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Amgen Tour of California Moving To May In 2010

editor — Wed, 06 May 2009 22:12:50 +0000

For the last two years it was almost impossible not to hear a rumor about the Amgen Tour of California moving the race date to May or June. Well, it seems that the rumors have been more than just rumors, with the Amgen Tour of California now going to take place in May of 2010.

The new dates of the Amgen Tour of California are going to be May 16-23, in the attempt to get back the glorious warm and dry weather of the races first two years. In 2008 and 2009 the race had to suffer through very wet, rainy, and windy conditions. By moving the race to May the weather should be more typical of Southern California with warm and dry conditions.

One of the other big reasons for the date change has been the inability to race in the big mountains of California due to roads that are not passable due to snow. Hopefully now the weather in May will allow the race to head to the Lake Tahoe and High Sierra areas. This would also give the Amgen Tour of California the chance to have a mountain top finish they have been looking for.

The negative to a May race date, is that it will be in direct competition with the Giro d’Italia as well as other UCI ProTour events.

You can expect to see larger crowds, and more interest in America, with the warmer weather that would be predicted in May.

At Bicycle.net we welcome the date change, and plan to be there for each and every stage.

Leipheimer Retains The Lead, As Haedo Wins Stage 2 At Tour of the Gila

editor — Fri, 01 May 2009 05:08:08 +0000

The 2nd stage of the Tour of the Gila started with Levi Leipheimer in leaders jersey, and it ended the same way. Leipheimer who is riding in the kit of his famous teammate Lance Armstrong’s Austin Bicycle Store, “Mellow Johnny’s, came in to the finish with the main pack. All three Astana teammates (Armstrong, Leipheimer, Horner) are using the Tour of the Gila as a tune up race before the Giro d’Italia.

The race finish came down to a bunch sprint with the stage winner being Sebastian Haedo (Colavita-Sutter Home).

There were many attacks, but the most noticeable included Floyd Landis (Ouch Pro Cycling). The break had gained around four minutes and looked like it might stick until some of the domestic teams joined the fight and were able to reel the break back to set up the field sprint.

“We got some help from Kelly Benefit Strategies and from Bissell and Team Gila Hike and Bike [BMC riders] today,” Leipheimer said. “Kelly Benefits were pretty professional today. They came up to help close the gap. In the end someone else won, but I recognized their effort.”

“The stages are short so I think it is a perfect way to taper the volume but keep some intensity.” Leipheimer said.

With Leipheimer holding a 49 second lead going into the 3rd stage 25km time trial over Peter Stetina (Garmin-Holowesko Partners-Felt), and a lead of one minute over third place Chris Baldwin (Rock Racing), it looks like Leipheimer will very likely be spending another day in the leader’s jersey.

The Womens Race
Webcor’s rider Gina Grain pulled out a fantaztic win in a sprint finish after her Webcor teammates with the help Colavita-Sutter Home worked to bring back ValueAct’s Nicole Evans, who was away for much of the day on a solo break.

Photo’s by: VeloImages.com

A Fans View of The Tour of California From Stage 8

Coryn Rivera — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 13:00:46 +0000

