Tour of California 2017 **Spoilers**

RonB
RonB Posts: 3,984
edited May 2017 in Pro race
From the other place ... "The 12th edition of the Amgen Tour of California will see the US race jump to the WorldTour level for the first time in 2017. The seven-day race, down from eight days in previous years, will take place May 14-20 in the Golden State.

Tour of California Race Route

Race owners AEG announced the Tour of California 2017 host cities, with Sacramento named as the site of the opening stage on May 14. Modesto will host the start of stage 2, which finishes in San Jose. Stage 3 leaves from Pismo Beach and finishes up the Pacific Coast in Morro Bay. Santa Barbara will host the start of stage 4, which finishes in Santa Clarita. Stage 5, dubbed the Queen stage, leaves from Ontario and finishes on Mt. Baldy. The race travels to Big Bear Lake for the stage 6 individual time trial, and it concludes on May 20 with a stage from Mountain High to Pasadena."

Stage 1 - Sacramento > Sacramento (167km)
amgen-tour-of-california-2017-stage-1-1494332364.jpg

Stage 2 - Modesto > San Jose (145km)
amgen-tour-of-california-2017-stage-2-1494332382.jpg

Stage 3 - Pismo Beach > Morro Bay (192km)
amgen-tour-of-california-2017-stage-3-1494332435.jpg

Stage 4 - Santa Barbera > Santa Clarita (160km)
amgen-tour-of-california-2017-stage-4-1494332508.jpg

Stage 5 - Ontario > Mt. Baldy (125km)
amgen-tour-of-california-2017-stage-5-1494332582.jpg

Stage 6 (ITT) - Big Bear Lake > Big Bear Lake (24km)
amgen-tour-of-california-2017-stage-6-1494332613.jpg

Stage 7 - Mountain High > Pasadena (125km)
amgen-tour-of-california-2017-stage-7-1494332680.jpg
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Comments

  • Looks like they forgot to draw the gradient profile for that first stage :? :lol:
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    Startlist is here

    Live coverage can be found on Eurosport from 2200 hrs, or try out the excellent Amgen Tour Tracker, which provides live video with a ticker and GPS tracking.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    I TT at 2000m is different, interested to see how that affects things.
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    14km to go and the expected crit finish. Very technical, but wide roads at least.
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    Clarke the last from the break to be caught with Sky at the front of the peloton. 8km to go. Katusha looking organised for Kristoff not far away.
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    Quickstep in a good position now. Setting things up for Kittel. Just 2km to go.
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    edited May 2017
    Kittel takes it from Sagan then Viviani in 3rd.

    C_0iHdiU0AAKLk-.jpg:med
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    Kittel looked as though he barely made an effort there. The line came a good 100m before I thought it would.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • salsiccia1
    salsiccia1 Posts: 3,725
    It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    Around 23km into the stage. It's a short one so there's no break as yet. We have had an intermediate sprint though. Zdenek Stybar (Quick - Step Floors), Benjamin King (Team Dimension Data) and Tanner Putt (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling) are the 1, 2, 3.
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    There are six riders in a break: Chris Hamilton (Team Sunweb), Scott Thwaites (Team Dimension Data), Tanner Putt (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling), Toms Skujins (Cannondale Drapac), Daniel Jaramillo (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling) and Danny Van Poppel (Team Sky). 5'20" in the lead with 74km to go. Stage 2 goes live on Eurosport at 1030 GMT
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 21,741
    28kph average speed, but less than 60kms left a lot of which is downhill.
    Lucky tv schedulers.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    Breakaway breaking up and it looks like 3 riders are going clear. Good to see that Scott Thwaites is one of them. Everyone's on the ascent of Mt Hamilton now and the leaders have around 50km to go.
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    Lotto Jumbo pace at the front of the peloton has reduced the lead to 2 mins and shed a number of riders off the back including Kittel and Sagan.
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    Toms Skujins high5's a couple of Cookies on the way up the hill and then is treated to Italian Antlerman. 4 chasers have got away from the peloton including Boswell and Majka
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    The two breakaway groups have merged at the bottom of the descent with a reduced peloton 1 min behind. 30km to go
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    Toms Skujin came down hard on the descent. Hard to watch as he tries to get back on his bike. Someone should stop him. He's in no fit state. Awful to watch. Concussion protocol circa 1970's :?




    Bennett, Majka, Boswell and Morton in the lead. 15km to go now and the gap to around 20 chasers is 45"
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    Leaders within 10km of the finish and they still have a 50" gap. Toms Skujins finally ushered off his bike; right decision but much too late.
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    Doesn't look like the 4 will be caught. Just over 3km to go and they still have around 1min on the chasers
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    Majka from Bennett in a sprint finish, then Boswell from Morton for 3rd. The chasers came in around 40" behind led by Gesink.

    Good stage in terms of the racing and the parcours, tainted by that crash. GC now well set up for the rest of the week.
  • yourpaceormine
    yourpaceormine Posts: 1,245
    edited May 2017
    Just seen a clip of the crash on YouTube. At a human level you do wonder why neutral service got him going again. Very clear that something wasn't right, quite how he manages to not get run over by incoming riders must be down to luck as much as bike handling (from others). A video to watch through your fingers once he gets back on his bike - looks like he is going to ride straight into kerb several times.

    But, then it is a tricky one. Are neutral service able to take that decision? I'd hope they'd, at the very least, would have the 'authority' (or 'duty of care') to insist on waiting for a medic to make the call.
  • Richmond Racer 2
    Richmond Racer 2 Posts: 4,698
    Just caught up on the video. Good grief, horrawful sight, poor TS didn't know whether he was Arthur or Martha :shock:
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 8,718
    Majka lucky to keep that win - if he'd made the same move in a bunch sprint I suspect he'd be relegated.
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • dish_dash
    dish_dash Posts: 5,551
    My Man! Poor lad... nasty crash and shame he can't go for a third consecutive year winning a stage here... :(:(:(
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 21,741
    Majka lucky to keep that win - if he'd made the same move in a bunch sprint I suspect he'd be relegated.

    Yup.

    More all over the road than poor Toms Skujiņš.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,069
    Majka lucky to keep that win - if he'd made the same move in a bunch sprint I suspect he'd be relegated.

    He didn't do anything wrong, just took Bennett towards the barriers. It was a gradual move, rather than a sudden one, so the commissaires won't relegate for that.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 21,741
    So far this evening, over one 3rd cat climb, the race has covered a miserly 99kms in 3 and a half hours.
    Yet there are 93 kms left and a half hour to tv transmission.
    Lucky they aren't riding a normal race speed.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    Danny Pate (Rally Cycling), David Lozano (Team Novo Nordisk), Sean Bennett (Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis), Federico Zurlo (Uae Team Emirates) and Ben Wolfe (Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis) are up the road with a 3 minute and 10 second advantage. They have less than 80 kilometers to go and BORA-Hasgrohe leads the peloton. Live TV just about to start.
  • thegibdog
    thegibdog Posts: 2,106
    Are neutral service able to take that decision? I'd hope they'd, at the very least, would have the 'authority' (or 'duty of care') to insist on waiting for a medic to make the call.
    Have just seen the video of this. I'd hope that neutral service would be given guidance on what to do in those kind of situations (along the lines of anyone helping at a race - radio it in & wait for the medic). If not, you'd have thought that common sense would've kicked in.