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Tour of California - 2.1
USA, February 19-26, 2006
Main Page Results & report Stage Details Previous Stage
Stage 7 - February 26: Redondo Beach Circuit Race, 123.1km
Commentary by Kristy Scrymgeour, with additional reporting from Mark Zalewski
Complete live report
12:54 PST
Welcome to the final stage of the
inaugural Tour of California. We are at the start line here at Redondo Beach
and its pumping. There are people everywhere crowding around the teams as they
get ready to race, hanging out at the expo and getting autographs. Its a great
atmosphere!. The race has really bee quite a success. The riders are all saying
good things about it and it looks like it has a promising future.
Todays final stage is 123km in length and consists of ten laps of a 12.3km circuit.
Starting and finishing down at the beach, the course then heads up Catalina
Avenue and loops up to Palos Verde Blvd and back down Paseo De La Playa back
to Catalina to the finish. The roads are wide open suburban roads. There is
a short little climb mid way but nothing too challenging. We should see a fast
exciting race.
13:01 PST
No neutral start today, we are straight
into racing. We have just heard the US National Anthem and we're off.
13:05 PST
In the team cars, the race directors
are currently doing their daily race radio check to make sure they can head
the commissaires.
13:09 PST
We have a break already. Four riders
have a gap of 20" so far.
13:09 PST
Crash! We have some riders down. T-Mobole,
Gerolsteiner and a few others. They're all right back up and all look to be
ok.
13:11 PST
The riders in the break are Aaron
Olson (Prodir), Glen Chadwick (Navigators), Davide Frattini (Colavita) and Scott
Zwizanski (Kodak Sierra Nevada).
13:12 PST
The peloton is in neutral mode for
a minute or so because of the crash.
13:15 PST
The lead riders now have 45" on the
field, helped by the fact that the main bunch slowed down a little bit for an
unofficial neutral to wait for the riders who crashed. About 12 riders were
held up by the crash.
13:16 PST
The gap is now 1'20".
13:18 PST
Some riders are taking advantage of
the fact that the bunch is slowly rolling along to take a nature break. More
riders from the crash are making it back to the field now. Preben Van Hecke
(Davitamon Lotto), Kilian Pauriol (Credit Agricole), Michael Barry (Discovery)
and Andre Greipel (T-Mobile) have all made it back to the field.
13:18 PST
Greipel is still asking for assistance
from the team car. Sebastian Lang (Gerolsteiner) was also involved in the crash
and has made it back to the bunch.
13:20 PST
Robert Hunter (Phonak) has abandoned
the race after that crash.
The break has increased to 2'20".
13:21 PST
Phil Zajicek is out of the race too.
He is at the medical tent. He's ok but a bit scraped up.
13:22 PST
Tom Peterson (TIAA CREF) has also
just rejoined the bunch. He was involved in the crash too as has a bit of road
rash but is on his bike. He wears the young riders jersey so it is appropriate
that the field has waited.
13:22 PST
The break is getting a bit of an unfair
advantage because of this crash, but its early days yet.
13:25 PST
We are just over one lap down. The
bunch is still just cruising slowly waiting for all riders caught up in the
crash to get sorted.
13:27 PST 16km/107km to go
The leaders are going
through the sprint line which is midway through the course. We don't have any
sprints until the fourth lap.
13:28 PST
Koldo Gil (Prodir Saunier Duval) has
also abandoned the stage after that crash.
13:30 PST
The gap is now 3'40".
13:31 PST
The gap is 5'20".
13:32 PST
Sebastian Lang (Gerolsteiner) who
was so aggressive in yesterdays race has also abandoned.
13:36 PST 20km/103km to go
Tom Peterson has been
looked at by the medical team. He has also switched shoes with one of his team
members and is really being quite brave in continuing the race. He has the young
riders jersey, so everything to gain by finishing, but he may not be all that
comfortable after the crash. His shoes must be a little beaten up.
13:37 PST
The gap is now 6'45".
13:40 PST
The guys in the break are working
well together, taking even turns and by chance have just been able to get this
huge gap. We will see the teams co-operating in the bunch soon to gradually
bring them back. Only four teams are represented in the bunch so plenty of teams
to chase.