So how often is there a UCI Pro Tour race in your own state? Maybe Missouri and Georgia too, but I have to say Tour of California has to be on top! This year I watched the last stage with my dad and some friends! We came out on Friday night, and stayed over at my half-sisters house because she lives nearby. And we rode the race course twice on Saturday. The pros had some gnarly climbing ahead of them! On Sunday we woke up early and rode the course again before the race came through. But we finished riding 3 hours early! So we sat around in the middle of the mountain for 3 hours waiting for the race to come through. Luckily Livestrong was there passing out yellow chalk to write on the ground. If you check out my pics you’ll see what I drew!! haha. Anyways thats what we did to kill some time. And as the cars and marshall motorcycles came through we awaited for the racers to come by. And finally after all the waiting the break away came through with Andy Schleck and Jens Voigt up front, Levi Leipheimer just chillin on their wheels, a few others, and Frank Schleck in the very back, jersey unzipped and wide open, breathing easily and ready to make his move. As the break went by I saw the camera man go by and everyone was telling me I was on TV! But after the break came by, the peleton came by soon after with Lance Armstrong in the front! Then there was a chase group with Mark Cavendish! and there was also a guy from Rabobank #58, he looked me straight in the eye when he passed by! After the whole caravan came through and the struggle sprinters in the back came through everyone began to descend to the bottom of the mountain, and when I say everyone, I mean EVERYONE. It was like another race to the bottom! A zoo of people with and/or without experience trying to get another glimpse of the pros at the bottom of the mountain! When we got there it was another 10-15 minutes till they arrived and they were smokin’ fast! And that was the end of watching the Tour of California this year. We were parked in the casino parking lot, so we didnt make it to watch the finish but of course FRANK SCHLECK won the stage!! And Levi won overall! But we did encounter some dead stop traffic on the way home! So long Tour of California 2009, see you next year!

Fantastic Victory for Frank Schleck of Team Saxo Bank

editor — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 13:30:04 +0000

PRESS RELEASE:

[23.02 08:19] Frank Schleck and Team Saxo Bank closed this year’s edition of Amgen Tour of California with an impressive victory in the queen stage in the San Diego area.

The team launched a major attack early on in the mountainous stage from Rancho Bernardo to Escondido and from here on Frank Schleck controlled events towards the finish line. After several attempts Liquigas’ Vicenzo Nibali was the only one able to hang on and in spite of a fiercely chasing Astana crew the duo made it all the way.

Schleck sprinted his way to victory and concluded a successful week for Team Saxo Bank with a victory in the prologue for Cancellara and the mountain jersey for Jason McCartney. Jens Voigt finished best overall for the team in fourth place.

I was extremely motivated today and this type of stage made it possible for me to go all the way. It was a great day for the team where we took a risk and it’s fantastic to see our tactics pan out this way. I was worn at the end but luckily so was Nibali so I made it. It’s still early in the season so I’m happy to get this victory already and hopefully I’ll be able to maintain my form for the classics, said a happy Frank Schleck after the stage.

It’s been a fantastic week for us. First the prologue victory and generally during the week we’ve made our mark every single day. To be able to finish with such a great win for Frank is the perfect outcome. Amgen Tour of California has grown into an important race and with this year’s peloton this is a major achievement by Frank. He was out there in the break all day and still managed to finish the job in the end, which takes guts and form, said sports director Bradley McGee after the victory.wp-image-5858″ />
Photo by: VeloImages.com / Bicycle.net

Team Astana’s Levi Leipheimer Becomes Three-Time Amgen Tour of California Champion

editor — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 05:14:31 +0000

PRESS RELEASE: TEAM ASTANA

Astana Cycling Team’s Levi Leipheimer captured his third consecutive Amgen Tour of California title. The victory comes on the same day that teammate Alberto Contador won the Tour of Algarve, giving Team Astana four total victories in the early part of 2009. Over the 9 days and 1256 km (780 miles) of racing, Levi Leipheimer was 36 seconds faster than Garmin-Slipstream’s Dave Zabriskie and 45 seconds faster than Columbia’s Michael Rogers. Leipheimer laid the foundation for his final victory during the 2nd stage’s Bonny Doon mountain, and in the individual time trial in Solvang, which he won in convincing fashion.

Leipheimer led a strong group of Team Astana riders which won the Overall Team Classification with three riders in the top ten. Making his return to professional road cycling in the United States Lance Armstrong finished 7th overall and Jose Luis Rubiera rounded out the top ten.

