. . . and welcome to stage 4 of the 2008 Amgen Tour of California, a 135.3-mile leg from Seaside to San Luis Obispo.

The race gets under way at 10 a.m. local time. After the usual parade lap, the peloton will roll south on Highway 1 past Big Sur and the Hearst Castle to the finish at Monterey and Osos streets in SLO. Today's stage is the longest of the 2008 tour, but victory will be worth the trip - the winner will receive a 9-liter bottle of pinot noir from Windward Vineyard, etched with a local scene by Nipomo artist Candice Norcross.

Rain is in the forecast once again - in fact, it's raining at the start in Seaside, though so far it's only cloudy and chilly in SLO.

VeloNews editor Ben Delaney has some thoughts on today's stage and who might claim the final yellow jersey in Pasadena. You can pick his brain here. If the foreman has you hoppin' at the cube farm, we'll tell you right here that Ben expects Friday's time trial to sort out the overall. That should give you some idea as to his thinking. Meanwhile, here's the top 10 overall going into today's stage:

1. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Astana, 13:45:30

2. Fabian Cancellara (Swi), CSC, at 0:13

3. Robert Gesink (Nl), Rabobank, at 0:15

4. David Millar (GB), Slipstream-Chipotle, at 0:20

5. Gustav Larsson (Swe), CSC, at 0:21

6. David Zabriskie (USA), Slipstream-Chipotle, same time

7. Christian Vandevelde (USA), Slipstream-Chipotle, at 0:23

8. Christopher Horner (USA), Astana, at 0:25

9. Alexandre Moos (Swi), BMC, at 0:29

10. Victor Hugo Pena (Col), Rock Racing, at 0:31

If so, Steve Nash and Eric Kvamme would be in the running. They rode unicycles to the summit of Mt. Hamilton on Wednesday to watch all those two-wheeled sissies roll by during stage 3. "We wanted to do something different," Nash told the San Jose Mercury News. That would qualify, all right.

And the umbrellas and rain gear are very much in evidence.

San Luis Obispo, here we come.

. . . is out of sight beneath his rain jacket. You'd think the organizers might've come up with a yellow jacket by now, given the weather, eh?

But y'know what? Not even a cold California rain can wash the grin off Chris Horner's face. That's one tough hombre.

The CSC boys are maximizing their solar-collection capability with those black rain jackets.

It's one of the longest neutral zones of this year's race. We should be starting soon, though.

the low-income housing section of town, right now. (We figure low-income in this neighborhood is anything in the sub-$2 million range).

which is a sign that the official start is coming up.

both at the start and the finish.

It's the official start. Interestingly, the whole peloton is splite in half, but not in the usual sense. Everyone is doing his best to stay off of the painted stripe... it's slippery as heck.

It's a downhill start and Toyota-United's Henk Vogels is just bombing down the road and has a 10-second gap.

teams are giving chase... the domestic squads are trying to join the break.

Now that would add some power to the break. He likes wet weather, too, no?

and Boonen is now off the front for a bit.

forming up the road. It's a small gap, while the Astana team is assessing the quality of the break. If there are no GC threats, they may make it. The weather, meanwhile, is clearing up. This is almost a duplicate of the weather.

the men in the break. Apparently, some of the men in the peloton aren't too worried. There are several already taking a nature break.

It's pretty casual right now.

and now the action picks up. A Saunier Duval rider has initiated a break. Several riders are trying to join up.

That recent break was pulled in and now we're seeing a new effort. This group is composed of domestic riders. Astana is not chasing, so we may see a few riders try to come out of the field... including Jackson Stewart. The BMC team is felling a tad randy these days. We'll ID the whole group ASAP.

Thus far, we've IDed... Scott Zwizanski (USA), Bissell Pro Cycling
Nicholas Reistad (USA), Jelly Belly
Rory Sutherland (Aus), Health Net Maxxis
Dominique Rollin (CAN), Toyota-United
Jackson Stewart (USA), BMC

John Murphy (USA), Health Net Maxxis, fought like a dog to bridge up. Nice work!

