“So it was just 10 days and we had some stuff show up late and I was building TT bikes that week and just kind of praying to the god of products.”

Every year, brand new equipment is received and bikes that fit each rider’s specification must be built. For the race in California, a total of 20 Pinarello Prince were built for the 8 riders on the roster.

“Every rider has two road bikes, a race bike and a home bike,  and fourteen time trial bikes in total. So for this race, there are 8 guys, 8 road bikes, 8 TT bikes and 4 spares.”

Each bike is put together in about an hour and a half to two hours with time trial bikes taking a bit longer.

“The road bike usually go together pretty fast.   Time Trial bikes have external cables, housing going through cable bars and all that stuff, that’s going to take  more time, it’s always takes a little  extra effort for a TT bike.  We use carbon paste on every single piece, if there’s a bolt we use carbon paste even on  shifter clamps, handlebars, all that stuff. It’s just ind of a little extra.”

Not only do time trial bikes take longer to build, but each rider has specific requirements to get as aerodynamic as possible.

“Ben [Jacques-Maynes] and Tom [Zirbel] both run very different setups as far as where their hands are, the width of their bar, the extensions and obviously Tom has some different issues because of his size. As far as TT stuff, everyone is kind of unique, it’s what they like and we try to make it happen.”

Sometimes, extra modifications are needed. After Zirbel did some testing at the wind tunnel, changes had to be made to his setup.

“Tom found that he likes to run with much more width between his extensions so Jim did some magic to make that happen, we chopped up a  $5000 time trial bar and made it work for him, that was the fun part of the day. The chopping stuff is  always fun, every time we get to customize it’s a good day.”

Not just the riders were impacted by the weather during the eight days of the Tour of California. It also meant extra work for the mechanics, extending the cleaning time after each stage.

“We wet lube stuff, like it was last year, we were greasing chains last year, just trying to fortify everything against the elements. We use Vredestein TriComp Pro tubulars  for rain or shine, it’s a pretty soft compound, people run lower pressure in the rain, it’s a good all weather tire.”

And then there was the dust cloud caused by the yellow chalk at the finish of stage 4 in Clovis.

“It was pretty funny because every leading edge of the bike was covered with  yellow dust, spokes everything but only the leading edge. It was kind of weird, it was very obvious, it was very caked.  Same old thing, wash it off, it came right off so that was nice but we are still finding wheels with yellow hubs.”

The hardest stage  was Friday February 20, the time trial in Solvang, as BenO and DS Glen Mitchell headed out to Solvang the prior evening after a late night to get ready.

“TT are always tough. Transfers have been pretty killer. Glen and I went down to Solvang  the night before so we could make sure to get a good spot but getting out of that place was a madhouse, so much traffic, it took us 4 hours to do a 150 mile transfer. It was terrible.“

Long days that can start at 6am and end around 9pm don’t deter BenO. The 29-year old likes his job.

“I like it. I got to go to Argentina this year and a lot of cool places. We have a really good group of guys that are very happy with what we do, we get thanked, it’s not a thankless job, so that’s nice.”

Even if sometimes it can get tricky to travel, but after four years on the job, BenO has all his equipment ready to go.

“It’s always a challenge, you have to pack  what you normally carry in a 20-foot trailer into  a suitcase. I’ve got a couple of cases that I carry, I’ve got a rack that I’ve built that fits into that case,  just trying to find the balance between what’s going to get the job done and what is portable and easy to carry.”

But he still “finds those little TSA papers in my luggage.”  Always.

By the numbers:

• 8 road bikes
• 8 time trial bikes
• 4 spares bikes
• 4 flats during Amgen Tour of California (compared to almost 30 last year)

Ask questions directly to BenO via  his blog

Two Million Fans Turned Out to Watch the Best Field Ever Assembled on U.S. Soil Cycle Across California

ESCONDIDO, CA– After nine challenging and epic days of cycling through more than 750-miles of scenic California roads, and a thrilling fight to the finish, Levi Leipheimer (USA) of Astana was crowned champion of the 2009 Amgen Tour of California, solidifying a three-peat for the California resident. With a week-long total time of 31 hours, 28 minutes and 21 seconds, Leipheimer accepted the highly coveted title of race champion in front of massive cheering crowds in Escondido, which brought the race total to 2 million fans along the race route from Sacramento to Escondido. In a nine-day battle against the best field ever assembled to compete in the United States, which included Tour de France winners, Olympic medalists and World Champions, Frank Schleck (LUX) of Saxo Bank claimed the Stage 8 win.