“It gets sweeter and sweeter to win”, told the delighted leader of the Astana Cycling Team. Once was awesome, twice was like “wow”, but three times, is an exclamation point. It was an honor to have Lance Armstrong as a domestique for me and I hope to pay him back in future races. Also without my other teammates Brajkovic, Horner, Morabito, Popovych, Rast and Rubiera, I would never have succeeded. They were upfront the whole week, including the first days in the most miserable, horrific weather conditions. I needed them today in that tough last stage over the Palomar, a climb of Tour de France caliber, a kind of hors category.”

“Levi is amazing”, said Team Manager Johan Bruyneel. When he knows that he will be the leader of the Team, he is ready for it. Levi always delivers. Moreover, he works for it. Although he has maybe the most ideal time trial position on the bike, he still went twice to the wind tunnel last winter to improve that position. The people of Trek, Giro and SRAM, as well as aerodynamics specialist Steve Hed did an excellent job.”

Lance Armstrong was delighted with Leipheimer’s and the Team’s victory. He was also pleased with his performance, though recognizes that improvements can be made. “I cannot complain about the results and how I feel on the bike, but I still have to work on my bike position. To improve in the mountains, I surely have to lose weight. I am already strong enough, but I need to get lighter.”

Tour of California winner Levi Leipheimer will head now to Europe to participate in Paris-Nice and the Vueta a Castilla y León.

Photo by: VeloImages.com / Bicycle.net

Amgen Tour of California 2009 Stage 8 Concluding Podcast

editor — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 07:21:16 +0000

THE DAILY TOUR PODCAST
2009 AMGEN TOUR OF CALIFORNIA
STAGE 8
February 22, 2009

The Daily Tour podcast is a daily summary of the day’s racing at the 2009 Amgen Tour of California. Today’s show includes a review of the current standings, a preview of the race, interviews with a Garmin-Slipstream Soigner and the race Technical Director, Chuck Hodge. Also included is a summary of today’s stage and results, and press conference highlights including Levi Leipheimer, Lance Armstrong, Johann Bruyneel, Mark Cavendish, Dave Zabriskie, Frank Schleck and Bob Stapleton.

