Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) confirmed that he can overcome pretty hard climbs when he continued his impressive run of success at the Tour of California by claiming his second stage win on the hard fourth stage of the race. Having survived the steep 10% climb in the finale, he did well to control the late attacks before holding off Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) and Nathan Haas (Dimension Data) in a sprint from a small group that was mostly made up of GC riders. Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx-QuickStep) showed signs of weakness but rejoined the group inside the final kilometre and so retained the overall lead.

 

We have gathered several reactions.

 

Peter Sagan: Van Avermaet was the big favourite

Having announced that he was targeting stage wins at this year’s race, Peter Sagan added a second win of the week to his tally on the Laguna Seca race circuit with another superb performance on stage 4. The victory marks his 15th career stage win at the Amgen Tour of California, and more opportunities await. The win also cemented his lead in the green jersey points classification.

 

Tinkoff’s intentions were clear throughout the stage with a strong presence on the front chasing down the day’s breakaway before Peter emerged at the head of the race on the day’s final difficulty, the Mazda Raceway Summit, climbing 1.1km at an average of 10.3% and gradients of up to 18%. He helped to make sure nothing got clear before taking another convincing sprint win from the small group left at the front of the race.

 

"I'm very happy," Sagan said. "I have to thank all my teammates because they pulled all day. Today was 220km almost and they were all the day in the front. In the last two climbs it was very hard, and then I was alone because the other riders did their job before. It was very hard to stay with the climbers, and everyone was attacking."

 

"When we came into the final kilometers it was in a descent, and Van Avermaet was the big favourite and he was always on my wheel. After the last turn I let one guy go in front of me, and he pulled my sprint. I was very happy to win.”

 

“It was hard, but good. I’m very happy for my other teammates, and I’m very happy to have won.”

 

Sport Director Patxi Vila was proud of the work that the team put in today, and full of praise for all the riders.

 

“It’s a really nice win after the effort the guys put in. The team was fantastic – we didn’t get any help in chasing and it was a long, long stage but they were 300% committed to the task.

 

“Even though we knew the final would be hard for Peter, when you have a leader like him then everybody pulls together and gives that extra bit to make it work.”

 

After the break pulled clear, the fluo Tinkoff jerseys were present at the front applying pressure to keep the break in check and helping to reduce the gap to the leaders. Working together they brought the difference down to 2’00” with 20km to go, and this continued to fall as the two final climbs approached.

 

Vila explained the situation:

 

“The race was full gas from the off and when the break went we knew it would be a tough task to keep the gap down. We ideally wanted a break of five maximum, but when there were seven it became harder so we started to pull early on. At the end they accelerated well and held their gap for a while but the boys did a great job and then at the end Peter was super cool and finished it off.”

On the penultimate ascent, Laureles Grade Summit climbing for 5.5km at 5.7% average, the break split up leaving just one rider out front and this also saw the advantage tumble to just a handful of seconds over the top. After the fast descent came the final uphill, and the steep slopes put an end to the last breakaway rider’s hopes as a select front group passed him and fought their way up the short but very steep ascent.

 

Sagan was always present in the first few places up the climb, showing that the steep gradients were within him, and proving the strength he has not only in the sprints but also on the Flandrian type climbs. Over the top the group was together and a group sprint was set. Coming around the final corner, Sagan sat in second wheel and as the final effort opened up the result was only going one way.

 

“After today’s effort the guys will feel it on tomorrow’s tough stage and it will probably be a day of survival for most,” explained Vila. “There’s a lot of climbing to come up to Lake Tahoe and it will be a hard day.”

 

Greg Van Avermaet close to victory in tough comeback race

In a dramatic and chaotic final kilometer, Greg Van Avermaet put his sprinting skills to the test on Stage 4 of the Amgen Tour of Califonia, crossing the line second on the raceway finish in Monterey County

 

With 15 kilometres to go, the peloton led by Rohan Dennis started to put pressure on the leading group and eventually a depleted peloton entered the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

 

Despite numerous attacks on the track, the stage went down to a final sprint for the line that was won by Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) closely followed by Van Avermaet.