All that work and the Astana boys decide to shut 'er down.

the pace has slowed. Meanwhile, the weather is improving and we're even spotting a bit of blue sky.

We see a big group, with Rory Sutherland trying his hand again. The peloton doesn't want to let this one go. They are not getting a long leash.

is at Big Sur, coming up in about 10 miles, as the peloton crosses the picturesque Bixby Bridge. The rain is starting again. With the GC picture as tight as it is, we might see some of the top GC guys trying to get some time... assuming this little break gets caught again.

Thus far, we've ID-ed

Bauke Mollema - Rabobank
Danilo Wyss - BMC
Jackson Stewart - BMC
Julien Belgy - Bouygues Telecom
Bryce Mead - Jelly Belly
Edward King - Bissell
Roman Kilun - Health Ne
Dominique Rollin - Toyota - United

The eight men in the break are working on extending their lead. The Astana team is at the front of the field.

And their relative positions on GC:

25. Iker Camano Ortuzar (Sp), Saunier Duval, 4:47
26. George Hincapie (USA), Team High Road, 7:27
45. Bauke Mollema* (Nl), Rabobank, 12:17

47. Julien Belgy (F), Bouygues Telecom
62. Dominique Rollin (CAN), Toyota-United, 24:29
64. Edward King (USA), Bissell Pro Cycling
82. Jackson Stewart (USA), BMC
98. Danilo Wyss* (Swi), BMC, 29:59
113. Jonathan Hivert* (F), Credit Agricole, 35:41
116. Bryce Mead (USA), Jelly Belly, 36:21
118. Roman Kilun (USA), Health Net Maxxis, 36:49





Our mistake, by the way... there are no time bonuses at all being awarded at sprints or at the finish today.

The gap is now at 45 seconds.

Are filling the gap, which means that the men in the break have upped their lead to a minute.

We originally had Tom Danielson in the break, but he never managed to bridge. Unofficial reports have him fading back and then just blowing up... race radio reports he's quit the race. Talk about blowing your wad. He used up all of his reserves and then had nothing left.

The leaders are now 1:30 ahead of the field. They are closing in on the sprint mark. Rollin is the only rider with an interest in scoring points today. Take a look at the points standings as of this morning:

Points after stage 3
1. Heinrich Haussler (G), Gerolsteiner, 22 Pts.

2. Juan Jose Haedo (ARG), CSC, 21 Pts.

3. Gerald Ciolek* (G), Team High Road, 18 Pts.

4. Tom Boonen (B), Quickstep, 15 Pts.

5. Robert Gesink* (Nl), Rabobank, 15 Pts.

6. Jackson Stewart (USA), BMC, 15 Pts.

7. Mark Cavendish* (GB), Team High Road, 13 Pts.

8. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Astana, 12 Pts.

9. Mario Cipollini (I), Rock Racing, 11 Pts.

10. Dominique Rollin (CAN), Toyota-United, 11 Pts.

Keep in mind that Haussler has pulled out, so if he scores top points at each of two sprint marks, he'd head tot he finish tied with JJ Haedo for the points lead.

Rollin grabs the top spot in the sprint.

With Jackson Stewart in the break, we may see the BMC team trade the climber's jersey again today:

K.O.M. after stage 3
1. Scott Nydam (USA), BMC, 24 Pts
2. Robert Gesink* (Nl), Rabobank, 16 Pts
3. Jurgen Vandewalle (B), Quickstep, 15 Pts
4. Jackson Stewart (USA), BMC, 14 Pts
5. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Astana, 12 Pts
6. José Luis Rubiera Vigil (Sp), Astana, 12 Pts
7. Mauricio Alberto Ardila Cano (Col), Rabobank, 12 Pts
8. Alexandre Moos (Swi), BMC, 12 Pts
9. Christopher Horner (USA), Astana, 11 Pts.

is doing the work in the main field as the gap grows to 1:50. Our leaders are working their way up the first of the day's three Cat. 4 climbs.

