Stage 6 Play by Play
15:20:18 We will be here for the final stage of the Tour of California, the Long Beach Circuit Race which begins at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Sunday, February 25. Take care and "see" you tomorrow.15:20:02 Don't forget today's special at AMGEN's Official Tour of California Store is 20% off jerseys. Just go to http://amgentourofcaliforniastore.com and use the code: ATOC to recieve your 20% discount on jerseys.
15:19:31 Official Results will be posted as soon as they are in. Check our standings page at http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/race-live/standings.html for jersey holders and overall standings as soon as they are official tonight.
15:18:19 Levi Leipheimer holds the lead in the Tour of California, while Jens Voigt stays in the leaders jersey.
15:18:04 Unofficial Stage 6 results: 1. JJ Haedo (Arg) CSC 2. Greg Henderson (NZ) T-Mobile 3. Paolo Bettini (I), Quick Step.
15:10:38 Greg Henderson of T-Mobile looks to have grabbed 2nd.
15:10:13 It appears that Bettini may have gotten his wheel in third, but we'll wait for official word.
15:10:08 Levi's jersey is safe. We'll wait for official results to name the KOM winner and give you the top finishers. It was close.
15:07:57 JJ HAEDO DOES IT! OUT OF NOWHERE!
15:07:23 Here they come. Its a sprint.
15:07:02 1km to go
15:06:18 We see the sprinters' teams lining up: T-Mobile, CSC and Credit Agricole.
15:05:57 Bettini is moving up. About 10th wheel right now.
15:05:30 It is going to be another sprint for the finish.
15:03:54 Captured!
15:03:32 The break is looking over its shoulders at the catching peloton. Literally.
15:02:37 The catch is close. They are in view.
15:01:13 The gap is less than 30 seconds. There will likely be a catch.
15:00:45 1 lap to go!
15:00:27 3 miles remaining as the bell lap has begun.
14:59:52 Closing in. The peloton is driving hard and the gap is narrowing. The peloton is riding hard in single file. Up front O'Grady is taking big pulls at the front.
14:55:14 The gap is around 45 seconds.
14:53:54 This is a strong group. The lead group is powering through the finish zone. There are now two laps to go. We'll get a time check in a minute.
14:50:15 The men up front are showing signs of wear, but they only have 13km to go.
14:49:48 The gap at the finish line is 1:10 and there are three laps to go.
14:47:11 The leaders are in town and they have three trips around a 5.7km circuit to cover.
14:44:12 The gap is less than one minute. The HealthNet help has made an impact.
14:42:59 Discovery gets help. HealthNet is now lending a hand in the chase.
14:42:35 Today's special at AMGEN's Official Tour of California Store is 20% off jerseys. Just go to http://amgentourofcaliforniastore.com and use the code: ATOC to recieve your 20% discount on jerseys.
14:40:48 The leaders are charging into Santa Clarita. The latest time check is still about 90 seconds. The leaders are working together, but the Disco team is pushing it hard.
14:38:52 The time check. The Discovery effort is payoff and the gap is coming down. The latest time check is 1:25
14:32:53 Saul Raisin
VeloNews had dinner with Credit Agricole's Saul Raisin last evening.
Folks, most of you know Raisin's story, but we were struck by just how close this young man came to dying last year after his crash at the Circuit de la Sarthe. The then-23-year-old Raisin suffered a serious brain hemorrhage and apparently came within minutes of losing his life. It's remarkable, especially when you consider how well he's doing these days. Raisin is here in California, riding the route of each stage and preparing for a return to the professional peloton next year. In the mean time, he's been hosting a series of fundraising rides to generate contributions to three of his favorite charities, which focus on the work to help those who have suffered serious brain injuries. Take a chance to stop in and learn more about Raisin Hope at https://www.sportsbaseonline.com/Series.aspx?id=216
14:31:54 Time check - The marker board man shows a gap of 1:30
14:30:00 Can it stick?
We called Jonathon Vaughters - director of the Slipstream team. He said he's uncertain about ths break's chances, but "it sure has been fun to watch."
"We have nine strong riders up front, being chased by six strong Discovery riders. It's a battle of wills. It's been interesting to watch Discovery under that kind of pressure."
