Stage 6 Play by Play
16:20:41Stage 6 of the Amgen Tour of California, sponsored by HealthNet, departed Santa Barbara on a 105.4-mile/169.6-km trek to Santa Clarita that tested the peloton with four California Travel & Tourism King of the Mountains climbs and two Herbalife Sprints. With Levi Leipheimer comfortably adorned in the yellow leader's jersey, his well-drilled Astana squad manned the front of the peloton, allowing a non-threatening six-man break to escape early. The break managed to stay away until the second of three 3.5-mile finishing circuits. High Road, Quick Step, Rabobank and eventually Astana sparked the chase to save the day for their sprinters. It was a fast, electrifying field sprint with Saunier Duval-Scott's fastman Luciano Pagliarini scoring the win after High Road's Mark Cavendish was accessed a 20-second time penalty. Juan Jose Haedo (CSC) and World Champion Paolo Bettini (Quick Step) claimed 2nd and 3rd respectively. There was no change at the top of the overall standings.
The 2008 Amgen Tour of California concludes tomorrow with Stage 7, sponsored by Amgen. Leipheimer is poised to collect his second GC win here, but look for Team Slipstream and CSC to throw everything they can during the 93-mile/150-km stage from Santa Clarita to Pasadena's legendary Rose Bowl to swipe the yellow jersey from the defending champion. The course includes two Herbalife Sprints and a massive California Travel & Tourism KOM climb to the Millcreek Summit, the highest point ever reached in Amgen Tour of California history at 4,906 feet. We'll have all the action for you live starting at 12 PM PST with our pre-stage coverage beginning at 11:30 AM PST. I'm Rick Scott and we thank you for being with us today. Come back tomorrow for the dramatic conclusion of the 3rd Amgen Tour of California.
15:39:39 Two weeks prior to the start of the Amgen Tour of California, Scott Nydam's father was diagnosed with Leukemia. No doubt that is inspiring Scott's effort to fight for the King of the Mountain jersey, which he currently holds. You can help in the fight against cancer by making a $2.00 donation to Amgen's Breakway from Cancer initiative when you send the text the word DONATE to 222377.
15:39:02 Not only has the race itself grown every year, but the Amgen Tour of California merchandise offerings are the best ever this year. Check out the hot men's & women's T-shirts, sweatshirts, fleeces, hats and other fun collectibles at our online store. Today we have a special on jerseys, including the yellow, KOM, green sprinter's, Best Young Rider, and Most Aggressive Rider. Take advantage of the 20% discount available today when you use the merchandise code JRSY2008 at checkout.
15:35:38 We'll post the official stage results and the updated GC on this site as soon as they are available. The top of the GC should be unchanged with Levi Leipheimer still in yellow.
15:33:20 Bettini was there and Rollin opened up a gap, but Cavendish nailed it perfectly. Unofficially it's Cavendish followed by Saunier Duval-Scott's Luciano Pagliarini and J.J. Haedo of CSC. Cavendish has been voted Most Aggressive Rider by the media.
15:30:42 Rabobank is up there as is CSC and Dominique Rollin. High Road's Mark Cavendish takes it!
15:29:36 Quick Step is at the front.
15:29:01 1 km to go! The break has been caught.
15:27:41 Astana has reacted and assumed the chase to not give up any time to Millar.
15:26:47 The riders off the front are Camano, Voeckler and Millar, who have about 10 seconds. 3 km to go.
15:25:44 David Millar has launched an attack. Three riders are off the front with a small gap.
15:24:47 3 miles to go. The break has been caught.
15:24:01 10 seconds for the break.
15:23:46 The break is about to get caught!
15:23:03 The break is now attacking each other.
15:22:27 1 lap to go for the break. Can they do it?
15:21:40 Bettini is up there with his Quick Step teammates.
15:20:42 High Road is still at the front along with Quick Step.
15:20:02 Cipollini had crashed as well with Fast Freddie, but he got back on the road faster than Rodriguez, who is finally back on the bike.
15:18:42 Rodriguez from Rock Racing has crashed and await a wheel. The gap is 40 seconds for the break.
15:17:43 The gap is now only 55 seconds.
15:14:24 The peloton is flying along with Big Geoge Hincapie hammering the front.
15:13:20 1:30 is the gap now.
15:12:25 High Road and Quick Step are pushing the pace now as the gap dwindles to 1:40.