Amgen Tour of California 2009 GC Overall Results

editor — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 02:13:01 +0000

Po No. UCI Code Rider Team Team Time Gap
1 1 USA19731024 LEIPHEIMER Levi Astana AST 31:28:21 0:00:00
2 38 USA19790112 ZABRISKIE David Garmin-Slipstream GRM 31:28:57 0:00:36
3 28 AUS19791220 ROGERS Michael Team Columbia-High Road THR 31:29:06 0:00:45
4 16 GER19710917 VOIGT Jens Team Saxo Bank SAX 31:29:31 0:01:10
5 26 SWE19840404 LÖVKVIST Thomas Team Columbia-High Road THR 31:29:50 0:01:29
6 66 ITA19841114 NIBALI Vincenzo Liquigas LIQ 31:29:58 0:01:37
7 2 USA19710918 ARMSTRONG Lance Astana AST 31:30:07 0:01:46
8 52 NED19860531 GESINK Robert* Rabobank RAB 31:30:15 0:01:54
9 33 USA19780313 DANIELSON Thomas Garmin-Slipstream GRM 31:30:45 0:02:24
10 7 ESP19730127 RUBIERA VIGIL José Luis Astana AST 31:31:09 0:02:48
11 46 BEL19860912 SEELDRAEYERS Kevin* Quick Step QST 31:31:18 0:02:57
12 13 LUX19800415 SCHLECK Fränk Team Saxo Bank SAX 31:31:40 0:03:19
13 161 ESP19760929 SEVILLA Oscar Rock Racing RRC 31:31:58 0:03:37
14 47 BEL19770209 VAN DE WALLE Jurgen Quick Step QST 31:32:36 0:04:15
15 21 USA19730629 HINCAPIE George Team Columbia-High Road THR 31:32:40 0:04:19
16 55 NED19861126 MOLLEMA Bauke* Rabobank RAB 31:34:05 0:05:44
17 56 GER19751103 NIERMANN Grischa Rabobank RAB 31:34:29 0:06:08
18 14 SWE19800920 LARSSON Gustav Team Saxo Bank SAX 31:34:46 0:06:25
19 82 ESP19690603 CUESTA LOPEZ DE CASTRO Inigo Cervelo Test Team CTT 31:35:17 0:06:56
20 164 ESP19740618 GUTIERREZ Enrique Rock Racing RRC 31:36:16 0:07:55
21 6 UKR19800104 POPOVYCH Yaroslav Astana AST 31:36:37 0:08:16
22 4 USA19711023 HORNER Christopher Astana AST 31:38:35 0:10:14
23 101 USA19751014 LANDIS Floyd Ouch Presented By Maxxis OCM 31:38:47 0:10:26
24 72 FRA19801113 DUPONT Hubert AG2R La Mondiale ALM 31:39:08 0:10:47
25 57 NED19810405 WEENING Pieter Rabobank RAB 31:39:30 0:11:09
26 114 NZL19801006 VENNELL Jeremy Bissell Pro Cycling BPC 31:40:43 0:12:22
27 31 USA19760522 VANDEVELDE Christian Garmin-Slipstream GRM 31:41:23 0:13:02
28 3 SLO19831218 BRAJKOVIC Janez Astana AST 31:44:51 0:16:30
29 73 SUI19780923 ELMIGER Martin AG2R La Mondiale ALM 31:45:39 0:17:18
30 43 BEL19820527 DE WEERT Kevin Quick Step QST 31:46:18 0:17:57
31 167 NZL19760528 CHADWICK Glen Rock Racing RRC 31:47:05 0:18:44
32 12 LUX19850610 SCHLECK Andy* Team Saxo Bank SAX 31:47:33 0:19:12
33 87 CAN19821029 ROLLIN Dominique Cervelo Test Team CTT 31:47:36 0:19:15
34 102 AUS19820208 SUTHERLAND Rory Ouch Presented By Maxxis OCM 31:48:32 0:20:11
35 88 NZL19810110 ROULSTON Hayden Cervelo Test Team CTT 31:49:12 0:20:51
36 112 USA19781030 ZIRBEL Tom Bissell Pro Cycling BPC 31:49:44 0:21:23
37 42 ESP19810605 BARREDO Carlos Quick Step QST 31:50:07 0:21:46
38 36 USA19861224 PETERSON Thomas* Garmin-Slipstream GRM 31:51:44 0:23:23
39 125 UKR19770205 KOBZARENKO Valeriy Team Type 1 TT1 31:52:07 0:23:46
40 18 AUS19730806 O’GRADY Stuart Team Saxo Bank SAX 31:52:17 0:23:56
41 15 USA19730903 MCCARTNEY Jason Team Saxo Bank SAX 31:52:39 0:24:18
42 44 NED19770616 ENGELS Addy Quick Step QST 31:55:09 0:26:48
43 115 USA19770522 PIPP Frank Bissell Pro Cycling BPC 31:55:17 0:26:56
