Diary of a Manxman, Cavendish Storms Sacramento – 2010 Amgen Tour of California, Stage 1
Sacramento, CA - The poster boy for the Amgen Tour of California last year, Mark Cavendish (Team HTC-Columbia) continued his winning ways in the Golden State by taking the opening stage of the 2010 Amgen Tour of California, pipping Team Saxo Bank's Juan Jose Haedo at the line in Sacramento. Norway's Alexander Kristoff (BMC Racing) rounded out the podium.
The 167.8 km stage from Nevada City, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary of the Nevada City Classic, to Sacramento took the riders through Grass Valley and across the Auburn-Foresthill Bridge, the tallest bridge in California and the third highest in the U.S. With the exception of an early climb from the American River to the town of Cool, the stage was mostly downhill to the state's capitol city.
A break of four, which included Maarten Tjallingii (Rabobank), Chad Beyer (BMC Racing Team), Mark De Maar (UnitedHealthcare presented by Maxxis) and Paul Mach (BISSELL) animated the early part of the race. The foursome broke away from the pack and quickly gained a one minute gap on the field. Their lead grew to more than five minutes before an HTC-Columbia led chase brought the peloton back together just outside Sacramento's city limits.
Once inside the finishing circuit, the quickened pace created some havoc as the sprinters began to position themselves for the finale. A crash in the final kilometers brought down former World Champion, Tom Boonen (Quick Step), before he got the chance to contest the sprint finish. Boonen would be brought to the hospital for diagnostic tests and to treat minor injuries. He was later released.
With one of his major contenders out of the field, Cavendish and HTC-Columbia made quick work of the finish with only Haedo to beat at the line.
“The Amgen Tour of California is a hard race,” said Cavendish. “This is a big thing for us. It’s always an important race. Hopefully we can win more stages.”
Gunslinger
It was a bit ironic after last year's Stage 4 in Clovis that Mark Cavendish received a cowboy hat for his victory because he is every bit reminiscent of the old Western gunslingers of the past. Some have called Cavendish cocky, even going so far as to label him arrogant. But he is neither of those. He is a sprinter of extraordinary talents, who understands that his success is a product of incredible trust and chemistry in the team by which he is surrounded.
His confidence in his abilities and his team, perhaps makes him an easy target. But quite simply, Cavendish is the current fastest man on two-wheels, who like those old gunslingers, proclaims that fact not in words, but by every time he outdraws the competition.
Results - Stage 1
1. Mark Cavendish (GBr) HTC-Columbia
2. Juan Jose Haedo (Arg) Team Saxo Bank
3. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) BMC Racing
General Classification - After Stage 1
1. Mark Cavendish (GBr) HTC-Columbia
2. Juan Jose Haedo (Arg) Team Saxo Bank
3. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) BMC Racing
4. Robbie Hunter (Rsa) Garmin-Transitions
5. Jonathan Cantwell (Aus) Fly V australia
6. Marcus Burghardt (Ger) BMC Racing
7. Guillaume Boivin (Can) SpiderTech powered by Planet Energy
8. Andreas Stauff (Aus) Quick-Step
9. Nikolas Maes (GBr) Quick-Step
10. Thomas Leezer (USA) Rabobank
Jersey Leaders - After Stage 1
Amgen Race Leader Jersey - Mark Cavendish (GBr) HTC-Columbia
Herbalife Sprint Jersey - Mark Cavendish (GBr) HTC-Columbia
California Travel and Tourism Commission King of the Mountains Jersey - Paul Mach (USA) Bissell
Rabobank Best Young Rider Jersey - Alexander Kristoff (Nor) BMC Racing
Amgen's Breakaway from Cancer Most Courageous Jersey - Maarten Tjallingii (Ned) Rabobank
Next: Stage 2 - Davis to Santa Rosa (177.2 km)
See more photos of the 2010 Amgen Tour of California in our Photo Gallery
Photos: Leonard Basobas/LB Photos
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