TDF Stage 9 - Col du Tourmalet, Spinning Class On Steroids

A lone rider on the Col du Tourmalet. Image Credit: steephill.tv

TDF Stage 9 - Col du Tourmalet, Spinning Class On Steroids

A great, tactical, and very professional Tour de France has been shaping up in the previous eight days. Team rules take the day in the last day in Stage 9 - Saint-Gaudens → Tarbes - in the Pyrenees featuring a big climb up the Col du Tourmalet before a day off and a group of Stages in the middle flat of France before reaching the Alps, and a chance to create separation in about a week.

Col du Tourmalet from Luz Saint Sauveur in 3D, on Googleearth! Image Credit: climbbybike.com

It doesn't really make sense to waste energy needlessly when a team can control it's destiny with level headed tactics. Team Astana was content to have someone else wear, and some other team protect, the Yellow Jersey over the next several days while keeping their own strength up in the Peloton. No real attack, no real drama, just keep the Yellow Jersey in the group and take control of the Peloton when necessary so that no time is lost to the leader.

One can not blame Team Astana when they have three top riders just 6 seconds - Alberto Contador, 8 seconds - Lance Armstrong, and 39 seconds - Levi Leipheimer behind Rinaldo Nocentini and several days of flat stage work ahead ... with having the Yellow Jersey holding Team AG2R-La Mondiale (ALM) out in front to break the wind.

The Col du Tourmalet is situated in Pyrenees. Starting from Luz Saint Sauveur, the Col du Tourmalet is 19 km long. Over this distance, you climb 1404 heightmeters. The average percentage is thus 7.4 % and represents some of the toughest mountain cycling in Pyrenees. Image Credit: Patrick Giraud via Wikipedia

Today was a very pretty stage and one that shows the fanatic following of the event up the long climb to the top of the Col du Tourmalet. The crowds were not able to drive up the mountain a full day before the tour was due to visit, so one either had to drive in and stay overnight to camp out, or climb up to secure a vantage point and watch the 180 riders conduct their "spinning" class and maintain their position before going over the crest and on down the back of the mountain at 55 mph+ before another 50k of slightly downhill/flat cycling to the finish.

With no real changes in the General Classification in Stage 9 with today amounting to a real strenuous and long "Spinning Class" workout (slang - "on steroids") to end. The finish line presents the riders with an airplane ticket and a full day off before the tour resumes on July 14, 2009 with Stage 10 - Limoges → Issoudun - with 15 more days of battle to end through the streets of Paris.

Col du Tourmalet - One of the "big three" in the tour, together with the Aubisque and the Galibier. On its west side (Luz), the Tourmalet is a very regular climb at nearly 8%. Yet, it takes 18 km and 2 hours to reach the top at 2115 m. Image Credit: climbbybike.com

This end of stage entry excerpted and edited from VeloNews -

3:59
CPelkey: 31km to go.

Rabobank is setting tempo' at the front.
4:01
CPelkey: With 30km to go, the gap is now 2:40.

No way they're gonna stay out there.

We'll have to look through the archives to dredge up a stage that included the Tourmalet and ended in a freakin' field sprint.

Kinda sux.
4:04
CPelkey: One rider missing from the main field is points jersey leader Thor Hushovd.

We still can't figure out if Cavendish is in there, but reason would suggest that he is not.
4:06
CPelkey: The leaders are 26km from the finish. The gap is now 2:30.
4:07
CPelkey: The Rabobank and Caisse d'Epargne teams are setting tempo at the front of the peloton. The gap is being cut. We'll see if the two leaders hold on.
4:09
[Comment From Mr. Matt ]
How many riders are scored into the team competition?
4:10
CPelkey: The team competition is not based on overall GC. It's based on the times of each team's top three riders each day. That's why Ag2r - with riders in breaks these past two days - now leads the Team standings.
4:11
CPelkey: Our two leaders are 22km from the finish. They have been able to maintain the 2:30 gap.
4:16
VeloNews.com: Vande Velde: "didn't realize that wasn't part of their (Astana) plan"

Click link to view comment from C. Vande Velde - Flash Required / Mobile options coming soon.
4:16
CPelkey: These guys are doing a good job. They're holding their lead and have 20km to go.
4:16
[Comment From Peggy ]
Compare Lance's team this year to previous--team, strategy, standings. TY
4:18
CPelkey: Well, to start, the dynamic is quite different this time. Since his win in '99, he's never been in a situation where his leadership of the team is in doubt.
4:20
CPelkey: That's kinda cool.
The Liquigas and BBox teams are up front, not chasing, but allowing little gaps to develop in the chase. It's a nice example of how a team can disrupt a chase.
4:20
[Comment From Mtnbyked ]
What wheelset is Armstrong using today?
4:20
CPelkey: Heck, I dunno.
They look round.
4:22
CPelkey: With 14km to go, the gap is 1:59. The chase is making some progress, but will it be enough?
4:24
CPelkey: With 12km remaining, the gap is 1:45.