13:41 PST
The main field is coming through the
finish line to see eight laps to go.
13:44 PST 25km/98km to go
When they came through
the finish line, Chris Horner (Davitamon Lotto) was on the front. They are not
chasing at all right now. Mostly just sitting in the bunch and chatting. Taking
it easy.
13:45 PST
We talked to Aaron Olson (Colavita)
before the race and he said he's been feeling better every day and was feeling
good this morning.
13:47 PST
One thing interesting in the break
is that Davide Frattini and Aaron Olsen used to ride on the same team together
last year in Colavita, so they'll be feeling comfortable up front together.
13:50 PST
Glen Chadwick (Navigators) is only
6'32" down on GC, so he is now the race leader on the road. You can rest assured
that Phonak will be watching that gap.
13:52 PST 36.9km/86.1km to go
The break is coming
through the finish line for the end of three laps. This lap will see the first
sprint of the day.
13:54 PST
The medical team has already run out
of supplies already and have to go back to headquarters and stock up.
13:56 PST
In addition to points at the sprint
line today, each intermediate sprint also carries a $1000 prime. The leaders
are getting ready for the first sprint of the day.
13:56 PST
The field is currently being led by
three Davitamon Lotto riders.
13:59 PST
Davitamon Lotto will be wanting to
keep things together for Freddie Rodriguez today. He's just missed out on a
stage win and has taken three second places in the tour so far. Davitamon Lotto
has finally started the chase. It was single file as they came through the finish
line after lap three.
14:01 PST
The sprint is coming up, we'll definitely
see the gap come down this lap with the chase in progress.
14:03 PST 40km/83km to go
The field are 40km
into the stage, with the break up ahead. They're all still working hard in the
break. Equal turns, nice and smooth. Their gap has come down again to 6'25".
14:04 PST
This means that Chadwick is no longer
the tour leader on the road.
14:06 PST
You'll all be happy that of all the
riders who fell, no-one is seriously injured. Quite a few have nasty road rash,
but nothing serious. Navigators is a little worried about Phil Zajicek who had
a broken wrist a couple of weeks ago. He'll have to go for X-Rays to make sure
he didn't harm it again.
14:06 PST
His father is actually at the race
today with him, so he's in good hands.
14:08 PST
Scott Zwizanski (Kodakgallery.com
Sierra Nevada) took the first sprint of the day, followed by Frattini and Chadwick.
He also takes $1000 for winning the sprint.
14:09 PST 43.7km/79.3km to go
The break is now
coming through the finish line at the end of lap four. They get a huge cheer
from the crowd. They see six laps to go.
14:12 PST
The gap has come down to 5'30" with
Davitamon Lotto still on the front of the bunch setting tempo in the chase.
14:14 PST
The main field go under the one kilometer
banner on the way to finishing four laps. The are 48.8km into the race. They
are bringing the gap down. Other teams are also helping out.
14:17 PST
Davitamon is on the front now with
the Phonak team just behind them with Floyd tucked in safely. CSC and Health
Net are grouped together just behind them. The leaders are at the sprint line
again. There is no sprint this lap.
14:19 PST 56km/67km to go
Five minutes is the
current gap.
14:20 PST
Riders are now allowed to feed in
the feed zone. They can feed for the next four laps.
14:22 PST
The gap keeps coming down. Its now
4'50". Phonak are happy that these other teams want stage wins as it prevents
them having to do too much at this stage. They still have their work to do making
sure Floyd is safe in the bunch, but right now Davitamon is setting the pace
in the chase.
14:23 PST
The riders in the break are taking
about 15 second pulls, keeping things moving pretty steadily. With their gap
continuing to fall, their teammates in the bunch will be thinking about the
next move and who is going to counter. The gap is 4'40".
14:27 PST 61.6km/61.4km to go
The leaders are
coming through the finish at the half way point and see five laps to go. They
still have a 4'40" gap with Davitamon Lotto chasing.
14:29 PST
Another team who will be looking for
a stage win today is CSC. They were setting up the sprint yesterday for Stuart
O'Grady, "We started prepping the peloton for the last two laps and the team
worked together perfectly," Scott Sunderland told Cyclingnews after the race.