Jonathan Sundt of Kelly Benefit Strategies has pulled out of the race. He began the day in 119th place (out of 120) at 37:19

While there was a little break in the weather half-an-hour ago, the rain has started up again.

At the front, the 11 leaders are nearing the summit of the KOM.

Nearing the top of the climb, the leaders have a 2:05 advantage over the main field.

take a quick gander at the picture of the car on the right of our live window. A close look will show the rear window is gone. That's because Kelly Benefit's Kevin Lacombe knocked the window out when he crashed into the back of the CSC team car, driven by director Bjarne Riis. Lacombe was taken to the hospital, but he's okay. We're not so sure about Riis' rental deposit.

Cresting the summit of the KOM, means the leaders have covered 30.8 miles. Only 104 to go!

at 2:00. The Astana team looks like it will do what it takes to keep the gap within reasonable levels.

photographer Casey Gibson standing at the side of the road. With the rain and that big mustache of his, it looks like he has drowned cat hanging on his lip.

coming down a bit. The latest time check gives the 11 escapees an advantage of 1:38.

is still coming down and reports suggest that it will continue for much of the day, perhaps all the way to the finish... nonetheless, Chris Horner is still smiling. He's either really tough, or just a little crazy... maybe both.

The road is now wet enough to create that rooster-tail effect, with riders in the back of the field getting a steady spray of water off of the rear wheels of the rider in front of them.

is keeping things under control. At this point, the leash is just around 2:00. It yo-yos a little, but the gap is really staying steady between 1:40 and 2:10.

Alessandro Petacchi (Milram) made it three in a row while Pablo Lastras (Caisse d’Epargne) wrapped up the overall title at the 54th Vuelta a Andalucía-Ruta de Sol.

The 154.6km fifth and final stage from Antequera to Córdoba ended just as both protagonists could have hoped. The 34-year-old “AleJet” made easy work of Denis Flahaut (Saunier Duval) and Sebastian Siedler (Skil Shimano) while Lastras finished safely in the pack to secure the top spot on the podium.

Matthew Crane (USA), Health Net Maxxis has pulled out of the race.

Getting a jacket from his Toyota-United team car... a very cool Prius.

has slowed again, but it's windy and chilly.

is now at 2:15. The leaders are at 43 miles.

are at the 45-mile mark and working well together. The 11 men up front are sharing the work and have bumped their advantage to 2:55.

The pace up front has proven to be a tad much for Julien Belgy (Bouygues Telecom ). He's drifting back to the main field. The peloton is still under the command of Astana. The gap is 2:45.

is now at 3:30. The 10 men up front are still dangerous enough for Astana not to keep tabs on this one.

are still wet, but the rain has eased up again. The gap is holding at 3:15. Meanwhile, Julien Belgy, who was in the break, has pulled out of the race completely.

is still working at the front of the field. The gap is now less than three minutes, at 2:50.

are drying up. The rain has stopped and we're seeing clouds clearing a bit.

the gap is back over 3:00 and the Astana crew continues to carefully monitor the gap. The weather is clearing up.

Ivan Dominguez has abandon the race. There are a lot of folks puling out of this one today.

The feedzone is at 61 miles and the main field is at the 57-mile mark right now.

I love technology as much - if not more - than the next guy, but race radios sure do take some of the fun out of this sport. The Astana team has full knowledge of precisely where these guys are, because of radios and GPS. Certainly the steady gap over the past 40 miles is proof of that.

is at 3:05. Dynamic, eh folks?