 

There was also top ten finishes on for BMC Racing Team’s Brent Bookwalter and Rohan Dennis who finished 4th and 7th respectively on the 217km stage. Bookwalter also maintained his fourth spot on the GC and now sits 40 seconds behind race leader, Julian Alaphilippe (Ettixx-Quick-step)

 

Greg Van Avermaet said: “I’m feeling pretty good after that stage. It would have better if we could have won a stage already but in the end it was a good day for us and I’m pretty happy with my form after coming back from my crash in Flanders. I think Brent and Rohan had a really good day in GC and everything went pretty well.

 

“For me, on the uphill sections I tried to follow as if you know there is a good finish for you, you can always hang on longer. So, I tried to get over the climbs and the team did a really good job today keeping the pace pretty high. In the end, there was a little bit of gambling about how the finish would go. I’ve beaten [Peter] Sagan a few times already but this time he won so next time I will have to try and beat him again.”

 

"You always have to wait and see how the body will react after a crash and how good your form is after you come back, so I'm pretty happy I'm up here with the best," he told Cyclingnews.

 

"Sagan is the best in the world in these kinds of finishes and I'm close to him, so I'm pretty happy with that, and I'm looking forward to keeping this rhythm going and to be really good in Dauphine and Tour de France."

 

"He waited pretty long, and I could not surprise him. He saw me coming and he reacted pretty good. We were always in the wind, and I stayed the same distance from him, but I couldn't come over him. It is like it is. He won the race and I came second, but hopefully next time it's the opposite again."

 

Sport director, Jackson Stewart said: “In the final there was a really select group of riders with the favourite guys for the stage and then the GC contenders so it made for a really fast pace. Plus there were a lot of little attacks at the end so everyone had to chase really hard and once you drop down onto the race track, you’re looking at the sprint and it was a really fast finish to end an equally fast stage.

 

“There was a layer of details in our plans for the stage. Greg in the final was a key part of it but we also wanted to protect our GC and put pressure on the other teams to hopefully make them a little more tired in the final so we could be stronger but all in all it was good for us. All the guys were riding well, it was big team effort from us today and we got on the podium so we are happy with that.”

 

Nathan Haas shows puncheur skills, Mark Cavendish on the attack in Californian hills

The race started fast and it took nearly 70 kilometers until a breakaway was allowed up the road. Mark Cavendish managed to get into the break as well. He made sure to fly the flag of Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka and was later called to the podium to receive the honors for being the Most Courageous rider of the day.

 

When the bunch entered the Laguna Seca race course, the African team was in the mix again. Racing for Nathan Haas,Team Dimension Data tried to set the Australian up and inside the final kilometers. He first tried to get clear with around 3 kilometers to go and tried again inside the last few hundred meters. He came close but was denied the win, when Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) and Greg van Avermaet (BMC) just came past him on the line. Haas eventually finished third, meaning another podium for Team Dimension Data on today’s stage.

 

He said:

 

“I’m always happy to be on the podium of a race. Obviously, I’d prefer to have won. From that start of the race we had the plan that I could try and go for the stage. It took 70 kilometers until a breakaway to go. Hats off to Cav for getting in there. It shows the class of rider he is.

 

“In the final the team was incredible. They put me exactly where I needed to be. The last part of the course was all up and down, and when we hit the Laguna Seca race course Sagan and Van Avermaet seemed to make a move and I had a good momentum, so I tried to jump. They got back onto my wheel. On the final straight I tried again, but they were quick enough to answer my move. I think I can learn a lot from today.

 

“Tomorrow is another day with the finish at Lake Tahoe, and after seeing my progression this week I’ll try again to be up there.”

 

“The plan today was to get in the break,” said Cavendish. “We had a good card to play with Nathan Haas in the final, which we wanted to, but we didn’t want to have to ride to do that, because we wanted as many guys as possible in the final to help him, so the best option to support that was to get in the break.

 

"I've raced many times on Highway 1 there. It's one of the most spectacularly scenic routes in the world there. Normally we come form north to south, so this is the first time I've ridden north up it. So I know it quite well from the many times we did the Amgen Tour of California, and many times in training as well when I spent time here.