"Cancellara laid out the sprint nicely for O'Grady, but Stuey was blocked by
two riders ahead of him and had to hit the breaks to avoid crashing. It was
a shame he didn't have the chance to get in there as it was a tailor-made finish
for him."
We'll be looking for them again at today's finish.
14:31 PST
We also talked to Harm Jansen (DS
of Toyota United). He is very excited at the way the race has gone for them
this week. Two stage wins in their first big race is "more than we could have
hoped for," he said. "The pressure was going to be on for this last stage,"
added Jansen. "But now we can relax, the pressure's off."
14:32 PST
The field has also reached the midway
point now and are headed out for their sixth lap. The pace is pretty fast for
this chase.
14:37 PST
Back to the feed zone now for the
peloton. Its still pretty much Davitamon Lotto on the front followed with a
couple of other riders in there helping out a bit. There is one T-Mobile rider
up there.
14:38 PST
The second sprint of the day was taken
by Glen Chadwick, taking points and $1000. He was followed by Scott Zwizanski
and Davide Frattini.
14:39 PST
The main field is one kilometer to
the sprint line now.
14:43 PST
The gap is still gradually coming
down. Its 4'00" now. Davitamon Lotto still on the front. Freddie Rodgriguez
is in the middle of the field saving his legs. Cadel Evans is at the back of
the field now getting service.
14:43 PST 73.9km/49.1km to go
The break come
through the finish line now at the end of lap six. They have four laps to go.
14:48 PST
The main field is approaching the
start/finish line and will see four laps to go.
14:50 PST
The T-Mobile rider who is up in the
mix with Davitamon Lotto is Bernhard Kohl who was leading the mountain jersey
until stage 5. T-Mobile may go for the sprint again with Pollack.
14:52 PST
our reporter Mark Zalewski has just
talked to CSC Director Scott Sunderland from a moto out of the course. Sunderland
is just waiting to see what happens here but if this is reeled in they'll be
working for O'Grady again.
14:56 PST
We have finally heard what caused
the crash. It was one of those temporary cardboard garbage cans and it blew
out on the course. We have just talked to Phil Zajicek who is confident that
his wrist will be ok. He is disappointed to have to pull out of the race as
he was highly placed on GC. He was in 15th place only 2'32" down on CG and was
actually the highest placed non-ProTour American rider.
14:57 PST
The gap has fallen to 3'45".
14:59 PST
Greg Henderson (Health Net) is getting
neutral service at the moment. He has them re-taping his handelbars whilst riding
along at 51km/h (32m/h). He's one of the teams best sprinters and will want
some grip on his bars for the sprint later.
15:04 PST
Or reporter Mark Zalewski is in the
car with the Navigators team now. Team Director Ed Beamon is yelling out the
car at Chadwick trying to gee him up. He's yelling "Big lap now, you really
have to dig deep here."
15:06 PST
Jonas Carney is in the Kodak Sierra
Nevada car and Beamon is talking to him now out the window. They are both encouraging
their riders to really hit the gas this lap as its their last chance for this
break to work.
15:07 PST
We are in the eighth lap now and the
main field is 5km to the sprint line. The gap is falling ever so slowly and
is now at 3'10".
15:08 PST 91km/32km to go
The riders in the break
are at the feed zone. Olsen is leading up the small climb.
15:10 PST
They are on the downhill section now
heading for the sprint. Their concern will not be with the sprint but making
sure they keep their rhythm to keep this break going.
15:11 PST
Olsen crossed the sprint line first,
but they didn't sprint. They're all working very well together. Frattini takes
his turn now. Olsen has a puncture. Rear wheel.
15:12 PST
His team car is with him and is changing
it quickly. He'll have to chase pretty hard now.
15:14 PST
Olsen is making good progress back
into the break. That was a good change.
15:14 PST
The gap has fallen now though to 2'40".
15:16 PST
2km to go to the finish line where
they will see two laps to go. Olsen is back up doing turns now.
15:19 PST
Greg Henderson (Health Net) just had
a shoe change and is back with the field. Lots of shoe issues today!
15:20 PST 98.5km/24.5km to go
Here some the leaders
through the finish line. They only have 2'10" lead now with two laps to go but
they are working hard.
