There's just something about Jens Voigt that appeals to race fans everywhere - he races hard (really hard), and he's tough (really tough), and he's aggressive (really aggressive). Once again, Voigt's appetite for bike racin was in full effect. Enough superlatives, it was a fine day of racing - Voigt took the win, Levi is still in the lead.
- Reported by Chris Gutowsky of VeloSport Vacations. Chris is calling the 'official' action as it happens for the race organizers - and shares his adventures of the day as a special feature for PEZ .
What an epic day of racing! The first attacks started as soon as we left town in Stockton this morning, meaning it was no problem to drop in close to do live updates from the get-go. The technical kinks on the ATOC webcast are starting to get worked out, so our live moto commentary can get used more, which was good for motivation today. With so much racing action, we did updates almost every ten minutes. No time even for an espresso stop!
The starting area was anything but somber this morning, as Fabian Cancellara and Paolo Bettini lapped up that California feelin.
Even the normally stoic Leipheimer almost cheesed for the camera.
Then there was that pesky race to take care of...had to ruin all the fun...especially with all those Slipstream boys attacking immediately after the flag dropped.
We sat on the early break group up and over Patterson Pass, checking out the high-tech windmills as the seventeen break riders stretched their legs a bit but stayed together. My driver Jim punched it for a quick jet ahead to the KOM. It's funny to pass the riders close by, babbling about who is doing what and they can all hear you.
Hey wait, isn't that? I've seen him before...yeah...that's Lance Armstrong. Indeed, da boss was in attendance, and he had to be pleased with what he saw today.
There was a trace of a smile from the Slipstream boys after a quick comment about their superior tactics and stylish clothing. At the top we took a brief stop to cover the pass-through, with Slipstream's Frischkorn proving me right by taking 1st place points, doing a good deed for teammate Peterson back in the field.
The hard working break fell apart on the Sierra Road climb.
When the lead spread to near 5 minutes between the large early break and the field, it was time to start shuttling back and forth between the two. Team Discovery continually rode tempo at the front of the main field, so we jumped back to the break to get a quick word with their number 2 car, driven by recently retired pro Ekimov.
There was some hard work going on in the Disco camp at the front of the race today. It was immediately apparent that Levi was the Numero Uno, as all others were at the helm driving the pace.
Not the best phrased question ever, but I asked him when the team was going to start riding really hard behind. "They are riding hard," was the limit of the response. Oh well. But it was clear that they would bring the gap down before the critical final climb. And their representative in the break, Jason McCartney, had fresh legs from sitting in and was sure to attack near the end as well.
Fan Interlude! This fan was more than happy to accompany some later riders up the slopes.
What's there to say?
Fan #1 met an unfortunate demise in his fanning. That's nice.
The gap was down to a minute and change as the break made the left up Sierra Road where the Cat 1 climb started. Our moto was right behind as the tired breakaway imploded, quickly leaving just 4-5 riders at the front. While we dodged the cyclists coming backwards at us, the official channel announced that Levi and company were coming forward from behind at a predictably rapid rate.
Tom Danielson plowed a lonely furrow on Sierra Road...well off the pace.
The groups crossed paths before the summit, where I tried to find words to describe Levi as he hammered through with just four others in tow.
Freight Train Levi was operating at full capacity today.
It was chaos behind us, so few vehicles could come through and we had the riders in sight just in front for the entire descent. The first five hundred meters, part of the road was washed out, which made me wonder about my future but the surface quickly improved.
The leaders didn't hesitate one bit after the climb - a bloc was the theme of the final kilometers.
Horner pushed it like a madman on the fast stretches, with the two Discovery riders doing their share on the flats between. I think our moto hit 60mph on a few stretches, but it's hard to look at the speedo just hanging on.
But oh boy did the remaining field put on a vicious chase - coming within just seconds of the three leaders at the finish.
A maximum one-minute gap slowly decreased on the final run in to downtown San Jose, probably due to the growing size of the chase group behind. As both the finish line and the chasing group approached, the officials motioned us out of the way; our day was over.
Now that was a hard day at the office - and a well-earned reward.
Today's race report provided by Chris Gutowsky of VeloSport Vacations. Check em out for some great ideas for your next cycling trip. For more information, contact VeloSport Vacations at P.O. Box 1235, Bloomington, IN 47402, 800-988-9833, www.VeloVacations.com
Roadside St. 14 When you start each new Giro you understand you’re a year older. You feel a stranger to the village approach and for a moment ... More....
Professional cycling has, over the years, attracted only a few documentary film makers. A few, such as Jorgen Leth’s “A Sunday in Hell,” have even ... More....