This is going to be tight. Caisse d'Epargne and Rabobank are setting tempo at the front.
4:25
[Comment From Mark ]
Will Lance win the ITT of put time into Contador?
4:27
CPelkey: Not sure. Do recall that Contador actually finished the Monaco time trial ahead of Armstrong. He's been working on his time trialing and continues to improve. The next TT is 40km, so the results may be quite different. Who knows? If I was good at predicting the future, I'd have bought Microsoft stock back in the '80s.
4:28
CPelkey: Our leaders are 9km from the finish. The gap is coming down now. 1:16.
4:28
[Comment From REG ]
All the Lance questions are annoying. There's 175 other riders in the race too
4:29
CPelkey: With 8km remaining, the gap is 1:10.
4:29
CPelkey: Caisse d'Epargne and Rabobank are driving hard. The effort to disrupt the chase hasn't had a huge impact.
4:30
CPelkey: Lots of road furniture in town here.
4:30
CPelkey: With 7km to go, the gap is 59 seconds.
4:31
CPelkey: 6km to go and the gap is 52 seconds.
4:32
CPelkey: The peloton includes all of the usual GC suspects, Sastre, Armstrong, Vande Velde, Contador ... no big players are missing.
4:32
CPelkey: Five kilometers to go.
The gap is 44 seconds.
4:34
CPelkey: Psssssssssssssss Andy Schleck has flatted. He's chasing and this happened outside of the 3km limit. He needs to chase.
4:35
CPelkey: Our two leaders are at 3.2km and have 41 seconds.
4:36
CPelkey: With 3km to go, the gap is holding.

Schleck is back, having been towed back to the field by Jens Voigt.
4:36
CPelkey: 2.5 km to go... 40 seconds.
4:36
CPelkey: 2km to go, and the gap is 39 seconds.
4:37
CPelkey: Liquigas is muddling up the chase a bit.
4:37
CPelkey: With 1.4 km to go, the gap is STILL 38 seconds.
4:37
CPelkey: Red Kite.
4:38
CPelkey: The two are still cooperating. Thaty will end in a couple of meters.
4:38
CPelkey: Pellizotti is trailing and not taking a pull.
4:38
CPelkey: Pellizotti attacks!
4:39
CPelkey: Chaaaaaaarge!
4:39
CPelkey: No he went to early
Pierrik Fedrigo (BBox) gets it
4:40
CPelkey: Freire gets the field sprint at about 35 seconds.
4:40
CPelkey: Well, nice move on Pierrik Fedrigo's part.
4:43
CPelkey: Well we have to credit Fedrigo and Pellizotti for at least doing their part from making this stage a complete embarrassment. A field sprint at the end of stage with the Tourmalet would be nuts.
4:45
[Comment From Sal Ruibal ]
hang in there CP. rest day coming up. woot woot
4:46
CPelkey: Ahhhh, Mr. Ruibal. Leave it to a member of the press corps to remind us that we get a day off tomorrow.
4:47
CPelkey: Tomorrow is, indeed, the first rest day of the Tour, folks. So we'll be back on Tuesday with Live Coverage of Stage 10.
4:49
CPelkey:

As you might have guessed, today's stage had very little impact on the GC picture:
# 1. Rinaldo Nocentini Ag2r-La Mondiale
# 2. Alberto Contador Astana, at 00:06
# 3. Lance Armstrong Astana at 00:08
# 4. Levi Leipheimer Astana at 00:39
# 5. Bradley Wiggins Garmin - Slipstream at 00:46
# 6. Andréas KlÖden Astana at 00:54
# 7. Tony Martin Team Columbia - Htc at 01:00
# 8. Christian Vande Velde Garmin - Slipstream at 01:24
# 9. Andy Schleck Team Saxo Bank at 01:49
# 10. Vincenzo Nibali Liquigas at 01:54
# 11. Luis-leon Sanchez Caisse D’epargne at 02:16
# 12. Maxime Monfort Team Columbia - Htc at 02:21
# 13. Frank Schleck Team Saxo Bank at 02:25
# 14. Roman Kreuziger Liquigas at 02:40
# 15. Vladimir Efimkin Ag2r-La Mondiale at 02:45
# 16. Carlos Sastre Cervelo Test Team at 02:52
# 17. Mikel Astarloza Euskaltel - Euskadi at 03:02
# 18. Cadel Evans Silence - Lotto at 03:07
# 19. Kim Kirchen Team Columbia - Htc at 03:16
# 20. Vladimir Karpets Team Katusha at 03:49

