2nd Amgen Tour of California - Stage 3 Report & Photos
Sole Survivor of the day long break Jens Voigt takes the well deserved win! Liepheimer, Horner and Gesink beat the peloton to the finish in San Jose.

By Bart Hazen

Tour of California, Stage 3: Stockton – San José - 152.2 km
Stage 3 in the Tour of California is the queens stage from Stockton to San José over 152.2 km. With some serious climbing ahead anticipation was high in spite of a group finish last year. Levi Leipheimer (Discovery Channel) started the race in the leader jersey. The other jerseys are for Allan Davis (points), Thomas Peterson (Mountains) and Taylor Tolleson (Best Young Rider), Christophe Laurent (Most Aggressive riders) and Discovery Channel is leading the team ranking.

Fabian Cancellara and Paolo Bettini at the start.
Photo copyright Celia Cole

After 6 km of racing the first big attack of the stage took flight off the front, optimists or trying to beat the forecasted rain predicted this afternoon. Either way, it was the 17 optimists took to the road determined to ride to the finish alone:  Jurgen Van De Walle (Quick Step), Mauro Da Dalto (Liquigas), Jens Voigt (Team CSC), Bram De Groot (Rabobank), Charly Wegelius (Liquigas), Steven Cozza (Team Slipstream powered by Chipotle), William Frischkorn (Team Slipstream/Chipotle), Nicolas Reistad (Jelly Belly Cycling Team), Kirk O'Bee, Shawn Milne and  Kyle Gritters of Health Net/Maxxis, Mads Kaggestad (Credit Agricole), BMC veteran Mike Sayers, , Torsten Hiekmann (Gerolsteiner), Aaron Olsen and Jakob Piil of T-Mobile and  lone Discovery Channel rider Jason McCartney perhaps as a watchdog for race leader Leipheimer. The gap was grew bit by bit as Discovery set the pace back at the peloton with the break slowly extending their lead to 40 seconds.

Will Frischkorn leads the break over the first KOM
Photo copyright Celia Cole

The leaders worked well together and not much was happening behind as the gap slowly extended with Jens Voight at the front pushing the pace. As the two groups paced each other with Dicovery alone at the front in charge of the chase it with the other squads willing to see what Disco would do, letting Basso, Hincapie, and the boys take the punishment in the wind. The gap was 3:45 as the break attacked the first climb and went up after 55 km with the first KOM of the day which was won by William Frischkorn. Van de Walle 2nd. The leaders worked well together and the gap grew  about 5.00 in the meantime.

Jens Voigt took the first intermediate sprint ahead of Jakob Piil and Jurgen van de Walle. This brings Jens, who is 10 seconds down on Levi, a bit closer in the ranking. With 60 km to go Rabobank started to help Discovery Channel in the chase, trying to launch Robert Gesink, Mauricio Ardila or Michael Rasmussen on the final climb. Due to this work the peloton started to bring the gap down.

First Jason McCartney, and then Shawn Milne attacked from the front group on the final climb. But both are caught with Milne brought back on the first parts of the Sierra Road, the final KOM of the day. The Sierra Road is about 10 km long with 8% average grade and sections at 15%.

The Cat one climb of Sierra Road lights up with an on the lead group by Jason McCartney. In the meantime the peloton has gotten religion and is less then 2 minutes behind the break. Voigt, De Groot and Piil are on McCartney's heels as the break shatters behind them. I

Race leader Leipheimer attacked together with Chris Horner. A few seconds later Rabobank youngster, Robert Gesink bridged the gap as well. The three quickly march by the shattered remnants of the break. The gap to Voigt, McCartney De Groot and Piil  slips to less than a minute. Back at the front McCartneys effort playing the rabbit has sorted the weaker riders and there are only 2 riders left, De Groot and Piil were dropped as McCartney and Voigt forged on.

With about 2.5 km to go to the summit of the Sierra Road, the Leipheimer group caught McCartney and Voigt , as the former riders in the break were absorbed by the chase behind.  So we had a break of 5 riders attempting to stay away to the finish in 30kms: Levi Leipheimer (Discovery Channel), Jason McCartney (Discovery Channel), Chris Horner (Predictor-Lotto), Robert Gesink (Rabobank) and Jens Voigt (CSC).

On the top of the Sierra Road, it was Leipheimer who took the KOM Points ahead of McCartney and Voigt. They have a gap of almost 1.00 on the chasing group with among others Bettini, Julich, Rogers, Ardila and Hincapie. But of course, the Discovery, CSC and Raboank weren't about to aid the chase. The work has to come from T-Mobile, Gerolsteiner and Quick Step pressing the front to deliver their sprinters; with 30 km the odds we're slim thee quintet would absorbed... that is if you didn't see the effort of McCartney, the determined look on Levi or the smile on Horners face as they traded the lead between them.

With 20 km to go the gap of the 6 leaders is still around the 1.00 and Bettini tries to bridge the gap on his own but without success. But the gap is slowly came down as the distance to the finish shortened. But the 6 are worked well together and it seemed the winner would be decided from the leading group.

Jason McCartney dropped off the front group after a journeyman's effort for Levi, the game for the stage win began. The first one to attack was Jens Voigt but Leipheimer and Horner jumped to his wheel. Due to the attack Gesink couldn’t handle the tempo anymore and was dropped. The next one to attack was Levi himself but also not enough power to get a gap on Chris Horner or Jens Voigt.

Jens Voigt Victory!! Leipheimer, Horner and Gesink in the distance.
Photo copyright Celia Cole

Turning into the final km the trio in front had a lead of about 100 meters on Gesink while the chasing group was coming up fast. Jens Voigt started the sprint and the German powerhouse took the well deserved win with relative ease ahead of Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner. Robert Gesink finished in an excellent 4th position just before the chasing group swept to the finish line. The time differences where not that big, so the any changes in the G.C. will await the time trial in Solvang.

Levi celebrates a well deserved leaders jersey on the podium.
Photo copyright Celia Cole

Leipheimer remains in the "Golden Fleece" with about 3 seconds on Jens Voigt.

Podium Stage 3: 3rd - Chris Horner (Predictor/Lotto), 1rst - Jens Voigt (CSC) and 3rd and race leader Levi Leipheimer (Discovery Channel) Photo copyright Celia Cole

Provisional Results
1 Jens Voigt (CSC)
2 Levi Leipheimer (Discovery Channel)
3 Chris Horner (Predictor-Lotto)
4 Robert Gesink (Rabobank)

General classification
1 Levi Leipheimer (Discovery Channel)
2 Jens Voigt (CSC) 0.03
Official results and more photos to follow.