With CSC poised at the ready, right behind the Discovery team, Vaughters says he expects another dig by CSC if and when the catch happens.
"They sure aren't giving up," Vaughters said. "It'll be hard to pull off, but look at what and who they have there. They have Jens, Bobby... Christian. All up there and ready to give it a try."
14:21:43 Time check. The Disco effort is paying off. The latest time gap is now showing as 1:50.
14:20:27 The peloton is in single file. It's all Disco at the front. Right behind the leader's team is the CSC team.
14:18:06 Time check - gap board shows a 2:05 lead for the break group.
14:17:51 50km to go - The peloton is working its way across a rough section of gravel and it appears that no one suffered any difficulty over that potentially tire-popping terrain.
14:11:50 O'Grady is driving hard at the front of the break. The time check gives the leaders 2:20. Maybe Julich was right about the effect the camera bike was having.
14:05:23 Julich Rides off the front to offer a friendly reminder to the camera bike to stay far enough away from the Disco boys. We believe those gestures were a way to explain the basics of aerodynamics and how that might affect the day's outcome.
14:00:36 Gap is shrinking. The man with the marker board shows a time check of 2:05.
13:58:30 Off the descent out of the Balcolm Canyon area. The leaders are still about 3:00 ahead of the Discovery led main field. There are about 60km remaining.
In the front of the yellow jersey group the bulk is being done by Hincapie, Danielson and Basso.
13:45:07 Time check. The leaders are holding their own, having extended their advantage to 3:00.
13:29:58 Sorry. That is STUART O'Grady
13:29:01 Time check - The time gap is 2:35. Sutart O'Grady is now the virtual leader of the Tour of California, but there are still 75km remaining. A lot can happen and we're sure it will.
13:28:28 No more rated climbs, but there are two more unrated climbs that don't look all that easy.
13:27:19 For viewers trying to tune into our Live video broadcast in our Tour Tracker. We are experiencing some technical difficulties and the footage may be very choppy. Please bear with us as we work out any issues that may hinder your viewing.
13:23:28 Danielson driving at the front as the yellow jersey group crosses 2:17 behind the leaders.
13:23:12 Crazy fan. One fan bumped into Hincapie. He was startled but he didn't go down.
13:21:33 Up and over. There are huge crowds on this climb. We saw the Pope and now the grim reaper is running along side the peloton.
13:21:03 We've seen it all
We know the Devil from the Tour. We now have the Specialized Angel and now there's a guy running along side the leaders in a Pope costume. Nice touch! Holy.... how do they manage to rate this a Cat. 4 climb. This thing is steep!
13:20:41 This is a knee buster. Very steep.
13:20:20 1km from the top. There's a big party on top. The Amgen folks are having a BBQ up on top and there are quite a few people on the road. The road is quite steep here, at 13 percent. It's steep but short.
13:20:04 The leaders are working their way up the climb. The road is getting steeper but the lead group is sticking together.
13:12:20 Balcom Canyon - The leaders are turning on to Balcolm Canyon Road. It's a short climb, but it's quite steep.
13:05:37 Hincapie is back. The U.S. champion has rejoined the yellow jersey group. He's looking remarkably strong.
13:05:01 Discovery is stuck with chasing duties. The gap is closing in on 2:00.
13:04:45 O'Grady is 1:20 down on GC and now leads the yellow jersey by 1:25 on the road.
12:58:54 The men in the break
Up front, the leaders are now 45 seconds ahead of the yellow jersey group. Those riders include:
Stuart O'Grady (CSC)
Mathew Hayman (Rabobank)
Josep Jufre Pou (Lotto)
Michael Rogers (T-mobile)
Bram Tankink (Quick Step)
Giovanni Visconti (Quick Step)
Enrico Gasparotto (Liquigas)
Viktar Rapinski (Navigators)
William Frischkorn (Slipstream)
12:48:38 Post your comments and suggestions to Robbie and Joe by emailing amgentoc2007@yahoo.com.
12:47:18 Up front our two escapees have been joined by two more riders. We're still trying to get IDs.
