ilsogno, of Sherman Oaks, CA is our fourth jersey winner for her report on Stage 6! Here it is straight from Cindy’s keyboard…

I parked at the intersection of Broadway Road and Hwy 23 (Grimes Canyon) near Moorpark, CA. Got my Colnago off the roof rack and rode the climb up to the summit of Grimes Cyn.

This is the climb that comes after Balcom Canyon and it is uncategorized. Uncategorized!?!? My computer read 4%-5% grades for the first mile or so and then 7%-8% for the rest of the climb. Jeez!

Found a spot about 500 meters from the top. Seems the riders were taking their time today and were running at their slowest expected time. The Toyota United fan support car came along and gave out road writing chalk to everybody so I passed the time writing out a gigantic “CIPO” on the road.

Here I am hard at work

Here I am posing with my masterpiece.

Then we see and hear the helicopters overhead. An official ToC pulls up with a loudspeaker going and lets us all in on the race progress. A small breakaway group seven minutes in front of the peloton.

Then we see them approach from off in the distance.

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Rock Racing’s Mario Cipollini tries to avoid the crash by Mark Cavendish (Team High Road).

Santa Clarita, Calif. (Feb. 24, 2008) — A crash in the final miles of Saturday’s Stage 6 of the Amgen Tour of California dashed the hopes of Rock Racing’s star sprinters, Mario Cipollini and Fred Rodriguez.

The pair tumbled to the pavement in the final 2.5 miles (4 km) of the 105-mile (169.6 km) race from Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita when Mark Cavendish (Team High Road) crashed in front of them. Cipollini and Rodriguez, who were riding directly behind Cavendish, could not avoid the pile-up.

Mario Cipollini attempts to remount after the crash while Rock Racing teammate Fred Rodriguez is still down.

“I had nowhere to go,” Rodriguez said. “I basically T-boned Mario and then went head-first into the pavement.”

While Rodriguez waited for repairs to be made to his bike, Cipollini and Cavendish remounted and chased back, only to be penalized later for drafting. The penalty cost Cavendish the stage win, while Cipollini was relegated to 75th on the stage.
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By: Jeffj

1- Dory Holty aka ‘Antler Dude’ changed up his headwear for Stage 6, opting for an eagle head and wings to top his familiar yellow helmet.

2- The breakaway group turns onto Balcom Canyon Road with a 5+ minute gap on the peleton.

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Luciano Pagliarini (BRA), First Place, Stage 6
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 Brazil:
“I’m so happy for Brazil. We need to show the world that we play more than just soccer; I hope to show them at the Olympics. I carry the Brazilian flag with me because I am proud. Brazil has so many riders and teams, and we are starting to be noticed. This win was very important, not only for me, but my country.”

Levi Leipheimer (USA), General Classification Leader
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.”
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Luciano Pagliarini Claims Victory After Penalty Shakes Up Standings in Stage 6

Photo by Ken Conley

SANTA CLARITA, CALIF., February 23, 2008 – Fans in Santa Clarita lined the streets to witness the finish to Stage 6 of the 2008 Amgen Tour of California, which included an exciting bunch sprint to the finish line. After a review by race officials, Luciano Pagliarini (BRA) of Saunier Duval-Scott was determined to be the stage winner, followed closely by Juan Jose “J.J.” Haedo (ARG) of Team CSC and World Champion Paolo Bettini (ITA) of Quick Step. Levi Leipheimer (USA) of Astana retained the overall lead heading into the final stage of the race, which will take riders from Santa Clarita to Pasadena tomorrow.

Mark Cavendish (GBR) of High Road, who was originally declared the stage winner, recovered from a late crash during the first circuit lap and seemed to deliver a powerful sprint victory for High Road. However, officials would later relegate the sprinter for sheltering behind or falling into the slipstream of a vehicle. This decision gave the win to Pagliarini.

“I am so sorry about Cavendish,” said Pagliarini. “I won a stage. I’m very happy, but it’s not like a win with the hands up. I came in second, but I am the first.”
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By Stephanie Gutowski and Lyne Lamoureux

George Hincapie (High Road)
We have some great sprinters and if comes down to it, we want to help them out. I’m doing better, it took a while, getting over my crash, I had a headache for three days after that, road rash, I’m doing better, the team is doing great and hopefully we’ll get going. It’s been a great race so far, well organized, we’re all excited to be part of it.

Photo by Ken Conley

Oscar Freire (Rabobank), 5th on Stage 6
I feel good and my condition is getting better. I have a good chance of winning a stage. Riding in California has been nice….only the weather has not been good….riding in the rain (on Thursday). I will come back to California.