“I’ve been trying to think about how to articulate this and it’s tough,” said Leipheimer. “To win it once, that was huge. To win it twice, that was almost a little bit of a surprise and almost felt like luck. But now, to have won the Amgen Tour of California three times, it’s the sweetest victory of all. I think we proved that we were the best team in the race. There is no question about that.”

David Zabriskie (USA) of Garmin-Slipstream finished in second place overall at 36 seconds behind Leipheimer, and Michael Rogers (AUS) of Team Columbia-Highroad finished third at 45 seconds behind.

In one of the most difficult stages of the 2009 race, the 96.8-mile route from Rancho Bernardo to Escondido included one sprint and four King of the Mountain (KOM) climbs, including the ‘above categorization’ ascent of Palomar Mountain, the highest point ever reached in the Amgen Tour of California at 5,123 feet. The ascent unfolded over 11.7 miles and included 21 switchbacks at an average gradient of seven percent.

The Queen stage of the 2009 Amgen Tour of California began with an early breakaway of nine riders, which was split up a half hour later. Soon after, a second breakaway formed, which included Schleck and inaugural Amgen Tour of California winner Floyd Landis (USA) of Ouch Presented by Maxxis. Chased and eventually caught by the top-three riders in the general classification, Leipheimer, Rogers and Zabriskie, the breakaway included most of the top riders in the peloton.

Lined with fans, some of which had camped out for two nights to secure their spot to watch the cyclists compete in the final day of the race, Mount Palomar made the final stage of the race an extremely challenging course. Schleck opened up a gap on the descent, but was then joined by three additional riders to make a group of four. With Lance Armstrong (USA) of Astana setting a fast pace at the front of the field, the gap began to close. After riding in the breakaway for most of the day, Schleck battled Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) of Liquigas up to the finish line to take the final stage with the roar of cheering fans in Escondido in the background.

“The riding was furious today and I said, ‘I’m just going to go for it again’,” said Schleck. “On Palomar, that is where I attacked and got up to Andy (Schleck), and then he set a really hard pace. Really, for a guy like me, it took a big effort today for sure.”

Today’s stage brought a close to the competition for the Amgen Tour of California jerseys. The Amgen Leader Jersey was awarded to Leipheimer for the third consecutive year. In addition to winning the final stage of the race, Schleck claimed Amgen’s Breakaway from Cancer™ Most Courageous Rider Jersey. Mark Cavendish (GBR) of Team Columbia-Highroad retained the Herbalife Sprint Jersey and Rabobank’s Robert Gesink (NED) the Rabobank Best Young Rider Jersey. Jason McCartney (USA) of Saxo Bank held onto the climbing lead to take the California Travel & Tourism Commission King of the Mountain (KOM) Jersey. With a celebratory champagne fight on the awards stage, Astana claimed the overall team classification for the first time.

In addition to increased programming on VERSUS, the Amgen Tour of California Web site saw a significant increase in traffic during the 2009 race. Total visitors to the Web site topped 1.3 million in the month of February, compared to 777,000 in February 2008, and total page impressions for this month exceeded 5.1 million.

“We are enormously satisfied with the race,” said Andrew Messick, president, AEG Sports, presenter of the race. “We’ve had some epic racing, beautiful terrain and enormous crowds. The ratings for our television broadcast were up about 70 percent, we were broadcasting for twice as many hours and we were broadcast live all over the world. I think people have gotten a much closer and better perspective of the race and we hope they will return as fans next year.”

San Diego cancer survivor Gary Miller was honored and celebrated today at the final Breakaway Mile, a one-mile honorary bicycle ride that crossed the finish line prior to the professional race conclusion. During the event, Miller was joined by his support team of family members and close friends, as well as Joe Miletich, Amgen’s senior vice president of Research & Development, who plays a crucial role in developing innovate medicines to treat cancer and other serious illnesses.

“When my husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer it happened at a time when our health insurance was in transition and we were required to go on COBRA for several months,” explained Karen Miller, spouse of Breakaway Mile rider Gary Miller. “My first call was to Patient Advocate Foundation and they were an immediate source of support and expertise. They guided me through the maze and I felt a sense of relief and hope.”

Breakaway from Cancer™ nonprofit partners play leading roles in every aspect of cancer care to help people affected by the disease. The Escondido Breakaway Mile highlighted the Patient Advocate Foundation, which was established in 1996 as a national 501(c)3 organization with a mission of safeguarding patients with chronic, life threatening, and/or debilitating illnesses assuring access to care, maintenance of employment and preservation of their financial stability.