Does anyone know what that big yellow thing up in the sky is? What ever it is, it's peeking out through the clouds.

one of the slowest wheel changes we've seen in a long time. Poor Hivert (Credit Agricole) stayed cool, but he's now forced to chase his way back into the break.

in the break.

at the front. Up front, Hincapie and crew are holding a 3:00 lead.

the leaders are done with lunch and the peloton is now coming through to grab a bite. We have a loooooong way to go today, with another 70 miles to go to the finish in San Luis Obispo.

the peloton has slowed as many in the field are taking a quick nature break... while others are loading up with food and putting their jackets away.

is just around 4:00. The rain has started again. Variable conditions today. Meanwhile, we'll try to answer questions if you have any. Just hit the "Contact Our Editors" button, which will send a note directly to my mail box.

the next KOM at 70 miles. Stewart is likely to be the man to score top points, since it will do little good for anyone else in the break to take them.

Reader Evan F. asks

"Why are the members of the Rock Republic Team that are not racing allowed to still be involved in the race?"

They really aren't involved in the race. Tyler Hamilton, Oscar Sevilla and Santiago Botero have been hanging around at the race start - wearing their team kits - but they don't have passes or credentials. They are basically in the same position as anyone else out there, riding the roads until the highway patrol tells them they can't anymore ... which is what happened yesterday. They were told to pull off the road by the CHP and had to wait until the peloton passed.

are closing in on the top of the KOM.

On reader asked about the roads here. The race is coursing its way down Highway 1 — the Pacific Coast Highway - which is a beautiful road that hugs the coast and rarely has a flat stretch. It's mostly rolling until the race closes in on San Luis Obispo.

Stewart, meanwhile, has snagged top points.

Bradley K. asks:

"It seems like a lot of racers are bailing on this one. Why is that? Or is it really not that many?"

The weather is only a small factor. The main reason is a crud making the rounds in the little community surrounding the race. The fact that everyone eats in the same room, stays in the same hotel and interacts in a relatively closed community turns the entire peloton into a giant rolling petri dish. A couple of teams have opted to stay away from the communal meals and are eating dinner at local restaurants.

has started again. Up front, the gap is down to 3:20. The men up there are really sharing the load. There are no wheel-suckers in that group. It will be many, many miles before we see anyone trying to scamper off from this group. Of the men in the break, you can't count out George Hincapie, but keep in mind that Saunier Duval's Iker Camano Ortuzar is the best-placed at 4:47 out of first.

Don't forget to hit the "Enter to Win" tab next to the Live Update window. You can win great prizes during the Tour of California, like a new pair of Specialized Miura sunglasses or a Roval Rapide Star Carbon clincher wheelset.

The final KOM was won by Jackson Stewart, who has now racked up 12 points today. The KOM jersey remains in the hands of the BMC team. They sure deserve it, folks. They've had a rider in the break every day.

Gavin M.

"Hey Guys,

Is the Astana (No TDF or other big races) decision final?"

No decision is final, but it sure would take a lot to convince ASO to change its position. Recall that team High Road was not invited to this year's Giro and that decision was subsequently reversed. Who knows?

A lot could depend on the status of the Puerto investigation. Word today is that investigators are giving more documents to the Spanish Cycling Federation today. If any of those include evidence against Alberto Contador - or anyone else on that team - you can start betting on the exclusion decision being permanent.

Joachim W. writes:

"Great race coverage. Thank you for keeping us informed. However I am interested to know what AEG/ Amgen and other associates to the ToC are doing to eliminate the littering by the racers during the feed zones. Plastic bags, drink containers, discarded food and drink items are thrown down cliffs and into ditches. Is there a garbage truck following these guys?"

They don't but they do have fans, who hang around the feedzone like vultures. We've rarely seen much of the mess stick around too long.

Up front, the gap is shrinking and is now at the sub-3:00 point.

are taking a toll on the break. The gap is down to two minutes. Astana is doing all of the work in the chase, of course.