 

"To come here and finish at Laguna Seca was quite special. I'm a massive moto bike fan. Moto GP is not here anymore, but Super Bike is. I've always wanted to come here, you know. I play around here on my Playstation, and I couldn't help but just go a little bit fast down the corkscrew there in the final even though we were a little bit behind. It's really nice to be here and to finish a stage here on a world famous moto circuit.”

 

Another impressive performance by Axeon youngsters in California

Neilson Powless kept his lead in the SRAM "best young rider" standings and the Axeon Hagens Berman Cycling Team finished two riders in the top 10 after another impressive show of aggression in the final kilometers of Wednesday's stage of the Amgen Tour of California.

The 217-kilometer race from Morro Bay to the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca was a virtual replay of Tuesday's stage. A pair of Axeon Hagens Berman riders were on the attack in separate solo moves leading up to a fifth place by Tao Geoghegan Hart and sixth for Powless. Combined with Ruben Guerreiro's 15th-place finish, the American Under 23 development team maintained its runner-up position in the team classification.

Geoghegan Hart said he had also planned to attack, potentially to take back time conceded Tuesday on the finishing ascent of Mount Gibraltar Road.

"Yesterday, I think I suffered in the heat," the British winner of Trofeo Piva said. "It is not really my type of day to go easy and then just 20 minutes of full gas. It doesn't really suit me. It's not the type of rider I am. I wanted to attack on the climb today but it was a headwind on the Mazda circuit and (race winner) Peter Sagan was intent to keep it together for him."

Like Tuesday, it was Axeon Hagens Berman's Greg Daniel who lit the fireworks with an attack out of the day's seven-rider breakaway. Wearing the Amgen Breakaway from Cancer® "most courageous rider" jersey that he earned on Tuesday for a nearly identical move, the 21-year-old looked good for a time. But attacks from a rapidly-dwindling chase group closed the gap.

"When I looked back, I saw I only had a couple seconds going into the final king of the mountain sprint," Daniel said. "I just thought I had to give it everything. Eventually, I heard people breathing behind me and that is super demoralizing. One second you are going for the stage win and the next moment it is over."

But just as soon as Daniel was brought back on the first of two climbs on the raceway circuit, teammate Ruben Guerreiro threw down his own attack. Tucked low on his Specialized S-works Tarmac, the 21-year-old from Portugal made his own bid for the win.

"When I attacked, I had good legs," Guerreiro said. "But it was super windy on the front and super hard. I did about two kilometers in the front and once I got caught, I did not have any more power. But Neilson and Tao were both in the top 10. So that was good for us."

As world road champion Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) notched his second stage win ahead of Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing Team) and Nathan Haas (Dimension Data), Geoghegan Hart was sprinting to his best result of the race. Powless's placing kept him in fifth place overall, 43 seconds back from race leader Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx-Quick-Step)

Axeon Hagens Berman General Manager Axel Merckx said the team's intent was to get someone in the breakaway and then focus on the finish.

"Tao had an absolutely fantastic day here today, he said. "That's where you see where you need a full team to whelp everybody out in good and bad days. He's proven that he can come back from a bit of a disappointing day from yesterday. So to be fifth today is quite amazing."

Axeon Hagens Berman Sport Director Jeff Louder the team spent a lot of time in its pre-race meeting studying the finale. So he wasn't surprised to see Daniel in the breakaway. The 21-year-old finished runner-up on a stage here two years ago.

"That's what Greg does best. He's really good in the breakaway. He has a big motor and he has done it so much that he knows his limit. So I wasn't surprised. But I was a little surprised because he had done something similar the day before. That just shows his depth and ability."

 

Jurgen Van den Broeck back in the mix on tough stage in California

In an effort to showcase all the most beautiful places in the stage of California, Wednesday’s stage 4 traveled up picturesque Highway 1 through the world renown Big Sur area before ending the day on the track at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.  Team KATUSHA’s Jurgen Van den Broeck was part of the front group, coming to the finish line in eighth place for the stage and moving into 15th on the general classification (+1:44).  Teammate Michael Mørkøv showed the team colors in the break of the day.