“Breakaway from Cancer is an initiative that captures the essence of every cancer patient’s commitment as they face their fears and race to conquer cancer,” said Nancy Davenport-Ennis, founder and CEO, Patient Advocate Foundation. “We are so very honored to be a partner in this event with our fellow nonprofit colleagues and to join the survivors and their caregivers in celebrating with professional cyclists the thrill of victory as their ride calls out the importance of cancer research and survivorship for all patients and their loved ones in the United States.”

The Breakaway from Cancer initiative is designed to increase awareness of the important resources available to cancer patients from prevention to education, and patient care to advocacy and financial support. For the latest information on Breakaway from Cancer and ways to support those living with the illness, visit breakawayfromcancer.com.

“Amgen is proud of our sponsorship of the Amgen Tour of California, a spectacular race that again this year saw the world’s best cyclists battle it out along California’s beautiful landscape,” said Miletich. In addition to riding in today’s Breakaway Mile, Miletich also presented the final Amgen Leader Jersey to 2009 Amgen Tour of California winner Leipheimer.

“As a company dedicated to tapping the power of pioneering science to fight serious illness, Amgen is passionate about helping people who are battling cancer, and Breakaway from Cancer is one of the ways that Amgen is fighting cancer on multiple fronts. The 17,000 staff members at Amgen come to work every day motivated by the chance to make a dramatic difference in the lives of people suffering from cancer and other life threatening illnesses.”
For full results, archived footage, team information and more, please visit the official race Web site at www.amgentourofcalifornia.com.

Stage 8 top-five finishers:
1) Fränk Schleck (LUX), Team Saxo Bank
2) Vincenzo Nibali (ITA), Liquigas
3) George Hincapie (USA), Team Columbia-High Road
4) Rory Sutherland (AUS), Ouch Presented by Maxxis
5) Grischa Niermann (GER), Rabobank

Final General Classification:
1) Levi Leipheimer (USA), Astana
2) David Zabriskie (USA), Garmin-Slipstream
3) Michael Rogers (AUS), Team Columbia-High Road
4) Jens Voigt (GER), Team Saxo Bank
5) Thomas Lövkvist (SWE), Team Columbia-High Road

Jersey winners include:
Amgen Race Leader Jersey- Levi Leipheimer (USA), Astana
Amgen’s Breakaway from Cancer Most Courageous Rider Jersey- Fränk Schleck (LUX), Team Saxo Bank
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

More to come…

Jeff Louder drives the break under dismal conditions.

The best chances at a result, unless riding for a GC spot or a sprint finish is the breakaway.

“You can follow all day and still get fortieth place or get dropped and at least if you’re in the front people come and talk to you and the point of a bike team is to get recognition and be exposed and there’s more that one way to do that at a bike race. I think that being in a breakaway is a great way to get publicity and it raises the odds for a good result. A lot of the best results I’ve ever had have come from putting myself out there and taking risks. Nothing ventured and nothing gained.”

Finding the right move is a combination of luck and risk.

“I think some of it is luck and I think that some of it is just not being afraid of putting yourself out there, Also, some of it is that I’ve been doing this a long time and I’ve almost always had this role well not always but it’s a role that I like, something that I enjoy. If you enjoy something, you get better at it. I’ve always enjoyed going into move, it’s kind of my education was in Belgium were basically it’s the breakaway that wins the race everytime, you know in amateur races and kermesses and stuff like that. I learned from an early age, in the early stage of my development I dealt a lot with figuring out to get into moves. In a big race, a hard race like this, a lot of it is luck because we’re all trying. Everybody wants to be in the move. “

On stage 3, Louder was caught by the chasing peloton with only three kilometers to go after being out in the wind for almost 150 kilometers.

“It’s disappointing, but it’s the job and you have to try and if it doesn’t work, you’ve got more days left. Really, it’s just the goal of the team, of the entire team, is to do your best and just do what we can. I put it all out there and came up short, so what can I say.”

For Louder, the wet roads increased his chances of staying away.

“You just never know, people make mistakes and I had hoped the peloton would mis-time their effort. Slick course, call dots and things like that, it’s almost easier for a couple of riders to negotiate that, a big peloton., one of the advantages that they had is that they had each other and I had only three other guys for the whole day, a little bit undergunned.”

A disappointed Jeff Louder heads to the finish with a BMC teammate after being caught at the end of stage 3.

On stage 5, the longest stage of the race, Louder did it again. And again, he was caught by the charging field.

“I had some good luck about getting into the break today, but after the long break from two days ago, I struggled out there.”

And again, the break was caught by the chasing peloton dirven by the sprinters’ team.

