Tyler Farrar (USA), General Classification Leader
Slipstream Chipotle Presented by H30
On today’s race:
“Today played out exactly how we hoped it would. We didn’t know what the breakaway situation would be, but we were lucky with the bonuses being late in the stage. The team was amazing today. They delivered me perfectly to every bonus sprint, which made my job really easy.”

On today’s win:
“This win probably tops any win I’ve ever had; it’s a pretty big deal for me. I’m ecstatic to be racing in America, and to be wearing the Amgen Leader Jersey is a big deal for me and for the team; everyone is really happy.”

On tomorrow’s race:
“Tomorrow will be a hard day with the mountain climbs, but we have a few riders who are well positioned. My hope is that I’ll be handing the Amgen Leader Jersey to one of my teammates tomorrow.”

On racing in the rain today:
“I actually don’t mind the rain. I generally excel in these types of conditions. You can’t dwell too much on what can happen; if you do that, you can’t do your job.”

On the level of competition in the race:
“If you look at the field of riders competing in the Amgen Tour of California, it just goes to show that this race is on par with the best races in the world. You can’t get any better than the riders we have here. It’s actually a bit surreal for me to be racing against some of the greatest athletes in cycling. Sometimes I have to pinch myself. To have guys of such high caliber backing me up is a huge encouragement. In particular, getting to race with Mario (Cipollini) is pretty cool. He was my hero when I was a kid, so it’s a little crazy.”

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Photo by Ken Conley

Officials Estimate 425,000 Fans Along the Course Over the First Three Days of the Race

SACRAMENTO, CA – The second stage of the 2008 Amgen Tour of California saw the emergence of a young star in Tyler Farrar (USA) of Slipstream Chipotle Presented by H30 and the return of old warrior in Mario Cipollini (ITA) of Rock Racing. But the wet and slippery streets of the State Capitol belonged to 2005 World Champion and Belgian superstar Tom Boonen (BEL) QuickStep, who claimed today’s stage victory. Stage 2, which took cyclists from Santa Rosa to Sacramento, finished in front of record crowds, taking the total attendance number for the first three days of the race to 425,000, with five days left to go. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was on hand at the official post-race ceremonies to help award the jerseys.

“The Amgen Tour of California is a wonderful experience for California and is great for our tourism,” declared Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger after Stage 2, where he helped present leader jerseys. “The Amgen Tour of California showcases the state, which has some of the most beautiful places in the world. Thank you to the enthusiastic crowd for being here and being such great fans.”

Having spent most of the nearly 116-mile race chasing one rider, Scott Nydam (USA) of Team BMC, the field roared into Sacramento resigned to settle the matter in a bunch sprint. As the peloton poured around the final corner, Gerald Ciolek (GER) of High Road, wearing the Union Bank of California Best Young Rider Jersey, fired off the front and opened a massive gap. Reigning World Champion Paolo Bettini (ITA) of QuickStep charged after Ciolek with Boonen in tow. When Boonen finally broke loose, he focused on the legendary Cipollini, who came out of a three-year retirement to race for the American Rock Racing team.

“Racing in America seems less stressful; people approach the race differently,” said Boonen. “I think we’ll be coming back to the Amgen Tour of California for the next couple of years.”

Despite Boonen’s impressive win, it was U.S. riders Farrar and Nydam that took the limelight on today’s stage. Local rider Nydam, who lives in Santa Rosa, Calif., provided a bright spot on a rainy day for the enthusiastic fans who braved the weather to come out and cheer.

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Dominique Rollin places 7th in Stage 2 of the Tour of California.

Sacramento, CA - The Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team opened the windows to stage two with a soggy bottomed race day that began in Santa Rosa. The team was raring to go after a daring finish by Dominique Rollin in Stage 1. Pettyjohn said, “After our strong finish yesterday, I think we again are in a great position to finish strongly in the Santa Rosa to Sacramento stage. This stage suits our game plan for a strong finish today.” The finish was fast and furious and once again Rollin, made a good showing coming in 7th place.

The world’s best sprinters all had a shot to control this race as the stage was wet from start to finish and the speeds were fairly slow until the final with the racers finishing in just over 5 hours. The final 2 mile lap of the race in the capital of California proved to be exciting indeed. The crowds again were double the size of last year, with the riders feeding off the energy of the fans as they finished their long day sprinting at over 40MPH.

Tomorrow’s stage will prove difficult with Mt. Hamilton looming large with the 4000 foot climb for the boys in red, white, and blue. Ben Day is looking to improve his overall position in the general classification for the team with a strong showing tomorrow as the riders make their way to San Jose from Modesto. Henk Vogels on tomorrows race said, “Because the riders like to start the season in a place like California where the racing isn’t that hard; this year for some reason they put Mt. Hamilton in and I don’t understand the reason for that, I don’t understand why they did that, no rider really wants to go up climbs that long in early February but that’s the way it goes.” It will prove another long ride in the 8 day, and yes we will only be halfway through the California experience after tomorrow’s ride. Let’s hope for some drier conditions.

Photos by © Kathleen Poulos

ROUTE DETAILS
Day: Tuesday, Feb 19
Start: Santa Rosa
Finish: Sacramento
Start Time: 10:00 AM
Miles: 115.8
End ETA: 2:13-2:54 PM

The riders will face one of the toughest vertical challenges in the Amgen Tour of California only a dozen miles after departing Santa Rosa: the ascent of Trinity Grande. En route to the climb, the peloton will pass through several idyllic Sonoma County wineries, but they won’t have time to partake in the vino during Stage 2, sponsored by Union Bank of California. The Trinity Road climb and technical descent leading into Napa Valley wineries proved to be one of the most difficult sections in last year’s race so the racers will have to be attentive or risk getting gapped. The pack will roll east past Lake Berryessa and spin through the cities of Winters and Davis, the latter of which was recently named the best cycling town by Bicycling Magazine. After turning north, the route will float adjacent to the Sacramento River and across the Tower Bridge before arriving at the Capitol Mall in Sacramento. There the cyclists will whip up the speed when they engage in a final three-lap showdown through downtown before drag racing to the finish line in front of the state’s Capitol building, a monumental location to catch the action.

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