4:50
CPelkey: Today's stage results:
# 1. Pierrick Fedrigo Bbox Bouygues Telecom
# 2. Franco Pellizotti Liquigas
# 3. Oscar Freire Rabobank at 00:34
# 4. Serguei Ivanov Team Katusha at 00:34
# 5. Peter Velits Team Milram at 00:34
# 6. Joaquin Rojas Jose Caisse D’epargne at 00:34
# 7. Greg Van Avermaet Silence - Lotto at 00:34
# 8. Geoffroy Lequatre Agritubel at 00:34
# 9. Alessandro Ballan Lampre - N.g.c at 00:34
# 10. Nicolas Roche Ag2r-La Mondiale at 00:34
# 11. Jérémy Roy Francaise Des Jeux at 00:34
# 12. Christophe Le Mevel Francaise Des Jeux at 00:34
# 13. Sylvain Chavanel Quick Step at 00:34
# 14. Sébastien Minard Cofidis Le Credit En Ligne at 00:34
# 15. Brice Feillu Agritubel at 00:34
# 16. George Hincapie Team Columbia - Htc at 00:34
# 17. Andréas KlÖden Astana at 00:34
# 18. Pierre Rolland Bbox Bouygues Telecom at 00:34
# 19. Vincenzo Nibali Liquigas at 00:34
# 20. Mikel Astarloza Euskaltel - Euskadi at 00:34

4:50
[Comment From Franz Lani ]
Where can we get the results complete for Stage 9 and overall standings?
4:50
CPelkey: We should have those posted momentarily.
4:55
CPelkey: While we won't be offering Live Coverage tomorrow, we will continue with Rest Day stories and news from press conferences.

Later today, our video crew will posting the latest edition of VeloCenter. It's usually up by 4:00 p.m. EDT.

They, too, will be working tomorrow producing a Rest Day edition of our daily reports on VeloNews.TV.
4:56
CPelkey: After the two big climbs today, the KOM picture has changed:
# 1. Egoi Martinez Euskaltel - Euskadi 78 points
# 2. Christophe Kern Cofidis Le Credit En Ligne 59 points
# 3. Franco Pellizotti Liquigas 55 points
# 4. Brice Feillu Agritubel 49 points
# 5. Pierrick Fedrigo Bbox Bouygues Telecom 49 points
# 6. Christophe Riblon Ag2r-La Mondiale 46 points
# 7. Sandy Casar Francaise Des Jeux 43 points
# 8. Mikel Astarloza Euskaltel - Euskadi 38 points
# 9. Vladimir Efimkin Ag2r-La Mondiale 35 points
# 10. Rinaldo Nocentini Ag2r-La Mondiale 34 points

4:58
CPelkey: Today's stage didn't have much impact on the points race, though:
# 1. Thor Hushovd Cervelo Test Team 117 points
# 2. Mark Cavendish Team Columbia - Htc 106 points
# 3. Joaquin Rojas Jose Caisse D’epargne 75 points
# 4. Gerald Ciolek Team Milram 66 points
# 5. Oscar Freire Rabobank 62 points
# 6. Fabian Cancellara Team Saxo Bank 55 points
# 7. Tyler Farrar Garmin - Slipstream 54 points
# 8. Thomas Voeckler Bbox Bouygues Telecom 47 points
# 9. Franco Pellizotti Liquigas 47 points
# 10. Jérôme Pineau Quick Step 46 points

TDF Stage Four - Team Time Trial Shows The Way

Stage 4, Team Time Trial for the 2009 Tour de France start for Team Robo Bank. Image Credit: steephill.tv

TDF Stage Four - Team Time Trial Shows The Way

At the beginning of the day, Lance Armstrong was interviewed by the press corps and in his view, he stated that

if he were a betting man, his money would be on Team Saxo Bank would win and Fabian Cancellara would retain the

Yellow Jersey.