“It just shook out that I was the guy in the break today and that is very important since we really want to show our colours at the front of the races and proudly represent BMC,” Louder explained. “I am just sorry that once I was caught again by the pack, that I wasn’t able to contribute more to the positioning of our protected riders since it got very fast very quickly near the end of the stage.”

Look for BMC’s Jeff Louder to try and get in the move again, to risk it all.

Australian Jonathan Coulter, known as Jono is the lead soigneur for the Bissell Team. A racer in how own right, Jono is joined by Lani Galyer, a freelance massage therapist to take care of the riders at the Tour of California.

Take me through the routine in the morning.

Jono: On a tour like this when the stages start between 10am to noon, I get up just before 7am and make sure between Lani and myself that the breakfast is all set up for the riders and then a lot of a preparation for the next day is done at night time so in the morning it’s just making sure that everything is sorted. We have other staff that do the transfer so they collect the luggage of the riders. For us in the morning, it’s pretty straightforward of loading the things that we need for that day into the car. Starting at 7 in the morning.

What about the evening?

Jono: On a race like this, it has been pretty tense and when it’s raining there’s a lot more to do when the riders are a lot more smashed than they would be so it’s making sure that at first they are warm and dry and that’s within fifteen minutes of the stage finishing, we want them to be totally dry and warm. We don’t have the setup that some of the other teams have so we load the riders all into this van, turn the heater on full blast, towels and that sort of thing. Then get them to the hotel as soon as possible, get them nice and dry, we always make sure that they have First Endurance Ultragen to replenish the system straightaway, they always ask for it, if you miss out on having it, they’ll ask for it., it gets back into their muscles so they can recover for the next day. It’s the first step of their recovery and then making sure on a race like this, warm tea and all their foods. And then within 45 minutes of the stage finishing, we’ll start the first rub. We try to get at it straight away, it’s enough time for them to get a shower, get on the table as soon as they get out of the shower. The stages have been finishing up pretty late so Lani and split them up.

How do you decide, which soigneur gets which rider?

Jono: We just picked four riders each, one from each room at the start of the tour and then we swap them halfway through.

Why swap them?

Jono: A bit of variety. But the reason we keep them is just if someone has an ongoing problem say one of their riders have an achilles heel problem, you’re looking after it on a day to day basis. And not on this tour and not on this team, one rider may prefer a certain soigneur and they always get that. If a rider wants a particular person, they get that.

How long for each rub down?

Jono: They’re getting half an hour each. Around the time trial time, we’ll do a little bit more , some riders need a little bit more personal attention. Some of the stronger riders, like Frank Pipp, in the cold he seizes up in the back, so an extra rub for him at those times. Around the time trial, we’ll definitely look after Ben and Tom a little bit more.

What happens after the rub down?

Jono: We’re lucky this year to have Kelloggs as a sponsor so we make sure to have around any dinner table, there’s always Kelloggs products and make sure that’s all out there. We have a doctor on board that makes sure that there is good hygiene and good nutrition throughout the entire tour so there’s various things that we can eat and make sure that we clean with purel before and after eating sort of thing. And then afterwards, it’s a case of making sure that you set up for the next day. If we start dinner at 6:30pm, be done by 7:30 and then between 7:30 and 10 or 11, it’s doing the bottles for the next day, doing the laundry. Once again, we are lucky, our directeur Eric [Wohlberg] who just retired from racing loves to have a hand to helping the whole operation run smoothly so he’s doing being some washing.

How much more work did the rain and bad weather bring?

Jono: A lot more work, maybe twice as much work as it would be without the rain. In most areas, in terms of towels, you use a lot more, in terms of running around trying to find hot water before, during and after a stage, it’s as much as trying to fill all the bottle, it’s a whole other task. In terms of, normally if a rider finishes a 200k stage, they’ll be tired and hungry but if it’s in the rain, they’ll be doubly tired and hungry, double as much to do.

Do they eat more when it’s raining?

Jono: I’m really surprised with these guys, they drink and they eat well. You’d think with the weather that they’d be smashing it down, but they keep it pretty simple, with obviously good nutrition, In fact, Jeremy Vennell said this morning that one flask of the First Endurance is equivalent of having three sandwiches, it’s like three meals in a flask.

Any special requests?

Jono: No allergies. Everyone is good, there’s no one with gluten intolerances, no one with dairy intolerances. Everyone is really good, everyone is really laid back, it’s unbelievable.

What’s in the musette bag?

