Post Stage 1 Quotes - “When I attacked, I just wanted to keep going and stay ahead…
Francisco Mancebo (ESP), General Classification Leader; First Place, Stage 1; Herbalife Sprint Leader and California Travel and Tourism King of the Mountain (KOM) Leader, Stage 1
Rock Racing
On today’s race:
“When I attacked, I just wanted to keep going and stay ahead because the cold was hard for me, and slowly after I started speeding up, I started feeling more comfortable. Five kilometers before the finish, I just wanted to keep going. At the end, they caught up to me and I just took off and tried to keep going ahead. This was my day. I kept telling myself that I had to keep going and I was going to win.”
“After today, my legs are going to be dead, but I’m going to try and maintain and hold off until the end; just maintain the jersey as long as I possibly can.”
On the importance of his win:
“This win is very important for me and, of course, for my team. The Amgen Tour of California is an important race because it’s a home race for my team, so starting off with a victory is good. We wanted to start off the race with a stage win; we wanted the yellow jersey. I feel confident with my team and all of my team players.”
On racing in California:
“I’ve been here since the beginning of February. It has been cold and wet, but some days there has been sun too. I’m very happy to be here. I was expecting to be in the sun and at the beach, but I’m happy to be here.”
On today’s crowds:
“The crowds were amazing; it was like the Tour de France!”
Robert Gesink (NED), Best Young Rider Leader, Stage 1
Rabobank
On the weather today:
“It was cold and rainy and we were really cold, but it was a good thing that the climb started so we could warm up again. Astana was just pulling on the climb and the peloton broke into pieces. We heard that time would be taken on the first lap, and that’s when Astana went riding full, and for us, they were riding so fast that we couldn’t help them because we were already suffering. We knew that the time was going to be the same and I think that’s a good thing because there were a lot of places on the road with a lot of water, which is really dangerous.”
“When you ride slowly, you get even colder, which is why you suffer the most, so the best thing is to start riding faster.”
“I think we just rode full until we passed the finish line when the time was taken. After that, a few guys that wanted to ride for the victory went, and the other guys who wanted to have a good GC just went easy.”
On winning the Best Young Rider jersey:
“I’ve won the Best Young Rider jersey two times now, so I’m basically here to try and win a stage again. I’m basically getting started here in California, but I think I’m in quite good shape, so I think I can try to win a stage. The jersey is really nice to wear, but it’s not my main objective in this race.”
On Cancellara abandoning the race:
“I think he abandoned just after the feed zone, and a few minutes before that, I think Sastre fell on the decent, so I thought it was Sastre that was quitting. It’s just something that happens.”
Jim Birrell, Race Director, Amgen Tour of California
On today’s race:
“First of all, I want to thank everybody for persevering through the conditions today. The conditions played a lot into the decision that was made today. If you recall, two years ago we had a pretty bad crash at the finish, so for the safety of the riders we decided to call the general classification time when the first rider crossed the finish line for the first time (before the first of three circuits). The decision was made about 80 miles into the race and was made solely for the safety of the riders…this will not be protocol for the rest of the race; if we have blue skies we will race as it’s written in the rule book.”
On the race communication system today:
“Our communication system was down today because the fixed-wing aircraft (which controls radio communication between caravan vehicles) couldn’t leave the airport due to inclimate weather. That plane is critical to how we maintain constant communication with the race on the road. From the start, I usually have the ability to talk to the finish line, but with the plane being grounded, the only communication that was able to take place was in the caravan itself, and even with that, we were in and out of cell phone range throughout the day.”
On Santa Rosa:
“Santa Rosa is the hometown of the two-time defending champion of the Amgen Tour of California. Santa Rosa has a long history in the sport of cycling. It’s a great place for cycling and we enjoy coming here.”
On how weather affects the race:
“While the weather does play a part in rider performance and how fast the cyclists go, this is a rain or shine event and these are professional athletes that will continue to race tomorrow. Tomorrow is a pivotal stage in the overall outcome of the tour. There are so many significant points in tomorrow’s stage, we expect strong crowds and smiling faces. Based on the past two days, we still anticipated good crowds.”
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| Photo by Ken Conley |
Emilia Fahlin (SWE), Winner, Amgen Tour of California Women’s Criterium
Team Columbia-Highroad
On today’s race:
“When I was here last year, I finished third. I really enjoyed the race last year with the big crowds, so I wanted to do better. Getting to win here was really fun and great way to start the season; very motivating.”
On her position during the race:
“I think I tried to ride up front from the beginning of the race. It’s a technical course, and with the rain, I wanted to ride in front. After a few laps, some of the riders caught up to us, and then we were a little group riding up front.”
On the men and women’s Team Columbia Highroad team:
“I think it’s a great combination; the men’s and women’s teams. Being a part of this team is great. I have the best support I can get, which has shown in my development. There is a big effort to make it run so smooth with the team, which is great.”
Laura Charameda, Race Director, Amgen Tour of California Women’s Criterium
On today’s race:
“The 2009 Amgen Tour of California Women’s Criterium was a huge success. We had an amazing representation from the top women’s teams. With the support of AEG, which believes in building great events for both men and women, I look forward to the opportunity to help grow this event into the most important race in the world for professional women cyclists.”
On her involvement with the Amgen Tour of California Women’s Criterium:
“I have really enjoyed my career; I loved what I did, being a woman athlete in women’s professional cycling. Now, I get to turn around and continue to help support women’s cycling and help put on one of the biggest races. If we can make this a UCI-sanctioned stage race for the women, this has the potential to be one of the biggest races in the world. It would be, hands down, the highest attended women’s’ stage race in the world.”