Asked how would it feel if Team Astana were to win the stage ... and by enough time to win the Yellow Jersey,

Lance said, "That would be cool, not realistic but very cool indeed."

Stage 4, Team Time Trial for the 2009 Tour de France (ctrl-click to launch map). Image and Link Credit: steephill.tv

During the interview, Lance was very clear to make the point that Team Astana has at least four riders that could contest as team leader and possible winner of the Tour de France. Of course, Lance would have to be considered due to the fact he has won seven previous TDF's but Alberto Contador (who has been riding and winning well over the last 18 months), Levi Leipheimer (who is having a good year this year), and Andreas Kloden (a strong rider in his own right) all could become factors when the team reaches the mountains. "The mountains will tell." said Lance.

Team Astana driving toward the finish line in a last big push. VERSUS broadcast video edit of Team Astana, Team Garmin-Slipstream, and Team Saxo Bank in competition - crtl-click on photo to launch video. Image Credit: AFP

Team Astana has been able to finish exactly 40 seconds ahead of Team Saxo Bank as well as finish first in the Team Time Trial. The Yellow Jersey is still in doubt at this very moment because the timing has to come down to the tenths of a second and the judges need to review the individual and the team time trial timings between Armstrong and Cancellara in order to determine who will be in the Yellow Jersey tomorrow!

It's official ... the time advantage is virtually ZERO (tenths and possibly thousandths of a second) so the Yellow Jersey is retained by Fabian Cancellara of Team Saxo Bank going on into the Pyrenees.

This excerpted and edited from VeloNews -

Astana steamrolls team time trial
Cancellara keeps the jersey by a fraction of a second over Armstrong
By VeloNews.com - Published: Jul. 7, 2009

Team Astana blazed through the team time trial to win stage 4. Astana came across the line 40 seconds ahead of the Saxo Bank squad of race leader Fabian Cancellara — the exact margin by which Cancellara led Lance Armstrong on general classification. After some careful math by race officials, Cancellara now holds the yellow jersey by a fraction of a second over Armstrong.

Garmin-Slipstream finished second on the day, 18 seconds down.

Astana came into the stage with four riders in the top 10 thanks to their time trialing ability, and that strength showed again on the 39km stage around Montpellier. Held largely on narrow roads, the technical course featured more than a few dicey corners that put riders from several teams on the ground.

Giro d’Italia champion Denis Menchov (Rabobank) was the first to go down, sliding out on a tight left-hand bend that soon felled World champion Alessandro Ballan (Lampre).

But Astana, having previewed the course several times, rode with precision and focused determination, avoiding any mishaps. They were rewarded for their efforts with Armstrong slotting into second overall, followed by Alberto Contador, Andreas Klöden and Levi Leipheimer in third through fifth, respectively.

"It's a little bit of a disappointment," Armstrong said of the narrow miss. "But the yellow jersey is on the horizon. Astana did their maximum."
Reference Here>>

TDF Stage 3: Lance Armstrong Makes Wind Aided Big Move

Astana Cycling Team teammates Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong share a moment during Stage 3. Who is the team leader now? Astana manager Johan Bruyneel faced a dilemma when the 2007 winner was left in the bunch and he answered in the neutral. Image Credit: Eurosport

TDF Stage 3: Lance Armstrong Makes Wind Aided Big Move

Who says that the only places that Lance Armstrong can make-up time on the field is in an individual time trial or in the large mountain stages? Today saw a flat stage in Stage 3 with a bunch of wind traversing the winding (Esses - back and forth) road at the final 15 kilometers. Team Columbia with George Hincapie decided that if the teams wih sprinters were not going to take the race to the smaller, original four rider breakaway, then this team was going to place their rider, Mark Cavendish, in a position to take the stage.

Team Columbia took advantage of an echolon move, where the nine riders of the team block the wind by riding in an angle, in kind of a half-chevron, to shield from the wind which caused another breakaway which eventually caught up with the smaller breakaway and on to the end to have this lead group gain 39 seconds against the rest of the field. Lanch Armstrong saw what Team Columbia was attempting to do and along with two other Team Astana teammates Yaroslav Popovych and Haimar Zubeldia, rode with this wind aided break to move at the end of the day from a 10th overall position to 3rd in the overall classification.

With Stage 4 being a Team Time Trial, Team Astana may be in a position to take the lead and if enough time is gained against the leader Fabian Cancellara of Team Saxo Bank and Tony Martin of Team Columbia ... at 37 years old, Lance could be in Yellow in his bid to win his eighth Tour de France.

