Amgen Tour of California Preview

By Mike Takeuchi

*Reprinted article.

As I expected, the first stage of the Amgen Tour of California was cancelled due to snow and ice on the roads. They will try again tomorrow.

With the Tour of California starting today in Lake Tahoe, a predicted snow forecast and the death of a rider in the Giro d'Italia are on the minds of many of the riders. But for three-time defending champion Levi Leipheimer, the concerns are understood.

"I think we as riders have a unique perspective, because we can do it (race) and then watch it on television," Leipheimer said. "On television it looks fairly docile and at times boring — we want riders to attack. But then, when we race, it's nerve-wracking and stressful, and sometimes, a moment of relapse or loss of concentration can be serious. When riders talk about safety or danger, we're not doing that to gain sympathy or dramatize our sport. I've been scared on downhills — in the Giro d'Italia the roads are small and steep and the riders have a lot of skill, but there is not a lot of room for error. Safety is a big issue for us. It's not so much about complaining — safety is a real issue."

That said, Leipheimer also added in a press conference that the race organizers "had their backs." Race director Jim Birrell said that they are monitoring the situation on a minute by minute basis.

"We've been watching the forecast and will continue to monitor the situation," Birrell said. Our team will come together (Saturday night) and will determine our action plan. Our concern is going to be what's on the road. If it's just wet, it will be all systems go. We'll look at all the variables we can to make the decision that's safest for these riders."

Race organizers will make a decision at 9 a.m. today on whether to conditions will be condusive to racing.

Rider safety is of paramount concern because the death of Leopard Trek rider Wouter Welandt in the third stage of the Giro has hit very close to home to some members of the peleton, including his teammate and current Tour co-favorite Andy Schleck.

"The loss of Wouter last week was personally a big shock for me," Schleck said. "He was a good friend of mine. There are no words to describe the feelings that were going through me, my brother and the team. The day after the crash, everyone at the Giro (d'Italia) showed respect and it was really nice to see."

"It has been hard for me to stay focused on training, but I'm sure he would have wanted me to stay in the race and do my best. The team is here and we ride for Wouter."

Schleck and Leipheimer are expected to take over the reins of the race after defending champion, Australian rider Michael Rogers pulled out of the race due to a stomach virus.

Weather permitting on Sunday, the biggest challenges of the initial stage will begin halfway through the first day at Spooner Pass (elevation 7,000 feet), and then culminate with a 1,000-foot climb at Brockway Summit toward the end. But just when the riders think they were done climbing, a short, steep 300 foot climb awaits them.

In stage two from Squaw Valley to Sacramento, what goes up, must come down. Going from the famed ski village and 1960 Winter Olympics Venue to the state's capital, this is a sprinter's delight, with the major concern being what a cyclist eats as they fly through the infamous Donner Pass. With HTC High Road's sprinting god Mark Cavendish and his gang of leadout riders racing in the Giro d'Italia look for Garmin-Cervelo's Thor Hushovd, U.S. national road champion Ben King (BMC Racing Team) or perhaps King's wily veteran teammate George Hincapie) to look for a stage win. Remember, it was Hincapie who took the sprint finish on Cabrillo Boulevard in the inaugural race.

After a relatively flat stage from Auburn to Modesto with sprinters again vying for a win in stage three, the next stage heads to the Mt. Hamilton Observatory in a steep climb to 4,130, but could be the ideal place for a young rider such as American rider Tejay Van Garderen, who supported 2010 champion Rogers in his win, to possibly try and steal the stage and take command of the race.

"Winning this year's Amgen Tour of California is definitely a goal for me," Van Garderen said. "The goal would be to do well or win, so I'm going to try to win. If I fail, I fail. I know it's going to be hard, but it's what I'm going to try to do."

After a relatively flat, yet long (at nearly 140 miles the lengthiest of the race) stage from Seaside to Paso Robles on Thursday, the long awaited stage for the local community arrives with the Solvang time trial. Despite its relatively short distance, this could be where the race is won...or lost. While sprinters are not enamored with the stage, time trialists like U.S. champion Taylor Phinney (the son of Davis Phinney) are practically chomping at the bit for this stage.

"I haven't really had a good test in the time trial yet, so Solvang will be my first big test before Nationals," Phinney said. "As a course, it kind of suits me. The time trial is my biggest goal here. I will be giving it my all for sure."

Despite not having Rogers, who is also one of the best time trial riders in the world, the all-around contenders like Schleck, who is Luxemburg's time trial champ, and Leipheimer, will pose stiff challenges for Phinney in the stage.

Following Friday's stage, despite being a relatively short 75.8-miles, what is considered the most difficult stage in the history of the Tour awaits. After a rolling first tough climb in the early part of the stage, the race ends with a brutal climb starting at the 50-mile mark and then proceeds to go nowhere but up, finally reaching the summit with 1,000 feet of climbing in less than three miles.

"This is by far the hardest edition of the Amgen Tour of California in six years," Leipheimer said. "I rode Mt. Baldy last April before last year's Tour because I had gotten word that it might be added to the route. That is a real climb — worthy of the Tour de France. Now, all of a sudden we have two mountain-top finishes with Mt. Baldy and Sierra Road."