12:46:43 Hincapie is in the second group. He may be hurt, but not so badly that he has had to pull out.
12:46:29 Out of the lead group. We see two riders - a Quick Step and Predictor rider - have moved out.
12:45:01 The race is split into two distinctly separate pelotons. The big GC riders are up front in a big group of 45 and they are about 1:30 ahead of another group of 35.
12:39:08 Van de Walle takes the KOM at 56.5km. It's a Cat. 3 climb, so he's closing in on the jersey. He's in a group off the front that includes Stuart O'Grady... and Levi Leipheimer.
12:35:26 The front group has grown. Chris Horner and a few others have moved up. Now the peloton has moved up, as well. No one can relax here, though
12:29:01 Five riders off the front. There is a nice little gap. In the mix is Stuart O'Grady, fifth at 1:20... forcing the peloton to chase.
12:26:52 There is some crazy racing going out there. No one is willing to turn this stage into a coronation. If Leipheimer wants to win the Tour, he's clearly having to work for it.
12:24:30 Heading to the climb Jens Voigt attacks again. He's got Julich and Bobby Julich moving up... and here comes Leipheimer.
12:23:50 The peloton has come up one the break. The field is considerably smaller than it was at the start. We probably only have about 75 riders. Ahead, the peloton is facing the sprint mark in Ojai (50km) and the climb up to the Cat. 3 at 56.5
12:23:21 There are a number of attacks as the peloton continues to drive behind Ardila Cano, there are several riders working hard to get off the front of the main field.
12:15:54 Milne was pulled back a couple of kilometers back and Rabobank's Ardila Cano is just about 1:00 up the road.
12:13:54 CSC is conceding nothing.
With the five man group pulled back, the CSC team has immediately launched attacks from it's top GC contenders. With Leipheimer and Voigt in the fold, CSC sent off Bobby Julich and then when he was caught, the Danish team sent off Stuart O'Grady.
Take a look at the GC picture to see what CSC has in its bag of tricks:
1. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Discovery Channel, 18:21:52
2. Jens Voigt (G), CSC, at 0:21
3. Jason McCartney (USA), Discovery Channel, at 0:54
4. Bobby Julich (USA), CSC, at 1:06
5. Stuart O'Grady (Aus), CSC, at 1:20
6. Christian Vande Velde (USA), CSC, at 1:24
7. Michael Rogers (Aus), T-Mobile, at 1:34
8. Ben Day (Aus), Navigators, at 1:38
9. Franco Pellizotti (I), Liquigas, at 1:41
10. Ryder Hesjedal (Can), Health Net -Maxxis, at 1:57
12:05:23 The riders who joined up with the five man group include Jens Voigt and Levi Leipheimer. We're seeing a big GC battle shaping up. Behind them, the Discovery team is bring the full peloton back into the action.
12:04:01 CSC has sent a couple of its riders up to the five-man group. Depending who that is, it could prove dangerous for the Discovery team.
12:02:56 Van de Walle - has grapped the third spot, with Christophe Laurent taking the last point. He now holds a 7-point lead over Van de Walle in the race for the KOM jersey.
12:01:28 The two leaders
Are over the top of the second KOM at 30.7km. Indeed, Ardila has moved off on his own, crossing 50 seconds ahead of Milne. Meanwhile, the peloton is chasing back on to the group of five.
11:59:50 A split.
Chrstophe Laurent (Credit Agricole), Thomas Peterson (Slipstream), Adam Hansen (T-Mobile), Jurgen Van de Walle (Quick Step) and Predictor Lotto's Mario Aerts have stayed away from the main field. There is no serious chase underway. The five are working nicely and could be able to catch the two men off the front.
We have still not heard a report on Hincapie.
11:56:31 Today's special at AMGEN's Official Tour of California Store is 20% off jerseys. Just go to http://amgentourofcaliforniastore.com and use the code: ATOC to recieve your 20% discount on jerseys.
11:55:06 Hansen has been joined by Slipstream's Peterson, Quick Step's Van de Walle and KOM leader Christophe Laurent. Van de Walle gets the third place KOM points and Laurent grabs the fourth.