Briton Mark Cavendish won the third stage of the Tour de France as seven-times champion Lance Armstrong climbed up to third overall in the standings at La Grande Motte. Caption and Image Credit: Eurosport

This excerpted and edited from Eurosport -

Tour de France - Sprint king Cavendish doubles up
Eurosport - Mon, 06 Jul 18:08:00 2009

Cavendish, who also won the stage on Sunday, outsprinted Norway's Thor Hushovd after a 196.5km trek from Marseille with France's Cyril Lemoine coming home third.

Swiss Fabian Cancellara of the Saxo Bank team retained the overall leader's yellow jersey and now leads German Tony Martin and American Armstrong by 33 and 40 seconds respectively.

Favourite Alberto Contador, who was trapped behind after a sharp acceleration by Cavendish's Columbia-HTC team by the end of the stage, dropped to fourth overall, 59 seconds off the pace.

With the peloton gradually closing down a four-man breakaway composed of Samuel Dumoulin (Cofidis), Ruben Perez (Euskaltel), Maxime Bouet (Agritubel) and Koen de Kort (Skil-Shimano), a bunch sprint finish seemed in store.
----
Among the top contenders, only Armstrong, back in the saddle after 3 1/2 years in retirement, was in the front group of some 28 riders who caught the four early fugitives.
----
Seeing Armstrong and Cancellara further up the road, Cadel Evans' Silence-Lotto team, Andy Schleck's Saxo Bank squad and Christian Vande Velde's Garmin team took turns to try to reel the leaders back in, but they lacked the organisation of Columbia's well-oiled machine.

As the finish neared so the gap grew and the Columbia train began to move into position.

Bert Grabsch and George Hincapie, both of whom had given their all on the front for a large part of the crucial final 30 kilometres moved aside, and Mark Renshaw hit the front as they entered the final straight.

With Hushovd and Cancellara in contention, victory was by no means a formality for Cavendish, though when he moved out of the slipstream of Renshaw with 200 metres to go and surged for the line, it was clear Hushovd did not have the power to match him.

The Norwegian rolled in second with Dumoulin claiming a well-deserved fourth place, having managed to stay with the relentless pace of the lead group, despite having ridden out front for over 160 kilometres in the breakaway.

Martin and Armstrong were the day's big winners as the gap between the two groups reached 41 seconds on the finish line.

The general classification will receive a more significant shake-up in Tuesday's fourth stage, a 39-kilometre team time-trial around Montpellier.
Reference Here>>

Additional video assets here>>

Palm Springs TEA Party Anti-Tax Rally

Organized by We Surround Them Palm Springs, the TEA Party Anti-Tax Rally was a great success. Anytime on can have the local police begin to get upset and exert control over a peaceful enterprize, maybe one is touching a nerve. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2009)

Palm Springs TEA Party Anti-Tax Rally

The actual crowd was estimated to be a little less than 100 people. The event was very closely watched and monitored by the local police department and they responded quickly to any complaint of excessive noise.



This type of attention caught me off guard, in that, I was in Palm Springs soon after the November elections last year and witnessed a rally that had been organized by the people who were against Proposition 8 (the constitutional amendment defining marriage as being only between a man and a women). The proposition passed, as expected, by a wide margin, and those who wanted the proposition to be defeated were not happy. The rally managed to have about 50 or so cars parade down Palm Canyon Drive, at a very slow pace and have all of the cars horns HONK as the passengers hang out holding "NO On Eight" signs and placards. It was quite a show to watch as one was trying to share time with friends and family over dinner at the local California Pizza Kitchen. The conversation was nearly impossible.

After the parade, the participants roamed up and down the Drive, loudly making sure everyone knew of their displeasure at the measure (Prop 8) passing. The local police did nothing to quell this disturbance ... on this evening and about this issue.

Today, the police were vigilant, and it was hard to understand why ... until one realizes what WE were out on the street protesting about.



The crowd was on Palm Canyon Drive to bring attention to spending measures that our state government had drafted and placed on a ballot for a special election to be held in just a few days on May 19th, so that they, the state, could continue to spend money at a record rate. We all were tired of having the highest taxes of most any of the fifty states, the highest corporate taxes of most any of the fifty states, and it is time to STOP THE MADNESS!

The measures to be voted on are named Propositions 1-A, 1-B, 1-C, 1-D, 1-E, and 1-F --- to go on and parse each and every proposition, to be honest, is pointless because each of the propositions were drafted for and by a government that is in the middle of OUT OF CONTROL SPENDING ... and they wish to continue the practice. Not passing these measures on May 19, 2009 will send a message that the State of California can not go along doing business as usual.

