2nd Amgen Tour of California - Stage 6
CSC's J.J. Haedo duplicates his 2006 feat with a second victory. Levi Leipheimer and Discovery Channel successfully defend the race yellow jersey on the penultimate stage.

By Bart Hazen

Stage 6 Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita - 169.6 km.
Discovery Channel's Levi Leipheimer (the Californian and hero of our tale) started the race in the leader golden jersey. The other jerseys today are worn by Juan José Haedo (points), Christophe Laurent (Mountains), Robert Gesink (Young riders) and Team CSC leads the Team G.C.

The stage was a rolling affair with more than its fair share of tests against gravity and the last chance for rivals Jens Voigt and Team CSC to test Levi's legs and determination wrest the half minute for victory in the 2nd running of the California tour.

Again strong break developed with CSC and T-Mobile riders which left the Discovery Channel without support alone at the front for most of the stage to defend their mates yellow jersey until the other teams doubting the breaks chances at success joined in to chase the break down in the final kms and let their sprinters trains take things in hand. Once again J.J. Haedo of CSC took his second victory, with T-Mobiles Greg Hendrson and Paolo Bettini joining him on the podium in that order.

The first attack in the stage came from Shawn Milne (Health Net) and Mauricio Ardila (Rabobank). After 10 km they extended there lead to 1:00 on the bunch which slowed to wait for Discovery's Cruz and George Hincapie who crashed.

26 kilometers into the race the duo attacked the first KOM; Ardila took the points ahead of Milne while Adam Hansen (T-Mobile), Darren Lill (Navigators), Danny Pate (Team Slipstream), Christophe Laurent (Credit Agricole), Jurgen Van De Walle (Quick Step) and Sébastien Hinault (Credit Agricole) tried to bridge the gap to the two leaders. Ardila took also the points on the second KOM dropping Milne in the process.

The 27 year old Columbian from Yarumal defiantly extended his lead to 1:30 on the chase group while the peloton led by Jens Voigt dashed their hopes and they were swept up. After 40 km of racing the peloton had split into two one trying to get back, and the other intent on capturing the Columbian.  But within 5 km the lead chase group had Mauricio in sight and peloton caught brought him back as the first intermediate sprint loomed ahead.

The sprint at 52 km was won by the Ed Beamon's Sergey Lagutin (Navigators Insurance) who attacked just before the sprint with Graeme Brown 2nd and Stuart O’Grady 3rd. In the after glow of sprint another attack was launched, this time a sextet of riders: Giovanni Visconti (Quick Step), Jakob Piil (T-Mobile), Stuart O'Grady (Team CSC), Robert Gesink (Rabobank), David Vitoria (BMC) and Jonathan Patrick McCarty (Team Slipstream). This break lost ground on the climb for the 3rd KOM everything came together on the descent with  Fabian Wegmann taking the points on the climb ahead of Van de Walle and Ardila.

Arch rivals CSC and Discovery were attentive at the front trying to control the race for Levi Leipheimer and Jens Voigt. Stuart O’Grady was the next to attack with joined by Michael Rogers (T-Mobile), Matthew Hayman (Rabobank), Bram Tankink (Quick Step) and Enrico Gasparotto (Liquigas). Giovanni Visconti (Quick Step), Josep Jufre (Predictor-Lotto), Viktor Rapinski (Navigators) and Danny Pate (Slipstream) take up the chase and  join the quartet at the front of the race making it a break of eight.

CSC's O'grady was first through the second intermediate sprint in Santa Paul ahead of Michael Rogers and Giovanni Visconti. On the final KOM of the day, 78 km to the finish, it’s Josep Jufre who takes the maximum points before Liquigas' Enrico Gasparotto and T-Mobile's Michael Rogers. Stuart O’Grady is the best placed rider in the break only 1:20 down on Leipheimer. But Rogers isn't far behind Stuey either and with the break 3:00 up the road the CSC and T-Mobile duo are testing Disco's determination to hold onto the race lead. As the Discovery Channel team is forced to chase with Ivan Basso and George Hincapie at the head of affairs; CSC and T-Mobile can let their rabbits provide the incentive for Discovery to chase using up valuable energy better spent near the stage end.

The break of eight work looked strong and continued to work together with apparent confidence they can arrive in Santa Clarita with some time in the pocket for the win. The break has all the right stuff  to make the day with journeymen like O’Grady, Rogers, Hayman, Tankink, Gasparotto, Rapinski capable of carrying through with the talents of Pate, Ardila and Jufre.

With 40 km to go the eight leaders have still a gap of 2 minutes on the chasing bunch but the gap is not coming down enough to have the sprinters teams help. With 25 km to go the gap falls to 1 minute and Liquigas joins the front to help Discovery. Liquigas becomes the first team to leave the conspiracy, though they have a fast rider in the break with Gasparotto they obviously would rather take their chances at a stage win in the sprint.  With less then 13 km to go O'Grady drives the gap up again to 1:18.