Jono: We started off just doing your First Endurance bar, your First Endurance flask and the we’re making sandwiches, something with a bit of ham, provolone cheese, maybe some cream cheese. On these long ones, they are getting hungry. They basically have half a sandwich in each bag.

Why do this?

Jono: Like a lot of cyclists, I’ve just been really really passionate about the sport for a long, long time. I initially came over to American to race my bike, I’ve been racing for a long time but never been at the top level,. So to be able to be involved in the sport and guys that are super dedicated to their sport and achieve, for me it’s very fulfilling, whether it’s a women’s team or a men’s team.

Is it necessary to be a racer of cyclist to be a soigneur?

Jono: I think the perfect situation is to have two soigneurs where one is a cyclist and one is not a cyclist. One thing you don’t want is soigneurs thinking that they are more important than the directeurs and the riders and telling the riders what to do. You see that often, ‘you should be in the break’. So to have a bit

of the sport is good but it’s not necessary. It’s sort of good to understand what the riders are going through and when to leave them alone.

So what do you do in between races?

Jono: Train (laughs).

Lani, tell me about yourself.

Lani: I’m a massage therapist by trade for about 4 years now, and in 2007 I started doing soigneur work for Toyota at the Tour of California, and since then I just do free lance kind of thing. Last year, I worked for Successful Living for 5 of their big races and I was the only one there, and that was fun, I had 8 guys to myself for every race. This time, I am the second soigneur and I planned on doing freelance with teams, I don’t know if I’m ready for a whole year commitment. I like cycling and traveling so it’s a good job for me and I like helping the guys.

By the numbers.

• 700 elite water bottles
• about 20 cartons of Kelloggs products
• 15 tubs of First Endurance drink mix and 6 tubs of recovery mix
• 300 First Endurance bars
• 100 gel flasks
• 40 big towels
• 10 rolls of surgical tape
• 15 sharpies

Rinaldo Nocentini (ITA), Stage 7 Winner
AG2R-La Mondiale
On the race overall:
“I have definitely been very impressed by the Amgen Tour of California. The mountains have been hard for me. I crashed on the second day and the rain has been hard, but I made good preparations, and for me, this victory was very, very important.”

On his team’s strategy today:
“We had two riders (of the 10) in the front group, so we are really happy how we played our tactics to our advantage. In the final sprint, I didn’t know the other two riders, but the way they played it was to my advantage. They set me up well for the finish that happened.”

“There was an initial attack by a Rabobank rider, but we worked together to keep the breakaway together in the last three kilometers. I was pretty confident I could win, but I didn’t know for sure. I’m very content with how it came out.”

“It was really just by chance we got two riders in there (in the top-10), but I’m happy it came out like that because it made the difference in the end.”

On his team overall:
“We are down to five riders. One guy had a knee problem coming into the race, but with five guys, we are still a good team and we are still ready to race.”

“This is our team’s first victory of the year, so we are happy about that. I’ve had other victories before, but I think the field is much better here, so looking back, I think this victory will be more important because all of the top riders are here.”

Christian Vande Velde (USA), Amgen’s Breakaway from Cancer™ Most Courageous Rider Jersey Leader
Garmin-Slipstream
On today’s race:
“Today was the same stage as last year so we knew the stage, but luckily it wasn’t the same weather. It was freezing cold last year, but this year it was beautiful, so we knew it was going to be aggressive. We just wanted to keep someone in the breakaway since we knew it was going to snap at one point.”

“It was a super hard race; it took almost 40 miles until the breakaway was established. It wasn’t fun getting into it, but once we got away, it was good. Then, when we came into the circuits, it was warm and the fans were unbelievable. Frank Schleck came up to me and said he had goose bumps because the crowd was so amazing. It was a neat feeling to race through a throng of fans. It was just like racing in any one of the big tours.”

On the race overall:
“Astana is a strong team, and they are doing good at controlling the race, but you saw a lot of aggressive racing today. Everyone is getting tired, but that’s what’s so great about cycling, nobody is just going to roll over and let them have it. It’s going to be a great race.”

On his loss of critical time on a previous stage:
“I think that was a blessing in disguise. Sometimes I ride above my level and then pay for it for days to come. My form isn’t as high as it has been in the past, but at the same time, the field is so much stronger. The race was harder, the course had more mountains and, unfortunately, the weather was horrible. It has been fun to support Dave (Zabriskie) and Tom (Peterson). Sometimes I’m more comfortable playing the supporting role; it’s natural for me to ride in support of my team. I know that it will come back to me.”