15:11:37 Cozza is struggling again and Kroon goes back to talk to him in the break. In the field, Rock Racing moved riders up to the front.
15:09:28 The field has entered the circuits and crossed the finish line for the first time.
15:08:58 The huge crowd assembled welcomes the break as they ride past the finish line for the first time. Three laps to go. The break is now 2 minutes.
15:06:52 The break is entering the circuits.
15:05:45 The field is at 20 km to the finish. The gap is 2:10.
15:05:06 The finishing circuits are 3.5 miles long.
15:03:36 The break is about to approach the start of three finishing circuits in Santa Clarita. 20 km to the finish for the break.
15:01:37 Credit Agricole's Yannick Talabardon just received a wheel after a puncture and is back on the road.
15:00:19 The break lost 10 more seconds. It's going to be a day for the sprinters. I'm Rick Scott. Stay with us for an exciting finish coming up.
14:58:01 The leaders are 91 miles into the stage of the 105 they'll do today. The new gap is 2:30.
14:56:21 Rabobank, Quick Step and High Road are powering the peloton in pursuit of the break. The three teams have great sprinters who want to win today's stage, including Boonen, Bettini, Oscar Freire, Gerald Ciolek and Mark Cavendish. CSC's Haedo won here last year so watch for him, too. 25 km to the finish for the break with a gap of 2:45.
14:52:04 Two weeks prior to the start of the Amgen Tour of California, Scott Nydam's father was diagnosed with Leukemia. No doubt that is inspiring Scott's effort to fight for the King of the Mountain jersey, which he currently holds. You can help in the fight against cancer by making a $2.00 donation to Amgen's Breakway from Cancer initiative when you send the text the word DONATE to 222377.
14:51:18 The gap is holding at 3 miles.
14:49:23 Sunny skies and 61 degrees in Santa Clarita at the moment.
14:47:59 The pace must be heating up because riders are taking off jackets and vests as we near the Santa Clarita finishing circuits.
14:46:58 Horner is handing out bottles to the Astana squad again.
14:45:38 We're 84 miles into the stage and the break is up the road 3:10. Average speed for the break today is 23.4 mph.
14:41:24 Quick Step's Vandewalle is receiving a new wheel as the gap shrinks to 3:25. The Astana rider who went down is Vladimir Gusev, who has abandoned the race and is on the way to the hospital.
14:39:20 In the break are Canada, Kroon, Le Mevel, Pichot, Cozza and Sutherland. An Astana rider is down.
14:37:59 Jacques-Maynes switched back to his original bike as the 6-man break is up 3:40.
14:35:02 Not only has the race itself grown every year, but the Amgen Tour of California merchandise offerings are the best ever this year. Check out the hot men's & women's T-shirts, sweatshirts, fleeces, hats and other fun collectibles at our online store. Today we have a special on jerseys, including the yellow, KOM, green sprinter's, Best Young Rider, and Most Aggressive Rider. Take advantage of the 20% discount available today when you use the merchandise code JRSY2008 at checkout.
14:31:52 The gap is down to 4 minutes. The crowd is gathering here at the finish in Santa Clarita. Come check it out if you can. It's a rare opportunity to see the best cyclists in the world race in-person. If not today, the Amgen Tour of California concludes tomorrow at Stage 7, which goes from Santa Clarita to Pasadena.
14:28:00 The field is at mile 76 and the break is past the 78-mile mark.
14:27:04 The circuits begin at the 95-mile/152-km mark. Reistad is back to the group after his wheel change.
14:24:35 Rabobank and High Road is setting tempo. The pace is fast and hard as the field is riding along single file. Bettini is back to the field after his puncture.
14:22:48 You can watch the race live on our site with enlightening commentary from Frankie Andreu & Fantastic Joe Silva. If you have comments or questions, we'd love to hear from you. Email us at ATOC2008@yahoo.com. The gap is 4:30.
14:21:01 Jelly Belly's Nick Reistad is receiving a rear wheel. We're 75 miles into the race. Now Bettini is calling for a wheel.
14:18:03 Quick Step has moved to the front to aid the chase. Perhaps Boonen wants to win another stage or maybe Paolo Bettini wants it.
14:16:49 5:15 is the gap for the break.
14:11:22 The field is motoring along single file with Astana, Rabobank and High Road whipping up the pace in pursuit of the break.