44 32 USA19850303 COZZA Steven* Garmin-Slipstream GRM 31:55:56 0:27:35
45 94 SUI19861209 FRANK Mathias* BMC Racing Team BMC 31:57:14 0:28:53
46 76 ITA19770925 NOCENTINI Rinaldo AG2R La Mondiale ALM 31:58:14 0:29:53
47 97 USA19801020 MCKISSICK Ian BMC Racing Team BMC 31:58:41 0:30:20
48 91 SUI19740627 ZBERG Markus BMC Racing Team BMC 31:59:18 0:30:57
49 92 SUI19721222 MOOS Alexandre BMC Racing Team BMC 32:03:23 0:35:02
50 145 CAN19830523 ROUTLEY Will Jelly Belly Cycling Team JBC 32:03:34 0:35:13
51 5 SUI19830130 MORABITO Steve Astana AST 32:05:14 0:36:53
52 67 DEN19811204 VANDBORG Brian Liquigas LIQ 32:05:54 0:37:33
53 35 AUS19841008 LOWE Trent Garmin-Slipstream GRM 32:06:03 0:37:42
54 53 NED19820924 CLEMENT Stef Rabobank RAB 32:07:03 0:38:42
55 86 BEL19831016 PAUWELS Serge Cervelo Test Team CTT 32:07:43 0:39:22
56 168 USA19751015 BALDWIN Chris Rock Racing RRC 32:08:36 0:40:15
57 103 USA19770805 JOHNSON Timothy Ouch Presented By Maxxis OCM 32:08:57 0:40:36
58 8 SUI19800117 RAST Gregory Astana AST 32:09:13 0:40:52
59 58 COL19790521 ARDILA CANO Mauricio Alberto Rabobank RAB 32:10:45 0:42:24
60 133 ARG19830418 HAEDO Lucas Sebastian Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light COL 32:10:46 0:42:25
61 128 AUS19771001 WILSON Matthew Team Type 1 TT1 32:11:12 0:42:51
62 124 USA19790806 JONES Christopher Team Type 1 TT1 32:11:55 0:43:34
63 105 USA19820115 WHITE Bradley Ouch Presented By Maxxis OCM 32:12:09 0:43:48
64 22 GBR19850521 CAVENDISH Mark* Team Columbia-High Road THR 32:14:50 0:46:29
65 24 CAN19751218 BARRY Michael Team Columbia-High Road THR 32:15:21 0:47:00
66 85 AUS19791115 LANCASTER Brett Cervelo Test Team CTT 32:15:38 0:47:17
67 54 ESP19740927 HORRILLO MUNOZ Pedro Rabobank RAB 32:15:45 0:47:24
68 147 USA19830314 REISTAD Nick Jelly Belly Cycling Team JBC 32:15:53 0:47:32
69 138 ITA19780806 FRATTINI Davide Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light COL 32:16:06 0:47:45
70 48 ITA19740309 VELO Marco Quick Step QST 32:16:09 0:47:48
71 77 FRA19810117 RIBLON Christophe AG2R La Mondiale ALM 32:16:36 0:48:15
72 34 USA19840602 FARRAR Tyler Garmin-Slipstream GRM 32:16:38 0:48:17
73 146 USA19850415 CRANE Matthew* Jelly Belly Cycling Team JBC 32:17:31 0:49:10
74 45 BEL19780411 HULSMANS Kevin Quick Step QST 32:17:42 0:49:21
75 143 USA19860601 REIJNEN Kiel* Jelly Belly Cycling Team JBC 32:17:53 0:49:32
76 151 AUS19780724 DAY Ben Fly V Australia p/b Successful Living Foundation VAU 32:19:08 0:50:47
77 93 USA19771208 LOUDER Jeffry BMC Racing Team BMC 32:19:34 0:51:13
78 107 AUS19770617 MENZIES Karl Ouch Presented By Maxxis OCM 32:20:20 0:51:59
79 136 USA19810304 WREN Tyler Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light COL 32:22:16 0:53:55
80 68 ITA19800916 VANOTTI Alessandro Liquigas LIQ 32:24:50 0:56:29
81 142 USA19790911 VAN ULDEN Bernard Jelly Belly Cycling Team JBC 32:28:56 1:00:35
82 134 USA19780111 OLSON Aaron Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light COL 32:29:44 1:01:23
83 162 USA19710301 HAMILTON Tyler Rock Racing RRC 32:32:17 1:03:56
84 137 USA19830317 GUPTILL Andy Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light COL 32:38:07 1:09:46