On the Amgen Tour of California:
“Every year they make comparisons, and I don’t think this race has been given the credit it deserves. I personally that it has been world-class from the start in 2006, so I’m sure what is needs to happen for it to become a great race because it already is. If you look at the top-60 general classification, the names that you see, even the guys in the groupetto, it’s amazing. I mean, you have the reining Tour de France champion, Carlos (Sastre) racing here. They take really good care of us in this race. There are great fans and great racing, so I’m not sure what else it can do to become a better race.”

Floyd Landis (USA), Inaugural Amgen Tour of California Winner
OUCH presented by Maxxis
On the Amgen Tour of California:
“I think every year since the first year in 2006, this race has grown. I’ve always been impressed with the dedication of the fans. It was hard for us to get motivated in the early part of the race when it was cold and raining, but the fans were still there and that helped boost morale. Thankfully the weather has gotten better, but it has still been a very difficult race. I’m hoping we can keep the momentum going. I think if the crowds were any indication today, people were happy to have the race come through Pasadena.”

On how he feels about his performance thus far:
“I haven’t raced in two and a half years, and it’s a difficult race, but we’re doing the best we can. I’m a little disappointed with how things have gone, but I’ve gotten through all of the obstacles. After I fell on my hip, I was fine and I haven’t had any problems as a result of that. After riding around in the rain and snow, you’re going to feel a little under the weather, but I don’t think it is any different than what everyone else is feeling. I think I feel about the same as everyone else.”

On his return to professional cycling:
“I’ve missed racing. It has been a large part of my life, and for the last few years I’ve been gone, so it feels good to be back. I’m really not sure what my long-term goals are at this point. Sometimes, when you are racing, your goals become very shortsighted, so hopefully after this race is over, I can reassess what I want.”

“I never really got into cycling because I wanted attention, I like cycling for the challenges and the experiences that I’ve had. It’s certainly touching to come out and have so many people cheering for not just me, but everyone. To see that in the U.S., and this close to home, is really satisfying.”

On how his hip feels:
“After my surgery, my hip is a lot less affected by temperature. Sometimes the pain would change with the pressure or the weather, but that’s gone now. I’m quite pleased that I can race now without having to think about that.”

On tomorrow’s stage, which includes a climb up Palomar Mountain:
“I’ve never really raced up it before. My experience usually involves a burrito at the bottom (laughing). I’m sure tomorrow will be much faster than I’ve rode it on my own, and there are a few climbs before Palomar. After a week-long stage race, a lot of guys are tired, so the peloton will probably split up easier. The climb is pretty consistent and it goes from a five or six percent grade to an eight percent grade. It’s as hard of a climb as you’ll find anywhere, especially at this stage in the race. Astana has been determined to control the race, and they’ve done a good job, but tomorrow will be difficult. It would be a risk for some guys to try and take the win, but if they have the position, they could do it; I know I would.”

On the possibility of a major attack during tomorrow’s stage:
“Tomorrow’s a good stage for that sort of thing. Hopefully you’ll get to see one; I wish somebody would try it. It’s very close in the general classification, so I would try to get some time back if I were in their shoes. Levi and his team are strong, but they’ve had a hard time controlling the whole race. Whether or not I’ll be there is hard to say. I know the streets pretty well, so we’ll see what happens.”

On tomorrow’s Cole Grade climb:
“When I thought about how the race was going to play out, I didn’t think it (Cole Grade) was going to be that much of a factor. But, the first couple of days, it wasn’t really easy for anybody to get away; it was rainy and the peloton was really split up. When everyone is that tired, and you come to a climb like that, it can do some damage. If somebody wants to get some time there, going full-speed, it’s a 10-minute climb, and after that, it’s a lot of rolling and downhill racing. If there’s a decisive place in the race where someone wants to make up time, that would be it. We’ll just have to wait and see how it plays out; we’ll have to see how the peloton looks when they start the climb. It’s the place to try something if you’re a general classification guy.”

Andrew Messick, President, AEG Sports
On the race overall:
“With eight days of exhilarating racing behind us, we are looking forward to watching the finale of the 2009 Amgen Tour of California unfold in San Diego County tomorrow. The world-class field of riders competing for the overall win will make for a very thrilling conclusion to the most important professional cycling race in the United States.”

Michael Ball, Owner, Rock Racking
On Francisco Mancebo’s condition:
“Following his unfortunate crash during today’s stage, Francisco Mancebo is currently receiving medical attention at Huntington Memorial hospital in Pasadena. While we are still awaiting confirmation, we believe he has suffered a concussion, as well as broken hand and elbow. The fact that he is unable to continue the race does not in any way diminish his accomplishments or those of his team. Attrition took its toll and we lost two incredible riders in Paco (Mancebo) today and Victor Hugo Pena, after Stage 4, but that’s bike racing. This is such an exciting team, and I am incredibly proud of everything we have achieved this week.”