15:23 PST
Radio Tour are reading off numbers
for medical control after the race. They will test the stage winner, the overall
GC winner and two random riders as they do every day.
15:26 PST
The gap has fallen again to 1'35".
Its looking more and more like a sprint finish, but these guys are showing no
sign of giving up.
15:26 PST
The sprinters teams will be starting
to get organised and perhaps we'll see some counterattacking from Gerolsteiner
again. It will definitely be another exciting finish.
15:28 PST
Falling again. Its 1'20" now.
15:30 PST
The guys in the break are still working
well together. They are on the back side of the course with a lap and a half
to go. It looks like CSC is on the front of the peloton right now. They are
going for another try for O'Grady now.
15:32 PST
The Davitamon Lotto riders are also
up there. There's a lot of activity in the field with the teams getting organised
for the finish. Phonak is also present at the front, they seem to be doing the
majority of work on the front. This is good to keep Floyd safe, but they may
also be going for a stage win with Robert Hunter.
15:33 PST 110km/13km to go
Lars Bak (CSC) is
back on the front. The break has 1'10" as they pass the finish line with one
lap to go.
15:34 PST
The gap is 50" and falling.
15:34 PST
The main field are coming up to the
finish line with one lap to go. 13km.
15:36 PST
The crowd is going wild, the gap is
coming down.
15:37 PST
Phonak still have guys on the front.
Horner is also up there too for Davitamon Lotto.
15:38 PST
The gap is only 35" now. They will
probably get caught on this climb but they are still driving it really hard
and working well together.
15:38 PST
The gap is 30 seconds.
15:40 PST
They can see the break up ahead now.
Phonak and CSC both have riders up the front. They can see the break now.
Scott Zwizanski has attacked the break.
15:41 PST
He has a 5" lead. Meanwhile back in
the bunch a Gerolsteiner rider has a lead on the bunch.
15:42 PST
Chadwick is going after him and has
caught him on the climb.
15:42 PST
Fabian Wegmann (Gerolsteiner) and
a Phonak rider have caught and passed the break.
15:43 PST
With the break caught, we have a three
new riders off the front. Wegmann is one of them, one Phonak rider and a Navigator.
They''ve all been caught now.
15:44 PST
They have just passed the sprint line
on the back side of the field. Its all together. CSC on the front but there's
an attack by Toyota United.
15:45 PST
Covered by a Phonak rider.
15:45 PST 118km/5km to go
CSC is back on the
front driving it like yesterday. About 5km to go now.
15:45 PST
Four CSC lead the field. Discovery
riders are also near the front.
15:46 PST
Floyd is up close to the front next
to a couple of Navigator riders.
15:46 PST
They are single file again now and
flying towards the finish.
15:47 PST
One CSC rider is still on the front.
A Gerolsteiner rider rolls through.
15:47 PST
The field is now lead by Gerolsteiner.
Its single file. Another few riders try to come up the side but its too fast.
15:47 PST
They Gerolsteiner rider has swung
off.
15:48 PST
They are flying. They are making a
hard left turn, its single file.
15:49 PST
They are on the flat, just over 1km
to go. Phonak is on the front, followed by Davitamon.
15:49 PST 122km/1km to go
1km to go!
15:49 PST
Phonak has swung off, its CSC on the
front. Four riders
15:50 PST
CSC dominate again, all across the
road. T-Mobile rider comes up the side.
15:50 PST
Its T-Mobile again!
15:50 PST
Olaf Pollack takes his second win!
15:52 PST
Looks like Haedo took second place
followed by another T-Mobile rider.
16:03 PST
Thank you all for tuning in to Cyclingnews
for our live coverage this week. We have a few people to thank. One is John
Koslosky from Castro Valley Cyclery who took us up in the helicopter on stage
2, Steve Hegg for being a great driver during the week and the CSC and Navigators
teams for having us in their team cars today.
We hope you all enjoyed
the tour. We'll be back in the US next time for Tour de Georgia
Results
Provisional 1 Olaf Pollack (T-Mobile) 2 Juan Jose Haedo (Toyota United Pro) 3 Andre Greipel (T-Mobile)
General Classification 1 Floyd Landis (Phonak) 2 David Zabriskie (Team CSC) 3 Bobby Julich (Team CSC)