 

“From the beginning of the day in our team meeting we talked about putting someone in the break because we knew the final would be too hard for our sprinter Kristoff.  We put Michael Mørkøv there and it was good to show our very nice red jersey in the front of the field in this race on Highway 1. In the final there were two hard, hard climbs and Jurgen Van den Broeck gave us a good performance, putting himself in the top ten.  We are happy for him.  This is a bike race and the goal is to always fight for results,” said team director Torsten Schmidt.

 

“It was a very hard and fast start.  It was controlled for quite a while by Tinkoff but then in the end it was just very hard.  I have to say I feel good and actually I am now feeling better every day,” said Jurgen Van den Broeck.

 

In other results Team KATUSHA’s Jhonatan Restrepo is fifth in the Young Rider competition. 

 

“We all tried really hard to get in the break – some of my other teammates tried also.  Many guys were trying to get away today so I think it took something like 65km before seven of us were OK to go.  It was a long fight to get in there.  It was a good group – I was really happy with the ones in the break and how we worked together.  In the end I was caught on the second to last climb that came onto the race track.  I tried to stay with that group, but it was too much for me after being in the break all day,” explained Michael Mørkøv.

 

Rob Britton on track for top 10 at the Tour of California

Rally Cycling continued its aggressive riding today during stage 4 of the Amgen Tour of California. As a result, Rob Britton moved into ninth place overall and Evan Huffman maintained his lead in the King of the Mountains competition. As in the first three stages, Rally Cycling infiltrated the day’s breakaway. Today it was Will Routley’s turn to spend the day in front of the peloton. Routley, winner of stage four and the King of the Mountains in the 2014 edition, had two objectives for the day. The first was to win the stage, and the second was to take maximum KOM points to defend the lead of teammate Evan Huffman.

 

Will Routley’s efforts in the breakaway were critical in protecting a narrow lead for Evan Huffman in the king of the mountains competition. He snatched top points on all three categorized climbs for the day. It also gives the team extra options down to the wire.

 

 

Routley accomplished the latter by winning the first three KOMs of the day. Heading into the second-to-last climb up the Laureles Grade, the break’s gap was down to just 1:40. With Ettix Quick-Step driving the pace in defense of Julian Alaphilippe’s yellow jersey, the break collapsed in the final kilometers of the ascent.  At the top, only Greg Daniels (Axeon) was still clear of the peloton. On the rapid descent Daniels held his lead over the remnants of the peloton, but on the 16% climb into Laguna Seca he was reeled in.

 

“When they announced the stages, we decided it would be a stage for me to try and get in a break,” said Routley. “It was a good day to go in the move, but there was a lot of motivation to chase us down. We were flying, but we really needed a bigger gap going into the second-to-last climb. I was happy to score all those KOMs – Evan has been doing great and needed to take a day off.”

 

With Daniels caught, the final selection was made over the top of the final climb. Rob Britton made the front group, putting him in a good position for a high finish. The day would go to Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) with Britton crossing the line in ninth. Thanks to a 3 second gap among the top 10 on the general classification, Britton also moved up to ninth overall, 1:12 off the lead.

 

“The team was perfect all day,” said Britton. “They did a good job of not wasting energy and that was the main objective of the day. They positioned me at the very front going into the last climb and then it was up to me not to drop the ball. The last climb was really hard but I felt better today than yesterday, and better yesterday than the day before, so we are trending in the right direction.”

 

Julian Alaphilippe: My legs were not good

Stage 4 of the Tour of California (Morro Bay – Monterrey County, 217 kilometers) had to wait for more than an hour to see a group push clear from the peloton, but before this happened, race leader Julian Alaphilippe got himself involved at the first intermediate sprint of the day and took three bonus seconds, which saw him extend his lead in the general classification.

 

On the last ascent (1.1 km and ramps of 10%), the US rider's action came to an end, and once he was reabsorbed, other attacks were launched, both on the climb and the descent, which led to the group splitting. Winner on Gibraltar Road the day before, Julian Alaphilippe was among the ones to make the cut and finished in the same time with the winner, Peter Sagan (Tinkoff), who out-kicked Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) and Nathan Haas (Dimension Data).