Chris J. asks

"Was Levi's jersey yesterday the Astana version of the Stars & Stripes? "

Yup, he is the U.S. Pro road champion and not only has the right, but the duty, to wear the national champion's jersey. We're not, however, sure who designed the thing.

Thomas K. writes:

"Thanks for the great race coverage. This may sound way too early, since we're still in the 2008 version, but are there any plans for 2009 Amgen tour of california, start city, mountaintop finish, etc?"

There is nothing formal. The Tour route will be revealed later in the year; in November, we believe.

There has been a lot of discussion of trying to include a mountain-top finish, but we heard the same discussion last year, too.

We have 10 riders off the front of the field.

25. Iker Camano Ortuzar (Sp), Saunier Duval, 4:47
26. George Hincapie (USA), Team High Road, 7:27
45. Bauke Mollema* (Nl), Rabobank, 12:17
62. Dominique Rollin (CAN), Toyota-United, 24:29
64. Edward King (USA), Bissell Pro Cycling
82. Jackson Stewart (USA), BMC
98. Danilo Wyss* (Swi), BMC, 29:59
113. Jonathan Hivert* (F), Credit Agricole, 35:41
116. Bryce Mead (USA), Jelly Belly, 36:21
118. Roman Kilun (USA), Health Net Maxxis, 36:49

They have covered 76 miles and have another 59 miles to go. They currently have just a two-minute advantage over a peloton led solely by the Astana team of race leader Levi Leipheimer.

It is raining at the finish in San Luis Obispo again.

After the rolling terrain of the opening miles, the road ahead is largely flat. The wind, however, is presenting problems for the field. It's a steady head/crosswind today and it is taking its toll on everyone. There is some rolling terrain ahead, especially near the finish in San Luis Obispo... but it probably isn't enough to really shatter the field, although we may see CSC ramp things up as the peloton closes in on the finish.

John W asks:

"Is there any support in the pro tour teams to boycott the TDF over the Astana exclusion?"

We haven't seen much of a protest. Teams that are invited have a huge investment in getting to the Tour and we really doubt that we'd see anyone foregoing the opportunity to race in the world's biggest sporting event to make a point. We've certainly heard some object to the decision - as well as a few who support it - but we've not heard of anyone backing out in protest.

Randy L asks:

"Is it possible Levi could change teams to be able to ride in the tour?"

He certainly hasn't indicated a desire to switch teams. It would require an agreement from Astana for him to switch squads at this point, but he hasn't expressed anything publicly to suggest that he is considering that option... yet.

The gap is now back out to 3:00. The men in the break are working together on the flats. Astana is still doing full chase duty and - believe it or not - Chris Horner is STILL smiling.

I know it's late for those who missed it, but last night's total lunar eclipse was spectacular... several of us even saw it, despite the cloud cover.

We spoke with Kelly Team doc - and VeloNews contributor - Dawn Richardson about the illness making its way through the peloton. She says:

"Regarding the rolling petri dish, team docs Eric Heiden, Michael Roshon and I have distributed Purell to each rider and they are using it after they touch the food handles and before they start eating. This quarantined the virus to just one rider and one soigneur on my team. It's a very nasty bug.

"All the caboose riders Monday and Tuesday were sick with it. The team docs are working hard with each other to help each other take care of the riders. We are sharing scarce medication with each other and giving medication to sick mechanics and soignuers near each other's pits. Medical support has been fantastically accomodating."

Gary C writes:

"Following the race at work from Toronto, Canada! What do the asterisks mean beside the names of some of the riders in in the break?"

Those are riders eliglible for the best young rider competition, which is now led by yesterday's stage winner, Robert Gesink (Rabobank).

is now up to 4:00. The men off the front are still sharing the load equally. The still have 52 miles ahead, though.

Chris P. writes:

"Always a best young rider division. How about a best old rider? Go Cipo!!"