14:09:58 The race is nearing the 3-hour mark and we still have 6 men up the road. The field is 67 miles into the stage and the break is at mile 70 of the 105 they'll ride today. I'm Rick Scott, your eyes & ears at Stage 6 of the Amgen Tour of California, sponsored by HealthNet from Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita.
14:07:12 More bike problems for Jacques-Maynes as he's forced to switch again with a teammate. He's got a few teammates trying to help guide him back to the field. The break is up 5:30.
14:06:00 Cozza seems to be cramping in the break and is dangling off the break. He's grabbing his thigh and trying to shake it out.
14:01:05 The break is down to 5:45.
13:59:53 Ben Jacques-Maynes had a problem with his bike so his Bissell teammate, Scott Zwizanski, swapped bikes with him.
13:57:24 Cipo is getting service on his bike from the mechanic hanging out of the Rock Racing vehicle.
13:56:37 Jelly Belly's Scott Tietzel has abandoned. They have lost 3 riders today.
13:52:37 The gap is shrinking rapidly. It's 6:15.
13:51:57 Rabobank and High Road have sent men to the front to help Astana, thus they are thinking about bringing the group back for their sprinters as well as preserve their GC positions.
13:47:59 Two weeks prior to the start of the Amgen Tour of California, Scott Nydam's father was diagnosed with Leukemia. No doubt that is inspiring Scott's effort to fight for the King of the Mountain jersey, which he currently holds. You can help in the fight against cancer by making a $2.00 donation to Amgen's Breakway from Cancer initiative when you send the text the word DONATE to 222377.
13:47:59 The current gap is 6:50.
13:46:13 Victor Hugo Pena and Mike Creed dropped back to help Cipo ride back up to the peloton.
13:45:29 In about 38 miles, the field will arrive in Santa Clarita where they will complete 3 finishing circuits. The skies are looking dark and ominous.
13:43:39 Mario Cipollini is receiving a rear wheel after a puncture.
13:41:40 The field has cleared Balcom Canyon and are on the descent.
13:40:56 The final KOM points of the day went to went to Canada, Sutherland, Pichot and Le Mevel.
13:38:47 The gap is up 7 minutes.
13:38:10 The break descends together with all six men back together. To remind you, the break contains Cozza, Le Mevel, Kroon, Canada, Sutherland and Pichot. Astana is now piloting the field up Balcom Canyon.
13:33:46 Kroon is struggling to hang onto the group, but he'll get back as they descend.
13:33:01 The pope is blessing the break as they fight their way up the steep (18% grade) Balcom Canyon along with a couple of grim reapers.
13:30:30 The field is at mile 52. The fourth and final California Travel & Tourism KOM comes at 55.4/89.2 kms and the break is 5 km from it. There will be 50 miles to go after they conquer Balcom Canyon. The break is down to 6:50.
13:25:02 Just saw a camera shot of the final California Travel & Tourism KOM of the day, a steep, menacing climb up Balcom Canyon and the fans are gathering en mass. The break is up 7 minutes.
13:22:42 Kim Kirchen from High Road has abandoned.
13:20:21 The Astana squad is at the front of the peloton with Slipstream right behind. David Miller sticks out in his white British National Road Race Champion kit.
13:15:56 The feed zone is coming up at the 49-mile/78.9-km mark.
13:14:40 The break rolled through the sprint unconcerned about who took the points or the 3, 2 & 1 second time bonuses. They went to Sutherland, Pichot and Le Mevel.
13:11:14 1 km to the Herbalife Sprint for the break.
13:08:55 The gap is 6:30. The field is 47 miles into the stage.
13:08:10 Stage 6 of the Amgen Tour of California is sponsored by HealthNet. The temperature is dropping a bit as the clouds roll in here at the finish in Santa Clarita. It should remain dry through the rest of the day, but rain is expected later. Today is a 105.4 mile/169.6 km stage that began in Santa Barbara. I'm Rick Scott and we're glad to have you with us. The gap for the six-man break is over 6 minutes. They are 5 km away from the second Herbalife Sprint.
13:01:55 The field is approaching the 40-mile mark as they descend.
12:59:55 Astana is driving the field single file, but without any real sense of urgency. If you have comments or questions, email us at ATOC2008@yahoo.com. You can watch the race live on our site with commentators Frankie Andreu & Fantastic Joe Silva.