Photo by Ken Conley

Bobby Julich (CSC)
Obviously it’s going to be a difficult race today. It’s going to be very windy so it’s going to be hard. We want to be aggressive and be represented in the breakaway but I think all of the guys are pretty tired. We probably won’t force the issue as much as we did last year.

Thomas Voeckler (Bouygues Telecom)
The Tour has been wet (laughs). It has been a great race. There are many strong riders here. As for me it has been a bit difficult because it is only my second race of the year and I was a little sick with jet lag. It’s a very nice race but it has been difficult. We hope to be back next year. We made 8^th and 9^th place in two different stages but we have not made a good showing. We will be back next year with a stronger team.

Rory Sutherland (Health Net presented by Maxxis), Most Aggressive Jersey, Stage 6
A couple of us are still borderline, it (the viral illness) seems to have gone through pretty much everybody, two days to go and we’re going to try and make it to the finish line. We are here to race, and we’re going to race no matter what. I don’t feel great today, I feel a bit sick as well but you don’t know until you try and hopefully we’ll get involved with something with just four of us today. We’re going to keep trying like we do everyday.
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After two very high-stress days for the peloton, today’s sixth stage 109 mile (175km) run from Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita came as a welcome relief. “Today’s stage was defined by a breakaway that all major players in the field, including BMC, were comfortable with,” Gavin Chilcott reported after the stage.

With no major general classification candidates, nor any riders too close to Scott Nydam’s King of the Mountain’s jersey, the composition of the breakaway allowed BMC to relax a bit for the day and conserve resources for the final push into Pasadena tomorrow.

The team is the star

With just one stage to go, BMC can feel confident in its overall results, even if they have not completely escaped unscathed. “The breakaway today was good for us because no one was a danger for our ambitions,” John Lelangue said from the team car. “Scott feels well, Moos is in a good position, though we unfortunately lost Tony Cruz and Darren Lill today to sickness.” With Cruz and Lill falling victims to the illnesses so prevalent in this year’s TOC, Danilo Wyss, BMC’s promising young sprinter will have to fend for himself on the final stage. “We will continue to work for our ongoing goals,” Chilcott explained. To expand on this point, Lelangue said, “Alex is in a very good position and is feeling well. Scott was strong all day and was able to gain early King of the Mountain points.” His efforts have all but secured the jersey. “The team secured this jersey, really. If you add up all the points that team mates of mine have taken for the jersey, it is probably more than what I earned” Nydam humbly countered when asked how it feels to be in his current position. “It feels amazing. Getting through today, which was the hardest day for me yet, was a bit of a relief.”
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Overall Leaders (General Classification):
First Place - Levi Leipheimer (USA), Astana
Second Place - David Millar (GBR), Slipstream Chipotle Presented by H30
Third Place - Christian Vande Velde (USA), Slipstream Chipotle Presented by H30

Stage 6 Winners:
First Place - Luciano Pagliarini (BRA), Saunier Duval-Scott
Second Place - Juan Jose “J.J.” Haedo (ARG), Team CSC
Third Place - Paolo Bettini (ITA), Quick Step

Photo by Ken Conley

Cavendish penalized for using the slipstream of a team car to get back to the front.

Full General Classification results after the click
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ROUTE DETAILS
Day: Saturday, Feb 23
Start: Santa Barbara
Finish: Santa Clarita
Start Time: 11:00 AM
Miles: 105.4
End ETA: 2:53-3:33 PM

With the individual time trial the day before reshuffling the general classification, the top riders fighting to maintain or battling for a spot on the final podium might be separated merely by seconds when they start the HealthNet-sponsored stage 6 near the breathtaking Santa Barbara shoreline. Along the peloton’s 105-mile journey to Santa Clarita, the racers will be hit with four leg-breaking King of the Mountains climbs and three sprint lines, which means crucial points will be up for grabs for riders gunning for the climber’s title and the green sprinter’s jersey. After cruising through Carpenteria on Highway 192, the peloton will face two KOMs on Highway 150 before passing Lake Casitas and entering scenic Ojai. The pack will tackle the third KOM just outside Ojai and descend into Santa Paula. Saving the best for last, the menacingly steep Balcom Canyon climb will be the final KOM of the stage. The last two years, waiting on Balcom Canyon was an enormous enthusiastic sea of nearly 25,000 fans that parted to let the riders pass. Finally three demanding circuits in Santa Clarita remain. The sprinters will be deployed on a mad dash for the finish line at McBean Parkway at the Valencia Town Center.

(stage description courtesy of the official Amgen Tour of California website: http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/ )