Photo by Ken Conley

Ivan Basso (ITA)
Liquigas
On sustaining an injury shortly before the individual time trial on Saturday, February 20:
“I apologize for not commenting sooner, but it was very difficult to communicate what happened yesterday quickly because I got hurt early in the morning. I had been training earlier and I hit my knee on the handlebar of my bike. I started to feel bad during the warm-up; I couldn’t push the pedal.”

“The medical staff was amazing. I had immediate attention yesterday, and they helped me last night and again this morning. I had an MRI to check on my knee and the doctor said that I could possibly do more damage if I continued to race, so it is best if I stop now. Small problems can sometimes turn into big problems, and as a cyclist, I need a clear mind to ride, and I just can’t continue knowing that I could do more damage. I have been given such great attention. I have raced many years as a professional and I can say that the level of the medical staff here is very high.”

“I am very sad to leave here because this is a fantastic race. I did some of my best riding in the first three or four days; I was riding really well in front. I knew I didn’t have the legs to win the race, but my intention was to do my best. I want to thank everyone, including the fans, for their support. For me, I really enjoyed the first part of the week. It is a very important race, but it’s impossible to compete in a race like this with only one good leg.”

“There is a really high level of competition and speed in this race, and you can’t race at only fifty percent. Also, continuing to race might make the injury worse, and in this race, there is really no time to recover. Every day there are sprint and King of the Mountain (KOM) competitions, and the level of competition here is really high. This is one of the best races in the world. All of the best riders are here, and even when people are only going at fifty percent, it’s still a fast race.”

“In the first couple of days, a lot of interesting things were happening; everyone was going full gas the whole time. But in this situation, I can’t continue. I am very sad and I promise to come again next year and do well. I have received so much support from the race staff, the fans, everyone.”

“Again, I want to say thank you to everyone for their support, and congratulations on such a great race. I also want to say thank you to my team and the sponsors for their support. It is a great feeling knowing everyone is there for me”

Luke Wilson, Actor and Ambassador for Stand Up To Cancer
“I’m in awe of the professional cyclists who are taking part in the Amgen Tour of California. Like in cycling, it takes a team to fight cancer, to raise money and raise awareness of the fact that we can make progress against cancer.”

Officials Estimate Race Attendance For First Eight Days to be 1.7 Million

PASADENA, CA – Fans in Pasadena came out in droves to witness the finish to Stage 7 of the 2009 Amgen Tour of California, which included five, five-mile laps on a very demanding circuit through the area surrounding the Rose Bowl. After a challenging day of cycling, Rinaldo Nocentini (ITA) of AG2R-La Mondiale crossed the finish line to take the stage, followed closely by Hayden Roulston (NZL) of Cervelo Test Team and Pieter Weening (NED) of Rabobank. Levi Leipheimer (USA) of Astana retained the overall lead heading into the final stage of the race, which will take riders into San Diego County for the first time, as they race from Rancho Bernardo to Escondido tomorrow.

“The Rose Bowl had a ton of people on the floor today,” said Leipheimer. “When we rode in, there was so much noise from the crowd. All of the guys were really motivated by that.”

Hollywood celebrities, including actor Luke Wilson, who is an ambassador for Amgen’s Breakaway from Cancer™ initiative and Stand Up To Cancer, came out to support the Los Angeles leg of the race.

“I’m in awe of the professional cyclists who are taking part in the Amgen Tour of California,” said Wilson.

The penultimate day of the 2009 Amgen Tour of California featured the same difficult, hilly and technical terrain that was used in the final day of the 2008 race. The stage opened with a gradual 25-mile climb out of Santa Clarita, through Acton, to the intersection of Angeles Forest Road. Showcasing the breathtaking beauty of the San Gabriel Mountains, the course continued uphill to the massive Millcreek Summit, which at 4,906 ft. is the second-highest elevation ever reached in the race. The riders then headed down a 15-mile trek to Angeles Crest Highway before dropping precipitously to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Surrounded by mountains and the legendary stadium, the field concluded the stage with five challenging laps on a rolling five-mile circuit around the picturesque Rose Bowl.

