Quotes From Stage 6 - Amgen Tour of California
Levi Leipheimer (
Astana
On today’s race:
“It’s sweet to be near the prize, but it’s never over until we cross the finish line. I think today’s race went exactly how I imagined it. I was confident that (David) Millar would try to do something in the end. I tried to look for him; I had Chris (Horner) go up to the front to close the gap. It just shows how strong the team really is.”
On his team:
“I think the team is great; they rode very well today. They were very attentive in the beginning, so they got to the group right away. We figured that, in the end, it would be down to the teams with good sprinters. Our team came to the front and closed the gap. The team has done a lot of work and we’ll continue to see it through to the end.”
“Certainly we are tired; everyone is tired. We had a brutal day the other day, racing for nearly seven hours in the rain, but these guys have done this before. They have spent time on the front and have the experience and strength; they can do it.”
On tomorrow’s race:
“There is a big climb tomorrow, but I think we have shown that we have the best team for the mountains, which gives us confidence. I feel very confident that our team can control the race and get to the circuits. We’ll need to pay attention when we get into
“We need to mentally prepare for weather tomorrow; it could be a miserable day. I think we are going to have to watch all the dangerous riders, no matter what. We are not the only team that can climb, but I’m confident we’ll be able to follow any dangerous attacks. If there is a split, hopefully we’ll be able to get it back together.
On the importance of the Amgen Tour of California:
“This race is the best in the world right now; it has the best riders. I think the important thing for cycling and for the communities throughout
On up-and-coming talent:
“I think Gesink is a huge talent. He raced here last year and it was his first race as a professional. He was one of two riders to go over the
Luciano Pagliarini (BRA),
Saunier Duval-Scott
On his win:
“I am very happy for my win, but it is not as good, considering the circumstances. It is good for my overall standings. I am so sorry for (Mark) Cavendish. I know High Road must be very disappointed.”
On today’s race:
“There was a lot of confusion during last kilometer, but during the breakaway, it was easy because I had a teammate in the front. I was ready for the sprint. This win was good for us.”
On representing
“I’m so happy for
Juan Jose “J.J.” Haedo (ARG),
Team CSC
“It was a lot tougher out there than it should have been. I thought I would pull it off today, but tomorrow is another day and we’re all hungry.”
Paolo Bettini (ITA),
Slipstream Chipotle Presented by H30
On tomorrow’s race:
“I’m hoping we’ll have better luck tomorrow for a win. If it snows, that’s okay; we’ll try to find a way.”
On racing in
“It is simple to enjoy racing here in
Rory Sutherland (AUS), Tachyon Most Aggressive
HealthNet Presented by Maxxis
On today’s race:
“We dealt with headwinds pretty much the whole way. I am lucky to have a great team that works hard together. I think this race has a good selection of teams. My guys worked; everyone worked hard the whole day. It was a bit strange to be picked up that close to the finish line; we didn’t think we’d get there. You can’t stop believing. If you stop believing you can’t make it, you may as well just pull over and stop. You never know what is going to happen, you have to keep going and hang on to hope. For us and our sponsor, who sponsored Stage 7, it is a big win.”
On tomorrow’s climb:
“I’m Australian and its summer right now, so I’m hoping for snow, so we don’t have to climb that mountain!”
Robert Gesink (NED), Union Bank Best Young Rider
Rabobank
On tomorrow’s climb:
“I’ll be ready to eat a lot in
Scott Nydam (
Team BMC
On today’s race:
“I was able to pick up a couple of points on the second KOM. During the first KOM, a little group was off front and I was in a bad position, but for the second KOM, I moved up the right side and Alex (Moos) led me up for whatever points I could get after that. From there, that’s the move that established the break, but I couldn’t stay with them. I got some separation over the top of the climb due to the lack of attention, but then came back to the peloton.”
On keeping the
“The word I got from management is that it’s pretty certain I could secure jersey tomorrow. In order to keep the jersey, you need to either get points yourself or have the right people gobble them up. The whole process is quite humbling. If you add up the total number of points that my teammates have, it adds up. The KOM Jersey truly is a team jersey and I couldn’t have done it without these guys.”
On tomorrow’s race:
“I like the layout for tomorrow’s race. It gives you the best of both worlds, great point-to-point racing and circuit laps where you can feel the energy of the crowd. Circuit laps have a pretty exciting atmosphere when you roll into town and go around the course with everyone cheering. I think it’s good because it gives people a chance to actually see the race. It’s a nice balance between point-to-point and circuits.”
Dominique Rollin (CAN), Herablife Sprint
Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team
On today’s race:
“With one kilometer to go, I relied on my teammates. I think maybe my inexperience with such a high level sprint made me react a little too early; I started to sprint too soon. Suddenly the gap was closed, so then my goal became to just keep the (Herbalife Sprint) jersey as part of the team, which paid off.”
On retaining the Herbalife Sprint
“The air smells better up here on the podium; I wouldn’t mind staying.”
On the Amgen Tour of
“I hope to come back, even with the bad weather, which I don’t mind. It is really an amazing tour. There is a really unique camaraderie between the riders here; it is different than the rest.”
Fred Rodriguez (
Rock Racing
“Coming into the last two laps, I had Mario (Cipollini) in front of me and (Mark) Cavendish in front of him. Cavendish swerved and took out Mario. I had nowhere to go, so I basically t-boned Mario and then went head first into the pavement.”
Mario Cipollini (ITA)
Rock Racing
“It is no fun when you crash in the last 10 kilometers and have to chase back. After I made it back, I was in good position in the last 200 meters, but my body and right leg was stiff from the crash. I am doing okay and tomorrow is one more chance to try and get a win.”
Andrew Messick, President, AEG Sports
Presenter of the Amgen Tour of
On the race overall:
“We could not have hoped for a better set-up going into tomorrow’s final day in
- more -
Jim Birrell, Director, Amgen Tour of
On today’s incident involving Mark Cavendish (GBR) of High Road:
“With two laps to go, Mark (Cavendish) and three Rock Racing riders (Mario Cipollini, Fred Rodriguez and Doug Ollerenshaw) crashed, and based on what officials saw, Mark hung onto a car for an extended period of time. The incident was not contested, it was brought to our attention by the Chief Commissaire. Cavendish was fined 20 seconds and relegated to the back of the pack. It is unfortunate because he is young and he put in a good effort today. We had a great day today and look forward to another great race tomorrow.”
Categories: Races, Tour of California
Tags:
Leave a Reply