12:52:04 Horner has dropped back to the Astana car and is being a super domestique by loading up with bottles for his teammates, including race leader Levi Leipheimer. The field has slowed for a natural break.
12:50:02 The six-man gap is up 6 full minutes.
12:48:42 The second California Travel &Tourism KOM went to Le Mevel, Sutherland, Pichot, Cozza and Kroon. The field has just rolled over the KOM at mile 35.
12:46:41 Up next is the second and final Herbalife Sprint of the day and it's at Santa Paula at the 47.8-mile/76.9-km point. Points and 3, 2 and 1 second time bonuses are on the line.
12:43:07 Two weeks prior to the start of the Amgen Tour of California, Scott Nydam's father was diagnosed with Leukemia. No doubt that is inspiring Scott's effort to fight for the King of the Mountain jersey, which he currently holds. You can help in the fight against cancer by making a $2.00 donation to Amgen's Breakway from Cancer initiative when you send the text "DONATE" to 222377.
12:41:57 Big crowd on the climb. The gap is 5:45 and growing.
12:40:01 The break is 1 km from the top of the KOM.
12:38:48 The field is 5 km away from the third California Travel & Tourism KOM, the category 3 climb on Highway 150. The break's lead is 5:30.
12:35:29 The break is trading pulls, sharing the work equally. The field is 50 km into the stage.
12:34:02 The field is 1 km away from the sprint line.
12:32:57 The Herbalife Sprint points and 3, 2 & 1-second time bonuses went to David Canada, Rory Sutherland and Steven Cozza.
12:31:01 The field has reabsorbed Nydam & Ollerenshaw.
12:29:26 Nydam has fallen away from the chase. The break is up 4:20 and Ollerenshaw is up 2:15 over the field. The break is 1 km from the first Herbalife Sprint.
12:25:39 The gap is 3:30 to the field and 1:15 to Nydam & Ollerenshaw.
12:24:04 Not only has the race itself grown every year, but the Amgen Tour of California merchandise offerings are the best ever this year. Check out the hot men's & women's T-shirts, sweatshirts, fleeces, hats and other fun collectibles at our online store. Today we have a special on jerseys, including the yellow, KOM, green sprinter's, Best Young Rider, and Most Aggressive Rider. Take advantage of the 20% discount available today when you use the merchandise code JRSY2008 at checkout.
12:22:42 The break is 5 km to the sprint.
12:21:56 The two chasers are Nydam and Ollerenshaw.
12:21:12 The field is at mile 26.
12:20:41 The gap is 1:15 to the two chasers and 2:45 to the field.
12:18:15 The first Herbalife Sprint is coming up at mile 31.2/50.2 km. Wearing the green sprinter's jersey today is Toyota-United's Dominique Rollin, who won Stage 4.
12:16:28 Coming to you live from Stage 6 of the 2008 Amgen Tour of California, I'm Rick Scott. We've got a 6-man break off the front that has a gap of 2:40.
12:13:25 The gap has 2:30 and there are two chaser 50 seconds behind. Astana is at the head of the field riding single file.
12:11:24 Bouygues Telecom's Alexandre Pichot has joined the break. The gap is over 1 minute.
12:11:01 The 2nd California Travel & Tourism KOM points went to Le Mevel, Cozza, Nydam and Kroon. We're 22 miles into the race.
12:06:52 Cozza, Le Mevel, CSC's Karsten Kroon, Saunier Duval's David Canada and HealthNet's Rory Sutherland.
12:05:38 It's now 5 riders off the front with 2 chasing.
12:04:05 Horner has flatted and is getting a front wheel.
12:03:02 Five riders are chasing the duo off the front.
12:02:41 Five riders are chasing the duo off the front.
12:02:33 The KOM points went to Vandewalle, Alexandre Moos, Scott Nydam and Robert Gesink.
12:01:22 Slipstream's Steven Cozza and Christophe Le Mevel of Credit Agricole have a 20-second advantage.
11:57:33 Three more abandons: Richard England from Bissell, Tony Cruz of BMC and Vincent Jerome of Bouygues Telecom.
11:56:22 Toyota-United's Caleb Manon has abandoned. One rider is off the front as the break has been reabsorbed. That rider is Quick Step's Jurgen Vandewalle.
11:53:04 A group of 16 men is off the front as they approach the top of the KOM. Once the peloton conquers this summit, the second KOM comes right away.