Leipheimer Triples - Takes his Third Tour of California

editor — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 02:04:56 +0000

ESCONDIDO, California, Feb 22, 2009 (AFP) - American Levi Leipheimer won his third consecutive Tour of California cycling crown here Sunday after an eighth and final stage that was won by Frank Schleck of Luxembourg.

Astana’s Leipheimer finished 36 seconds ahead of compatriot David Zabriskie of Garmin with Australian Michael Rogers of Columbia next at 45 seconds and US star Lance Armstrong of Astana settling for seventh place, 1:46 off the pace.

Seven-time Tour de France champion Armstrong launched his comeback from a retirement of more than three years with a 29th-place finish in January’s Tour Down Under and followed that with a solid showing at the Tour of California.

Armstrong had said before the race that his goal was not to win the individual crown but to assist in Leipheimer’s bid for three wins in a row.

The victory allowed Astana to complete a double on Sunday as Spanish rider Alberto Contador, an Astana teammate of Leipheimer and Armstrong, won at the Tour of the Algarve in Portugal.

Schleck edged Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali at the line to win the day in the concluding 155.8km stage from Rancho Bernardo to Escondido, the duo breaking away in the mountain descent of Palomar.

Amgen Tour of California - Stage 7 Podcast

editor — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 16:35:58 +0000

THE DAILY TOUR PODCAST
2009 AMGEN TOUR OF CALIFORNIA
STAGE 7
February 21, 2009

The Daily Tour podcast is a daily summary of the day’s racing at the 2009 Amgen Tour of California. Today’s show includes a review of the current standings, a preview of the race, and interviews with Bobby Julich, Jens Voigt, Jeff Louder, and Chris Baldwin. Also, a summary of today’s stage and results, and press conference highlights with Christian Vandevelde and Floyd Landis. Finally, we’ve included a preview of tomorrow’s final Stage 8 from Rancho Bernardo to Escondido.

Brought to you by theFredcast.com

Nocentini Wins Stage, Leipheimer Leads Going Into Last Stage

editor — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 04:43:05 +0000

Written by: Jonathan Tessler

Italy’s Rinaldo Nocentini (AG2R) out lasted New Zealand’s Hayden Roulston (Cervelo Test) in a sprint finish in Pasadena, CA. for the seventh stage of the Tour of California on Saturday as Levi Leipheimer retained the overall lead. In what turned out to be a break away free for all. With attempted breakaways being launched as fast as they were being caught. When the final breakaway got a decent gap it was the big names of George Hincapie (Team Columbia), Frank Scheleck (Saxo Bank), and Christian VandeVelde (Team Garmin) that was able to get as much as almost 5 minutes on the peloton.

Leipheimer, the two-time defending champion, is poised to claim his third straight title on Sunday, when the race concludes in San Diego. With the race going over the HC Palomar climb, which is in Floyd Landis’ home town, it will most likely turn out to be another day with breaks going off the front and Team Astana controlling the peloton to keep the break within a manageable distance.

Leipheimer’s compatriot and Astana teammate Lance Armstrong, riding in support of the leader, also finished in the main peloton, more than two minutes behind the winner. But it was without question the sheer overwhelming force of the complete Astana Team. With all their riders still in the race, you had the likes of Chris Horner and Yaroslav Popovych driving the pace to keep the leading group at a time gap that did not threaten the lead of Leipheimer.

Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France champion who launched a comeback this season after an absence of three and a half years is poised to finish sixth in the Tour of California, less than a month after his 29th-place finish in the Tour Down Under. The race in Australia was the first of a comeback campaign that is slated to include the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France. Armstrong is showing that even after his retirement comeback he is still at the top of his game. At one point in todays race Armstrong bridged up to a breakaway to close the door on it. Armstrong has made it very clear that he is riding in complete support of Leipheimer, and Leipheimer has made it clear that he will ride for Armstrong in the Giro and Tour de France.

