|
|
TOUR OF CALIFORNIA RACE REPORTS: TOUR OF CALIFORNIA STAGE 1: MANCEBO ROCKS SANTA ROSA
Road Bike Action & AFP
February 15, 2009
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Mancebo celebrates his stage 1 victory
(Photo: Ken Conley)
Francisco Mancebo won the first stage of the Tour of California and captured the leader's yellow jersey amid confusion caused by inclement weather that disrupted race communications.
Mancebo, who rides for the Rock Racing team, led much of the stage and held off Belgian Jurgen Van de Walle and Italian Vincenzo Nibali at the finish. A group led by American Astana riders Levi Leipheimer and Lance Armstrong finished nearly two minutes later.
Armstrong learned before the start of the stage that his specialized time-trial bike had been stolen in the night, along with those of three Astana teammates. He also suffered a puncture and a fall. The seven-time Tour de France champion, making a comeback in 2009 after an absence of three and a half years, called it "Maybe one of the toughest days I've had on a bike" because of the cold, windy, wet conditions that prevailed throughout.
The conditions were so poor that race director Jim Birrell decided to the times for the overall classification when the riders entered Santa Rosa for the first of three laps of the final circuit. The modification was decided after 130 kilometers of the 173km stage had been completed, but the communications problems meant that not all the team directors got word of the change at the same time.
The confusion provoked grumbling from some, including Astana, who felt their riders' chances of catching Mancebo were compromised. Mancebo secured the yellow jersey when he crossed the line for the first time on his own. He was then caught by Van de Walle and Nibali, but managed to give them the slip 200m from the finish to pocket the stage.
The Spaniard, who was excluded from the Tour de France in 2006 because his name had been linked to the Operation Puerto doping scandal, didn't want to look back. "I have nothing else to say," said Mancebo, who has flown under the radar since then. Although he reportedly retired from racing after being suspended by his AG2R team in 2006, Mancebo said he had in fact not stopped racing. "I raced in 2007 for Relax and in 2008 in Portugal," he said, adding that he had rekindled his love of the sport.
"Before I was under a lot of stress," he said. "Today, it's different." Mancebo said he made his initial break just to try to get warm as frigid rain swept the course. "I felt good, so I went for it," he said, but admitted that by the end of the stage he was struggling. "Five kilometers from the finish I almost gave up," he said.
Swiss Olympic champion Fabian Cancellara, who started the day in the yellow jersey after winning the time-trial prologue on Saturday, did give up, pulling out in the midst of the stage because of a fever. His Saxo Bank teammate Carlos Sastre, the reigning Tour de France champion, suffered a fall but was able to continue.
How It Happened
The stage started in heavy rain and strong winds. Shortly after the peloton rolled out of Davis, Francisco Mancebo of Rock Racing attacked hard and quickly built a gap on a peloton that was more interested in staying warm than racing.
The only riders to give chase were Tim Johnson of the OUCH p/b Maxxis team and David Kemp of the V Australia p/b Successful Living team. Johnson and Kemp quickly closed to within 50-seconds of Mancebo but were unable to close the gap for several miles. It wasn’t until the top of the first climb that Johnson and Kemp made the junction.
With all three riders working together the gap quickly grew to over eleven minutes. Behind the leading trio, the peloton was slowed by the cold weather and numerous mechanicals. At the first feed zone Levi Leipheimer became the race leader on the road as prologue winner Fabian Cancellara pulled out due illness. Up front the leading trio of Mancebo, Johnson and Kemp continued to work well together until the second category climb up Howell Mountain Road. On the steep twisty climb, Mancebo rode clear of both Johnson and Kemp.
As Mancebo forged ahead, the peloton fractured on the climb up Howell Mountain Road with a leading group of twenty-one going clear over the top. The leading group contained Levi Leipheimer, Lance Armstrong, Christopher Horner and José Luis Rubiera (Astana), Andy Schleck and Jens Voigt (Team Saxo Bank), Thomas Lövkvist and Michael Rogers (Team Columbia - Highroad), David Zabriskie (Garmin - Slipstream), Kevin Seeldraeyers and Jurgen Van De Walle (Quick Step), Robert Gesink and Bauke Mollema (Rabobank), Ivan Basso (Liquigas), Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas), Floyd Landis, Rory Sutherland and Jonathan Patrick McCarty (OUCH p/b Maxxis), and Oscar Sevilla (Rock Racing).
The twenty-one strong chase group eventually caught Johnson and Kemp, as Mancebo continued to hold a 5-minute lead over the first chase group with the peloton another 7-minutes back. Mancebo continued his charge into Santa Rosa despite the pouring rain and wind. With 15-miles to go Mancebo’s lead had dropped to just over 4-minutes as the chase group worked hard to bring him back. Coming into Santa Rosa the Astana team took control of the chase group in the hopes of putting Leipheimer in the leaders jersey.
As Mancebo hit the first of three finishing circuits, Astana had cut his lead to 1-minute while the peloton was still 5-minutes behind. On the first lap of the finishing circuit, Floyd Landis suffered a mechanical and was dropped from the chase group.
At the front of the chase group, Vincenzo Nibali of Liquigas and Jurgen Van De Walle of Quick Step attacked with Nibali quickly closing the gap to Mancebo. Van De Walle struggled but after a long effort was able to join Nibali and Mancebo at the front. As the finish line approached Mancebo launched one final attack catching Nibali and Van De Walle off guard. Despite their efforts, Nibali and Van De Walle couldn’t catch Mancebo and he powered his way to victory.
Monday's 186km second stage takes the racers from Sausalito to Santa Cruz, crossing the iconic Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
Tour of California, February 14-22 2009
Sunday, February 15
Stage 1: Davis-Santa Rosa, California
1. Francisco Mancebo (Spa) Rock Racing
2. Jurgen Van De Walle (Bel) Quick Step
3. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas
4. Steve Morabito (SUI)
5. Lance Armstrong (USA)
6. Yaroslav Popovych (UKR)
7. Kevin Seeldraeyers (BEL)
8. Christopher Horner (USA)
9. Oscar Sevilla (ESP)
10. Andy Schleck (LUX)
General Classification After Stage 1
1. Francisco Mancebo (ESP/Rock racing) 4hrs 15min 46sec
2. Levi Leipheimer (USA) at 1min 02sec
3. David Zabriskie (USA) 1:03
4. Michael Rogers (AUS) 1:03
5. Lance Armstrong (USA) 1:05
6. Christopher Horner (USA) 1:09
7. Thomas Lovkvist (SWE) 1:13
8. Jose Luis Rubiera (ESP) same time
9. Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) s.t.
10. Robert Gesink (NED) 1:14.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|