Discovery gets now the help of Health Net as well, and the gap falls again to 40 seconds as saved and fresher legs join the chase at the 6 km mark. The break forges on working well together and fighting for the little gap they still have. Credit Agricole is next to break ranks favoring Thor Hushvod's chances for the victory. As strong as the break is the group is swept up on the finishing circuit in Santa Clarita with 3 kilometers to go.

The sprint trains go to the front and it’s CSC rider J.J. Haedo claiming his 2nd stage in this tour matching his performance with Health Net last year. He was faster in the sprint than Greg Henderson, Paolo Bettini, Thor Hushovd and Fred Rodriguez.

Levi Leipheimer remains in the golden fleece with one more stage to go. The final stage will be from Long Beach to Long Beach over 124.7 km. It will definitely be an odds on bunch sprint again with all the usual suspects fighting for line honors to win the last stage of the 2007 Tour of California.

Tour of California Stage 6 Results
Santa Barbara – Santa Clarita, 169.6 km
1. 4 ARG 19810126 HAEDO Juan José CSC 3.56'04" 10"
2. 47 NZL 19760910 HENDERSON Greg TMO 3.56'04" 6"
3. 61 ITA 19740401 BETTINI Paolo QSI 3.56'04" 4"
4. 51 NOR 19780118 HUSHOVD Thor C.A 3.56'04"
5. 88 USA 19730903 RODRIGUEZ Fred PRL 3.56'04"
6. 32 GER 19780127 FÖRSTER Robert GST 3.56'04"
7. 75 ITA 19770117 PAOLINI Luca LIQ 3.56'04"
8. 132 USA 19750226 CANDELARIO Alexander JBC 3.56'04"
9. 152 ARG 19720306 ACTON Alejandro COL 3.56'04"
10. 102 GBR 19780823 DOWNING Russell HNM 3.56'04"
11. 93 AUS 19790711 CLARKE Hilton NIC 3.56'04"
12. 168 SUI 19841015 VITORIA David BMC 3.56'04" 20"
13. 83 BEL 19810902 DOCKX Bart PRL 3.56'04"
14. 106 USA 19811109 MILNE Shawn HNM 3.56'04"
15. 14 NED 19741218 DE GROOT Bram RAB 3.56'04"
16. 96 UZB 19810114 LAGUTIN Sergey NIC 3.56'04" 3"
17. 66 BEL 19770209 VAN DE WALLE Jurgen QSI 3.56'04"
18. 118 USA 19850713 TOLLESON Taylor TSL 3.56'04"
19. 141 USA 19780922 JACQUES-MAYNES Benjamin PHB 3.56'04"
20. 6 AUS 19730806 O'GRADY Stuart CSC 3.56'04" 4"
21. 8 GER 19710917 VOIGT Jens CSC 3.56'04"
Full Official Results to follow

General Classification After Stage 6
1. 21 USA 19731024 LEIPHEIMER Levi DSC 22.17'56"
2. 8 GER 19710917 VOIGT Jens CSC 22.18'17" 21"
3. 26 USA 19730903 MCCARTNEY Jason DSC 22.18'50" 54"
4. 2 USA 19711118 JULICH Bobby CSC 22.19'02" 1'06"
5. 6 AUS 19730806 O'GRADY Stuart CSC 22.19'12" 1'16"
6. 7 USA 19760522 VANDEVELDE Christian CSC 22.19'20" 1'24"
7. 41 AUS 19791220 ROGERS Michael TMO 22.19'28" 1'32"
8. 94 AUS 19781211 DAY Ben NIC 22.19'34" 1'38"
9. 71 ITA 19780115 PELLIZOTTI Franco LIQ 22.19'37" 1'41"
10. 101 CAN 19801209 HESJEDAL Ryder HNM 22.19'53" 1'57"
11. 81 USA 19711023 HORNER Christopher PRL 22.20'05" 2'09"
12. 45 LUX 19780703 KIRCHEN Kim TMO 22.20'12" 2'16"
13. 96 UZB 19810114 LAGUTIN Sergey NIC 22.20'12" ...
14. 108 AUS 19820208 SUTHERLAND Rory HNM 22.20'12" ...
15. 48 DEN 19730309 PIIL Jakob TMO 22.20'15" 2'19"
16. 52 KAZ 19760815 FOFONOV Dimitri C.A 22.20'17" 2'21"
17. 111 USA 19790324 PATE Danny TSL 22.20'27" 2'31"
18. 121 USA 19751015 BALDWIN Christopher TUP 22.20'27" ...
19. 64 NED 19781203 TANKINK Bram QSI 22.20'33" 2'37"
20. 36 GER 19800620 WEGMANN Fabian GST 22.20'40" 2'44"