Many hand made/home made signs designed to inform and get a reaction from passersby. The rally was held in the noonday sun of an early sping Friday with the temperature approaching 100 degrees, Fahrenheit. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2009)

The local police are government workers and are dependent upon what the state government does, so anything that works against the government, receives attention. This is why the protesters along Palm Canyon Drive needed to be reined in ... on the attention level we were creating.

Vote NO on Propositions 1-A, 1-B, 1-C, 1-D, 1-E, and 1-F to send a message to the politicians who are elected to protect our, the tax paying citizens, interests. It is time to STOP THE MADNESS and have the state government stop the spending - period.

Tomorrow, another, much larger event is planned for the Federal Building in Westwood on Westwood Blvd just East of the 405 Freeway. If you happen to be in the area around 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM PDT, please show up and show support for a no vote on Propositions 1-A, 1-B, 1-C, 1-D, 1-E, and 1-F.

Lance Armstrong Dispatches "Syringe Man" On Palomar Mountain

Fans and photographers gather around Lance Armstrong (center, white cap) as he begins his first real competition of the 2009 season at the Amgen Tour of California. Image Credit: Dave Cynkin

Lance Armstrong Dispatches "Syringe Man" On Palomar Mountain

In the final stage of the Tour Of California 2009, Lance Armstrong pulled off a move that I suspect he (or any competitive cyclist) has been wanting to perform since he was taken down by a fan's lanyard grabbing his handlebar on an uphill stage in the sixth of his seven Tour de France wins.

Syringe Man as he was overtaken by the peloton in Stage 8 in the Tour of California. Image Credit: Diabo moderno

An exhibitionist fan dressed up in a black and yellow costume and carrying an apparatus that resembled two syringes on a stick (people have dubbed "Syringe Man"), was running along side of the peloton on snow covered Palomar Mountain. The man was alone and presented a hazard to the riders as they made their way up the mountain as he was alone and looking as if he were running in an unpredictable manner.

The grab! Image Credit: Diabo moderno


Syringe Man in snow bank. Image Credit: Diabo moderno

As the Peloton, led by Lance Armstrong's Astana Cycling Team team mates passed by the fan, Lance Armstrong helped "Syringe Man" out of the way and deposited him in a snowbank at the side of the road - hazard dispatched!

Syringe Man struggles to get up. Image Credit: Diabo moderno

This excerpted and edited from Amgen Tour Of California -

Herbalife Play by Play
Feb. 22, 2009 17:46:41

We saved the best for last at the 2009 Amgen Tour of California. Stage 8 was the Queen's stage, the most difficult of the race. It was a 96.8-mile pedal from Rancho Bernardo to Escondido, which was the first time the race has traveled to San Diego County.

The route included four California Travel & Tourism King of the Mountains climbs, none bigger than the fearsome Palomar Mountain, an above categorization climbs that peaks at 5123 feet, the highest summit ever reached in the Tour.

With two-time defending champion Levi Leipheimer (AST) in the leader's tunic, an abundance of attacks were expected in a final effort to claim the yellow jersey. An early break was established, but eventually collapsed on Palomar Mountain where an elite group formed including Leipheimer and his closest rivals – David Zabriskie (GRM) and Michael Rogers (THR).

On the descent four riders formed a new move, which then slimmed down to duo consisting of Frank Schleck (SAX) and Vincenzo Nibali (LIQ). The pair made it over the final KOM climb of the race on the testing Cole Grade and motored towards the finish on the valley floor while the Astana-powered peloton kept the gap close to preserve Leipheimer's overall victory.

After rounding the final corner, Schleck made his move and pulled away for the stage win ahead of Nibali. George Hincapie (THR) won the pack gallop to claim 3rd place for the day.

The top three positions on the General Classification held up:
Leipheimer followed by Zabriskie (36 seconds) and Rogers (45 seconds).

Tonight Leipheimer celebrates his Amgen Tour of California three-peat and his Team Astana toasts the Team victory. After winning back-to-back stages earlier in the week, Mark Cavendish (THR) takes home the Herbalife Sprint jersey. Jason McCartney (SAX) climbed his way to the California Travel & Tourism King of the Mountains title. For the third consecutive year, Robert Gesink (RAB) leaves the Golden State with the Rabobank Best Young Rider jersey in his suitcase.
Reference Here>>