 

"Today it wasn't easy at all, because of the fast speed of the peloton in the first hour of racing and of the heat, the latter making that tough final climb even more difficult. I suffered there, but fortunately I managed to close the attacks, don't lose any time and even extend my lead in the GC, which is a good thing. A big thanks goes to my team for helping me out since the start of the day. Now I'm looking forward to the next stage and the opportunities it can present", said Julian Alaphilippe, who will enjoy his second day in the yellow jersey during the stage which will take the peloton between Lodi and South Lake Tahoe, over 212 kilometers.

 

"Today it was different. My legs were not so good, and it was warmer. In the last climb I was really suffering, and I wasn't in a very good position for the last kilometer. I lost some time and I had to close the gap at the last turn. I did my best for the sprint, but it wasn't my best day.

 

"I am taking it day by day. It was a different day today, but beautiful. I enjoyed my time in the stage, we are lucky to ride here. Tomorrow is another chance to take the victory and fight for the yellow jersey."

Peter Stetina survives most dangerous test at the Tou of California

Peter Stetina sprinted to 11th from a small, select group at the end of the 217-kilometer stage four at the Amgen Tour of California to hold onto his second place in the overall.

 

The longest stage of the eight-day race traveled north along the iconic and scenic Highway One. The rolling road with beautiful vistas snaked alongside the Pacific Ocean for most of the day and ended with a grueling category-two climb over Laureles Grade Road followed by a steep uphill into the Laguna Sega motor circuit. 

 

On the circuit, a sharp pitch up with one kilometer to go was the last obstacle before a drop down the infamous corkscrew and a fast finish.  Twenty-two riders entered the circuit to fight out the stage win, including Stetina and Haimar Zubeldia.

 

"I felt pretty good today," Stetina said. "It was a hectic start; we were racing through dense sea fog and you couldn't even see who was up the road at times. It took over an hour for that breakaway to go and coming into a 220-kilometer stage it kinda makes it a hard day.

 

"It was an iconic route - up and down Highway One - and at times you felt like you were above the clouds and floating in heaven and everyone was able to take that in. In the end, everyone recovered enough that it got really hectic for the final. I had done recon here, so I knew how hard the ending was, more I think than a lot of guys because it seemed on every hill they blew themselves up early and had to slow down and I was able to pace it."

 

Once on the circuit Stetina – not known for explosive climbing – punched over the final steep uphill, stretching the group and opening up a few gaps.  Coming into the finish, 12 men raced for the line with Sagan taking the win and Stetina safely in 11th. Zubeldia arrived in 19th place (+3") and also maintained 10th place in the GC.

​

"I was fresh enough to try and hit it over the final little bump coming into the corkscrew, but Sagan is just so fast when he turns on the gas that a little flyweight like me can’t do much about it," continued Stetina. "When I attacked, I was just racing on instinct. Honestly, I was a little nervous for today because my forte is not the explosive power for this kind of finish. This was my weakest link for the overall this week, so it was really nice to get through it with the guys.

 

"We still showed that we deserve to be where we are in the GC; the guys positioned me well all day.  Markel (Irizar) and Niccolo (Bonifazio) just rode a time trial into the Laureles Grade climb for me, and then Haimar (Zubeldia) sheltered me from the wind up the steep wall into the circuit. I can't ask for much more."

 

Tomorrow's stage five will feature a lot of climbing as it finishes in Lake Tahoe, a place that Stetina knows well.

 

Stetina said: "Tomorrow I am going back to Tahoe – my power place – and we will be racing over seven thousand feet for the last hour, and looks can be deceiving up there. It will be tough."

 

Gianni Moscon continues impressive neo-pro showing in California

Gianni Moscon finished 14th after a fast finish on stage four of the Tour of California.

 

The young Italian was part of a select bunch to do battle for the win after two tough late climbs but he was just distanced in the closing stages around Laguna Seca raceway.

 

Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) took his second victory of the race from Greg van Avermaet (BMC) at the end of the 217km stage, while race leader Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx - Quick-Step) finished 10th to retain the yellow jersey.