Photo by Ken Conley

Stage 7 of the Amgen Tour of California began with the launch of several attacks and counter-attacks to try and get a break going. It was a day characterized by very aggressive riding that left 16 riders behind the peloton. An hour and a half into the stage, a successful attack was launched led by Saxo Bank rider Frank Schleck (LUX) and George Hincapie (USA) of Team Columbia-Highroad, along five additional riders, with Astana at the front of the peloton setting the pace for the chase.

As the riders approached the only King of the Mountain (KOM) of the stage Millcreek Summit, team managers were urged to warn their riders about the enormous crowds lining the turns on the descent. A similar warning was issued as the pack headed into the finishing circuits at the Rose Bowl, a testament to the huge crowds that have turned out to watch the race throughout the past eight days.

At 48 miles into the race, three more riders joined the break to make it 10 strong, including Chris Baldwin (USA) of Rock Racing, Pieter Weening (NED) of Rabobank, Addy Engels (NED) of Quick Step, Martin Elmiger (SUI) of AG2R-La Mondiale, Markus Zberg (SUI) of Team BMC, Christian Vande Velde (USA) of Garmin-Slipstream, Schleck, Roulston, Hincapie and Nocentini.

After a series of attacks on the final two laps, Weening, Nocentini and Roulston opened up a gap that proved to be the winning move. The trio dueled to the finish with Nocentini beating out Roulston on the line. Leipheimer retained his overall lead with 36 seconds over David Zabriskie (USA) of Garmin-Slipstream heading in the final stage of the race tomorrow.

“This was a hard stage in the beginning,” added Leipheimer. “There were a lot of attacks with riders dangerous for the overall general classification. It took a while before there was a breakaway with which we could agree.”

Stage 8 of the 2009 Amgen Tour of California will feature a KOM competition up Mount Palomar, the highest point ever reached in the Amgen Tour of California. Floyd Landis (USA) of Ouch Presented by Maxxis trains on the mountain and provided a glimpse into what the riders can expect tomorrow.

“The climb is pretty consistent and it goes from a five or six percent grade to an eight percent grade,” said Landis. “It’s as hard of a climb as you’ll find anywhere, especially at this stage in the race. After a week-long stage race, a lot of guys are tired, so the peloton will probably split up easier.”

Photo by Ken Conley

Francisco Mancebo (ESP) of Rock Racing who was previously the KOM leader crashed late in the stage and had to abandon due to medical needs.

Stage 7 brought only two changes to the jersey leaders. Vande Velde was awarded Amgen’s Breakaway from Cancer™ Most Courageous Rider Jersey. Jason McCartney (USA) of Saxo Bank claimed the California Travel & Tourism Commission King of the Mountain (KOM) Jersey. Leipheimer will retain the Amgen Leader Jersey, Mark Cavendish (GBR) of Team Columbia-Highroad the Herbalife Sprint Jersey and Robert Gesink (NED) of Rabobank the Rabobank Best Young Rider Jersey.

“With eight days of exhilarating racing behind us, we are looking forward to watching the finale of the 2009 Amgen Tour of California unfold in San Diego County tomorrow,” said Andrew Messick, president of AEG Sports. “The world-class field of riders competing for the overall win will make for a very thrilling conclusion to the most important professional cycling race in the United States.”

In celebration of the Breakaway from Cancer initiative, and in partnership with Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), Ginnifer Goodwin, Greg Grunberg, Luke Wilson, and SU2C founder and producer Laura Ziskin today attended the Stage 7 finish in Pasadena; Goodwin presented the leader jersey to Leipheimer and Wilson presented Amgen’s Breakaway from Cancer Most Courageous Rider Jersey to Vande Velde. Race title sponsor Amgen created the Breakaway from Cancer initiative in 2005 as a complementary component to its sponsorship. The initiative is designed to empower patients by connecting them to education, resources, and hope.

“My own mom is a cancer survivor and I know how much the love and support of her family and friends has meant to her,” said Goodwin from the awards stage. “I thank everyone for coming out to the Amgen Tour of California to be here with all our friends, to ride for life and to stand up to cancer!”

As ambassadors for SU2C, Goodwin, Grunberg, and Wilson attended the event to help raise awareness for the Breakaway from Cancer initiative, which has joined forces with SU2C and the Entertainment Industry Foundation.

“It takes a team to fight cancer, and I’m proud not only of the riders that have dedicated themselves to this race, but also that I’m able to help raise awareness about the resources that are available to cancer patients and their families,” said Grunberg. “The Stand Up To Cancer and Breakaway from Cancer partnership helps rally people around our common goal of educating people that they don’t have to fight cancer alone.”

For the latest information on the Breakaway from Cancer initiative and ways to support those living with the illness, visit www.breakawayfromcancer.com.