The penultimate stage saw a serious crash by Spain’s Paco Mancebo. Bicycle.net talked with Michael Ball (Team Owner) about Mancebo’s condition and he stated “he was in the hospital with what is believed to be a slight concussion, and what appears to be a broken hand and elbow.” It is believed that he will be okay and should be back on his bike fairly soon. At the time of the crash Mancebo was put on a stretcher and taken to the hospital by ambulance. The crash happened at a high rate of speed, so it is very fortunate that Mancebo was not seriously injured.

Nocentini was part of a 10-man breakaway that also included George Hincapie, Frank Schelck and Christian Vande Velde, who ran in front for much of the stage. They showed great cooperation, and seemed to work well together, until the reached the circuits around the Rose Bowl when they started to attack each other.
Nocentini, Roulston and Dutch rider Pieter Weening (Rabobank) finally were able to separate themselves with less than four kilometers to go and battled to the finish.

In the shadow of the famous Rose Bowl stadium, which hosted competition at the 1932 and 1984 Olympics as well as football’s World Cup final in 1994, Nocentini out-raced Roulston in the final 100m to edge the Kiwi by centimeters.

“I think it’s my best victory,” the 31-year-old Italian said. “I won the Mont Faron stage of the Tour of the Mediterranean in 2007, but here in California, with the top riders in the world, it is more important.”

It was also a huge win and moral booster for his French team, which has seen four of its riders fall by the wayside in California. Tadej Valjavec arrived in California ailing, Cyril Dessel crashed, John Gadret has a bad knee and Stephane Goubert threw in the towel Saturday, shortly before Nocentini triumphed.

Leipheimer goes into the final stage, which finishes in Escondido near San Diego, with a 36-second overall lead over American David Zabriskie.

The tough stage features the four climbs, including the highest elevation the race has ever reached at Palomar Mountain.

Bicycle.net was able to catch up with Floyd Landis after the stage and we were able to ask him the following question; You were away from cycling for two and ahlf years making your return at the Tour of California, it is obivious that you are still a fan favorite and a Rock Star here, how does it feel? In which Landis replied, “it feels great, the crowds have been supportive and I appreciate them.”

On a final note, Lance Armstrong has taken the I and E in LIVESTRONG and switched them to read LEVISTRONG. Pretty cool.

Stage seven
1. Rinaldo Nocentini (ITA/AG2R) 3hr 24min 43sec (avg 41.911 km/h), 2.
Hayden Roulston (NZL) same time, 3. Pieter Weening (NED) s.t., 4. Markus Zberg
(SUI) at 7sec, 5. Martin Elmiger (SUI) s.t., 6. Chris Baldwin (USA) s.t., 7.
George Hincapie (USA) s.t., 8. Frank Schelck (LUX) s.t., 9. Chritsian Vande
Velde (USA) s.t., 10. Addy Engels (NED) s.t.

Overall standings after stage seven
1. Levi Leipheimer (USA/Astana) 27hr 39min 02sec, 2. David Zabriskie (USA) at 36sec, 3. Michael Rogers (AUS) 46, 4. Jens Voigt (GER) 1:10, 5. Thomas Lovkvist (SWE) 1:29, 6. Lance Arsmstrong (USA) 1:46, 7. Robert Gesink (NED) 1:54, 8. Janez Brajkovic (SLO) 1:59, 9. Christopher Horner (USA) 2:13, 10.
Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) 2:21
Selected: 17. George Hincapie (USA) 4:23, 32. Floyd Landis (USA) 10:26, 86.
Carlos Sastre (ESP) 37:09

Amgen Race Leader Jersey- Levi Leipheimer (USA), Astana
Amgen’s Breakaway from Cancer Most Courageous Rider Jersey- Christian VendeVelde (USA), Garmin-Slipstream
Herbalife Sprint Jersey- Mark Cavendish (GBR), Team Columbia-High Road
Rabobank Best Young Rider Jersey- Robert Gesink (NED), Rabobank
California Travel & Tourism Commission King of the Mountain (KOM) Jersey- Jason McCartney (USA), Team Saxo Bank

Photo by: CorVos Pro