 

Moscon had launched a late attack atop the day's penultimate climb inside the final 10km but it was quickly reeled in by the small group behind as a reduced-bunch finish became increasingly likely.

 

Sagan led the elite group onto the famous Laguna Seca raceway and launched an attack of his own, but quickly sat up to save himself for the sprint when it appeared he wouldn't be able to stay away.

 

Moscon remained in the bunch but the pace was high and the group split, with the Italian finishing three seconds down on Sagan after a tough day in the Golden State.

 

Speaking to TeamSky.com after the stage Sport Director Gabriel Rasch praised the efforts of 'super-talented' Moscon and Danny van Poppel, who finished just 38 seconds back on Sagan.

 

Rasch said: "Gianni was really good. He tried an attack on the penultimate climb and it shows that he is a super-talented rider.

 

"Danny really tried too, and he was there until there was only 20 guys left. We kind of knew it would be too tough for him but he did a great job and committed 100%.

 

"Gianni knew he had to try to get away. He can't beat Sagan in a sprint so it was all or nothing for him. He could have tried to save it and maybe been top five but he wanted to win.

 

"We gave a few of the guys a free role today and thought about trying to get into the breakaway, but it didn't go until around 60km, so it was pretty hard.

 

"We will try again tomorrow. We might try to put somebody in the break and it's also a good final for Danny tomorrow, with a small climb towards the end. We will see how the guys are in the morning."

Novo Nordisk close to excellent top 10 in California

Team Novo Nordisk’s Javier Megias moved into the top 15 overall at the Tour of California after finishing 17th on Stage 4. The Spaniard is 24 seconds outside of the top 10, the team’s goal for the race, with four days of racing remaining. 

 

“The guys did a really, really good job rallying around Javi and taking care of him, protecting him and putting him near the front for the finish,” Team Novo Nordisk CEO and co-founder Phil Southerland said. “We are a couple of steps closer to a top 10, which is where we want to be. The guys are really excited about that prospect, and it is our focus for the rest of the week.”

 

“It was a tough, tough day today. Yesterday, plus today, plus the day before makes this a tough stage race, so we are really pleased what we’ve done so far and showing what may be possible with diabetes,” Southerland said.”

 

George Bennett on the attack in explosive finish in California

Timo Roosen and George Bennett showed themselves during the fourth stage of the Amgen Tour of California. Roosen formed part of the early breakaway and Bennett took the initiative in the final part of the stage. It was not enough to hold off Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) from winning the stage.

 

Riders fought to get into the breakaway. After 65 kilometres, a group of riders formed with Timo Roosen among the seven leaders.

 

“None of the riders were dangerous for the overall leader, but instead of the team of the yellow jersey, Tinkoff started to control the race,” Sports Director Frans Maassen said. “The break lasted quite long, not to the finish. Bennett tried to prevent a bunch sprint in the final part of the race, but he failed. I think that Timo delivered a very strong stage. The escapees definitely had a chance to make it today.”

 

“I rode attentively to be part of the breakaway,” Roosen added. “We had a nice group of riders and got a maximum advantage of five minutes, 30 seconds. We did the best we could in the final hour, but it wasn’t enough, unfortunately.”

 

The peloton reduced massively during the hilly final part of the stage. In the last kilometres, the front group split. Bennett lost three seconds because of that, but held his third position in the general classification.”

 

Laurens Ten Dam limits his losses in puchy Californian stage

Laurens ten Dam raced to 20th place after an exciting finale. In the general classification, there are not a lot of changes in the top 10, Laurens ten Dam remains in 6th place, 49″ behind the overall leader.

 

Laurens ten Dam said: “The guys did a good job in protecting me the whole day. The short climbs in the finale didn’t really suit me. My position on the last climb was not good enough and there was a small gap with the group in front. I am a bit disappointed in losing some seconds.”

 

Coach Aike Visbeek added: “The plan was to look for an opportunity to win seconds but instead we lost a few. Anyway, the guys did a good job all day. Laurens is getting back into racing and aiming for a result which he has not done in a long time.”