I’m just digging out from a few days at the BMC training camp, and while I won’t be reporting on doing Jaeger-bombs and Redbulls with Cadel & George, ... More....
As the final Madison got underway the arena was packed to the rafters, all the talk of Six Days in crisis forgotten for now. The finale was ... More....
Six Day racing comes to Berlin for the 99th time on Thursday, 28th January, 2010 with the great tradition of winter track racing in Germany in a ... More....
American Classic spent the last couple of years reworking their line up and the 420 Aeros are the latest to leave the bench. Take a look at the new ... More....
A couple years in the making, Pez head up to see arguably the top custom builder on the planet. We hit Serotta's NY shop, take a peek at their ... More....
You’ve still got today and all of tomorrow to ‘git ‘er done! Your holiday shopping that is… and armed with the complete set of 4 gift guides ... More....
If the stocking's not full - somebody's not doing their job. Good thing we're here to help with a big ol' bag full of the kind of stuff we'd love to ... More....
Winter riding is almost upon us - except for you lucky Aussies - and that means less riding outdoors. But with an indoor trainer and a Netflix ... More....
Many ergogenic aids, both legal and illegal, have been touted as the magic bullet that will improve cycling performance. What about something that ... More....
Having goals is one of the important first steps in achieving your dreams. They can be small goals or they can be big goals, but without them you’ll ... More....
Is cycling your religion, or at least one of them? If so, you’re not alone. Many people define themselves as “spiritual,” even if they don’t practice ... More....
Post-Giro Roadside: I love Scotland; but there’s no Gazzetta in the morning, most of the coffee tastes like John Wayne brewed it beside the ... More....
Sunday July 20th 1969; that’s 40 years ago now but I remember it clearly as the day that I first became aware of professional bicycle racing – I was ... More....
Roadside Recap: As we make our merry way through the rounds of the PEZ Looks Back, Ed is up for his retrospective on the Tour that was. As the ... More....
Coming on four years ago, Saul Raisin was one of THE big things in US pro cycling. Top 40 in a hard Tour de Suisse and mountain king at the Tour de ... More....
The last time we spoke to Garmin's Steve Cozza was after the 2008 Paris - Tours; where he produced another solid performance from a consistent and ... More....
Just about to start his second season with Cervélo - thanks to strong Classic rides and his first Grand Tour finish, in the Giro - Englishman, Dan ... More....
In October, nine-time Tour de France rider Frankie Andreu announced that he would be Director Sportif of the Ohio-based KENDA Pro Cycling p/b ... More....
With so many (too many?) others looking back to best-of-2009 or decade highlights, why not look ahead? A new decade beckons, after all, so who better ... More....
We first talked with Lostende Bike Tours owner and avid cyclist Allan Reeves about his Pyrenees Cycling Challenge, from the Atlantic to the ... More....
So, riding in Texas is mostly flat, with only tumbleweeds and armadillos to avoid right? Well, not exactly. You see, Austin is situated in what’s ... More....
Roadside St. 14 When you start each new Giro you understand you’re a year older. You feel a stranger to the village approach and for a moment ... More....
Professional cycling has, over the years, attracted only a few documentary film makers. A few, such as Jorgen Leth’s “A Sunday in Hell,” have even ... More....
I’m just digging out from a few days at the BMC training camp, and while I won’t be reporting on doing Jaeger-bombs and Redbulls with Cadel & George, ... More....
Race report: Alejandro Valverde stayed upright to seal his Vuelta victory – the first Grand Tour win of his career. On such a short stage, ... More....
Race Report: Today David Millar won his 5th stage in all his Vuelta’s, he was given one of the swords that Toledo is famous for along with the ... More....
The loss of Franco Ballerini is not one that will be forgotten anytime soon. The sport's best are at a loss and two of the greatest riders of our ... More....
Updated! Hallelujah, they're racing in Qatar, and I just got back from celebrating with every other New Orleanian on Bourbon Street. There's ... More....
It was a dark Sunday morning in Italy when the news services announced that Franco Ballerini, ex-professional, former dual Paris-Roubaix winner and ... More....
The maracas shake, 'Cara mia, mine !' blasts from the PA. Bang! The little cannon fires and the hall fills with smoke. Yes, this is the right place, ... More....
When the K-Mart Classic of West Virginia stormed through the state in the mid-90s, it opened awareness as to just how great the bike riding is in ... More....
After riding the final 17 sectors of Paris-Roubaix yesterday, and typing to you with still swollen, sore, and blistered hands, I understand to my ... More....
![](javascript:showpic("http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/tech/amclass/amc420alarge.jpg",900,698);)
![](javascript:showpic("http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/tech/serotta/meilarge.jpg",2000,1244);)