11:50:12 Slipstream is very active in the front making the pace hard. The peloton is at mile 15 as 4 riders have been dropped from the field.
11:48:23 The field is back together.
11:47:44 The field is reacting.
11:47:09 Another Bouygues Telecom rider, Dimitri Champion, has lauched off the front with Rock Racing's Doug Ollerenshaw and Quick Step's Andrea Tonti.
11:43:57 The riders are now on the first California Travel & Tourism KOM of the day, the category 4 climb on Highway 150. BMC's Scott Nydam is wearing the KOM jersey today.
11:40:07 The field is at mile 12.5 and the tempo has slowed.
11:39:01 The group is back together. Bettini has ridden to the front and is talking to the guys.
11:36:43 The field is back together, but Steven Cozza and Chris Horner have counterattacked.
11:34:27 We're at mile 10 and the break's gap is down to 10 seconds.
11:32:50 The Jelly Belly rider who crashed is Bernard Van Ulden and he has withdrawn. His teammate, Bryce Mead, has also abandoned. Bobby Julich flatted, but has ridden back to the pack.
11:31:22 Gomez of Saunier Duval has attacked the break and is riding alone.
11:30:20 Riders in the break are Chris Horner, Jason McCartney, Gerald Ciolek, Angel Gomez, Mauricio Ardila, Danny Pate, Frank Pipp, and Michael Lange. They have a 20-second gap.
11:26:47 One rider has bridged to the break so it's 8 men together and they have 30 seconds.
11:25:07 A rider is down in a crash from Jelly Belly.
11:24:15 Saunier Duval, Rabobank, HealthNet, Astana, Jelly Belly and CSC have riders in the break.
11:21:53 Seven riders are now off the front in an attempt to form a break.
11:20:43 A group of three has a slight advantage. Last year, Juan Jose Haedo of CSC won this stage in a pack gallop. He won on Monday in Santa Rosa and he wants another stage to add to his collection. He's won two stages in each of the first two editions of this race and has a total of 5 stage wins here, more than anyone else. The trio has been reabsorbed.
11:16:35 Toyota-United's Ben Day has abandoned.
11:15:44 They've caught Voeckler and now the peloton has reabsorbed all of them. Rock Racing's Mike Creed has counterattacked.
11:14:31 Three men are chasing Voeckler. Not taking the start this morning is BMC's Darren Lil so we're at 101 riders.
11:13:24 The actual start is underway. It's 59 degrees and Bouygues Telecom has already lit it up. It's Tommy Voeckler and he's opened up a gap right from the start.
11:07:41 Not only has the race itself grown every year, but the Amgen Tour of California merchandise offerings are the best ever this year. Check out the hot men's & women's T-shirts, sweatshirts, fleeces, hats and other fun collectibles at our online store. Today we have a special on jerseys, including the yellow, KOM, green sprinter's, Best Young Rider, and Most Aggressive Rider. Take advantage of the 20% discount available today when you use the merchandise code JRSY2008 at checkout.
11:00:17 The peloton has rolled off. They begin with a 3.1-mile neutral section.
10:56:12 It's a cool morning and the sun is shining. Unfortunately rain is in the forecast for tomorrow.
10:54:23 The riders have signed in and are staging at the start line in Santa Barbara. 102 of the 132 starters are still with us in the third Amgen Tour of California. You can watch the race live on our site with commentators Frankie Andreu & Fantastic Joe Silva. If you have comments or questions, you're invited to email us at ATOC2008@yahoo.com.
10:50:43 Live from the finish line in Santa Clarita, it's Stage 6 of the Amgen Tour of California, sponsored by HealthNet. I'm Rick Scott and we've got 105.5 miles/169.6 kms on tap today from Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita, including two Herbalife Sprints and four California Travel & Tourism King of the Mountains climbs. Defending Amgen Tour of California champion Levi Leipheimer remains in yellow and has added to his lead after a crushing performance in yesterday's individual time trial. The Californian's lead is 49 seconds over a pair of Slipstream riders – David Millar and Christian Vandevelde – and a pair from CSC – Fabian Cancellara and Gustav Larsson. Look for Astana to set tempo at the front, but the deep Slipstream and CSC teams will be looking to crack Leipheimer and his foot soldiers in an attempt to try to wrestle the prized leader's jersey from Astana's clutches. The action begins live right here at 11 AM PST. Don't miss a single mile.
