Steven Cozza (Team Slipstream powered by Chipotle)
William Frischkorn (Team Slipstream powered by Chipotle)
Nicolar Reistad (Jelly Belly Cycling Team)
Peter Hatton (Colavita Sutter Home)
Kirk O'Bee (Health Net Presented By Maxxis)
Mads Kaggestad (Credit Agricole)
Kyle Gritters (Health Net Presented By Maxxis)
Adam Hansen (T-mobile)
and Aaron Olsen (T-mobile)
12:16:29
Leipheimer and several riders in the break are taking off their wind vests. The sun is making a few appearances, but for the most part it's a cool and cloudy day.
12:15:01
Levi Leipheimer is talking to Chris Horner, trying to get a couple more Lotto riders to lend a hand. Horner, with his usual grin, shook his head no. Leipheimer isn't too happy. That big, dangerous, group up front is putting pressure on the yellow jersey.
12:14:24
There is some power in this break. The men in the lead are adding to their lead. Our latest time check gives them about 1:00.
12:04:21
The men in the break:
Jurgen Van De Walle (Quick Step), Shawn Milne (Health Net Presented By Maxxis), Mauro Da Dalto (Liquigas), Jens Voigt (Team CSC), Theo Eltink (Rabobank), Bram De Groot (Rabobank), Charly Wegelius (Liquigas), Steven Cozza (Team Slipstream powered by Chipotle), William Frischkorn (Team Slipstream powered by Chipotle), Nicolar Reistad (Jelly Belly Cycling Team), Peter Hatton (Colavita Sutter Home), Kirk O'Bee (Health Net Presented By Maxxis), Mads Kaggestad (Credit Agricole), Kyle Gritters (Health Net Presented By Maxxis), Adam Hansen (T-mobile), and Aaron Olsen (T-mobile)
11:35:30
Attacks continue. We have a group off the front... but the leaders include Jens Voigt and a few dangerous riders. We doubt this will stick.
11:30:34
All together. T-Mobile sent Michael Barry up front and the group was swept up. Lots and lots of attacks... it will continue until one of these sticks.
11:29:01
They have company. A small cadre of riders bridged up to the two men off the front, but the peloton has swept up the whole bunch. Now Colavita's David Frattini is trying his hand.
11:27:20
Early attack. Will Frischkorn and Alejandro Acton have gone off the front, but the peloton has reacted quickly.
11:25:25
And they're off! The peloton has crossed the official start mark and we may well see some of the small, more aggressive, teams take an early dig.
11:00:30
Good day -and welcome to VeloNews.com's Live Coverage of the 3rd stage of the 2007 Amgen Tour of California, a beautiful 152.2km (94.6 mile) stage from Stockton to San Jose.
Today's stage is slatd to start at 11:00 with 10 kilometers of neutral as the peloton rides two parade laps around downtown Stockton before they hit the Zero Km mark. The day's first hurdle is the Category 4 climb up Patterson Pass, which peaks out at 55.3km. Today features only one bonus sprint - in Livermore at 71.2km. Then comes the day's big obstacle... the Cat. 1 climb up Sierra Road, a tough haul that tops out at 123.1km. It's a tough climb and we could see a decisive move develop on the climb, because it's a fast 30km to the finish after the top.
10:31:14
That's all for today. Stay tuned for tomorrow's Stage 3 race from Stockton to San Jose starting at 11:00 am.