11:53:22 Cano takes the KOM. Milne comes across 10 meters back. The lead is now at 2:45. T-Mobile's Adam Hansen has scampered out of the main field.
11:51:42 Our two leaders are working up to the day's first KOM mark, the Cat.4 at kilometer 26.3.
11:44:52 Hincapie has slipped back to have his wrist checked by the race doctor.
11:42:03 Time check. The man with the marker board has ridden up and showed a time gap of 1:30 at the 20km mark.
11:41:50 With two riders up the road Discovery seems content to amble along and let the escapekeep things calm in the main field.
11:41:44 At 16km the two leaders are about 1:20 ahead of the field. Leipheimer has pulled off for a nature break and the peloton is riding at a moderate pace.
11:34:54 Leipheimer not happy
Leipheimer doesn't seem too happy with the frequent attacks - signalling "time out" - but the Slipstream boys don't seem willing to listen.
11:34:31 Hincapie is back. He looks none the worse for wear. He's rejoined the field. As he rejoins, Jason Donald (Slipstream) jumps out of the peloton in an effort to bridge up to the two escapees. We're seeing a lot of activity, but nothing from the big GC threats or their teams.
11:27:32 Word from the field.
We're getting spotty reports, but it seems that just as the Milne attack went off the front, George Hincapie went down. We believe he's up and has rejoined the field.
11:23:33 Attack, attack, attack. There are several riders trying their hand at attacks. Tom Zirbel, the Priority Health rider who set and early mark in yesterday's time trial, has tried a couple of efforts. Now we see Shawn Milne (Health Net-Maxxis). He was the 1999 Bronze medal in the U23 cyclo-cross world chapionship in Poprad Slovakia. Johnson told us his mom is following the race on-line. A big shout out to Tim's mom from the VeloNews crew.
11:18:04 Bang! The race has begun and the Discovery team has moved to the front and has stepped up the pace.
11:12:55 Discovery at the front
The peloton is rolling through the neutral zone and the CSC and Discovery teams are both close to the front. The race is coming close to the start on highway 192.
11:06:35 On their way
The peloton is in the neutral section and we'll see a mellow ride for the next 10 minutes or so. The big question today is whether CSC will take the fight down to the end or whether the team has essentially conceded overall victory to Leipheimer and the Discovery team. We will see an answer to that question very near the start on 192.
11:06:19 Waiting for the start
Today's start in Santa Barbara kicks of at 11:00. There will be a 5km neutral section as the peloton ambles from the beach in Santa Barbara and heads to the official start - the zero kilometer mark - on highway 192, which takes the Tour of California eastward toward today's finish in Santa Clarita.
11:04:54 Good day and welcome to VeloNews.coms Live Coverage of the the sixth stage of the 2007 Amgen Tour of California. Stage 6 is not only long, at 105 miles, but it features four King of the Mountain climbs, two sprints and a demanding finishing circuit in Santa Clarita. With this year's individual time trial being less selective than last year's, there could be several contenders separated by just a few seconds at this point in the race.
After a start in view of the Santa Barbara shoreline, Stage 6, which is sponsored by Health Net, will be the last chance for a solid favorite to emerge before the circuit race finale in Long Beach. Once the peloton hits Highway 150, the racers will face two KOMs before passing Lake Casitas and riding into the scenic town of Ojai for the first sprint of the day.
The third KOM will be just a few miles outside Ojai, and then the course will head downhill into Santa Paula for the second sprint of the day among fragrant citrus groves.
The day's final climb comes in the ominous Balcom Canyon, where in 2006,nearly 10,000 fans formed a narrow corridor for the riders. The cyclists will end the day with three circuits in Santa Clarita that finish at McBean Parkway at the Valencia Town Center.
10:00:23 Today's special at AMGEN's Official Tour of California Store is 20% off jerseys.
Just go to http://amgentourofcaliforniastore.com and use the code: ATOC to recieve your 20% discount on jerseys.
08:25:45 Good morning everyone. Today's stage race from Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita will begin at 11:00 am. Race coverage starts at 15 minutes before the hour. Post your comments and suggestions to Robbie and Joe by emailing amgentoc2007@yahoo.com.