Hey, we're old enough to appreciate that idea. Cipo' would certainly have a lock on the over-40 division. The HP Women's Classic in Idaho used to actually honor the over-35s with a jersey... and Linda Jackson and Jeannie Longo usually were fighting it out for that honor as well as the overall.

the antler dufus. We have spotted the Big Hair Superfan (www.BigHairSuperfan.com) and the Specialized Angel, but we've managed to miss the fellow with the football helmet and elk antlers. Our loss, eh?

has come down a bit. The 10 men off the front have 47 miles remaining and their advantage has drifted back down to the sub-3:00 level.

Mike Creed Sr. writes in:

"I don't know if Michael Creed is still hanging in there today, difficult to tell on the live feed.

He didn't know if he was going to event start Monday after being hit with the stomach bug early in the week.

So far he was hanging on even if he is DFL overall.

He is determined to finish despite advise from the Race Doctor to abandon on Tuesday

His sense of humor is still intact ... he said this morning he had steadily moved up from 132 to 120 but still Launte Rouge !!

If he hangs on he may jump another 20 places.

If he makes it to the TT tomorrow at least he gets to start first."

Thank you, Mike. We haven't heard that he has pulled out, so we're hoping he makes it to the finish today. We'll make note of it if we hear anything.

My fellow Wyomingite, Jennifer Mc, asks about the forecast for tomorrow's TT.

According to the National Weather Service, conditions in Solvang for tomorrow are marginal. It's raining there right now.

Tomorrow it should be partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers. Highs in the 50s. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph shifting to the northwest in the afternoon.

the 10 men off the front continue to work and are holding an advantage of 2:50.

No matter what happens with today's break, Jackson Stewart is on track to take over the climber's jersey, if he makes it to the finish in San Luis Obispo.

KOM, after stage 4
1. Jackson Stewart (USA), BMC, 26 Pts.
2. Scott Nydam (USA), BMC, 24 Pts.
3. Robert Gesink* (Nl), Rabobank, 16 Pts.
4. Jurgen Vandewalle (B), Quickstep, 15 Pts.
5. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Astana, 12 Pts.

puts the leaders 2:30 ahead of the main field. They have 40 miles to go. We can expect the dynamic to change as the finish approaches. Astana is keeping tight rein on these guys. The leash is pretty short.

The rain is really picking up out on the road again. With a sharp, right-hand turn just 190 meters from the finish, we could see some riders taking a risk out there. The finish was ideal last year, as things warmed up in SLO quite nicely over the afternoon, but we're not sure if that will happen again this time around. If it does, it may need to happen soon.

the Astana crew continues to lead the chase, with CSC still holding the second spot in the peloton. The latest time check puts the leaders at 2:35.

The lead group has been cut to seven. We see Hincapie in there and will get you an update on who slipped off. It looks like Stewart has fallen off the pace. The leaders have an advantage of just 1:50.

Race Radio reports that Jackson Stewart has pulled out of the race and is being treated for hypothermia. It's cold out there and Stewart's condition shows that.

The Astana team is still at the front, driving the chase. Word is that Leipheimer has been dropping back to the team car for hot tea. That reminds us of the first Boulder to Breckenridge race in Colorado. Scott Moninger was leading and we were following in the Mercury team car with director John Wordin. Moninger asked for hot tea... and Wordin scrambled to find some on the route. When he finally got a bottle of hot tea and handed it out the window, Moninger promptly poured it all over his legs, handed the bottle back and said "Thanks... that helped."

the survivors of the break continue to work together. We're guessing that they need to keep riding just to stay warm. The gap is inching up again and is now at 2:10.

The roads are wet and no one looks too happy to be out there. Astana has been setting tempo in the peloton. They've been putting in chase duties all day. It's a burden of protecting the leader's jersey.

is holding at 2:35. Talk about precision folks. This gap has never gone beyond 4:00 and not really dropped below 1:50 since the break formed. Our leaders have 26 miles remaining... we may see the pace pick up, in a manner akin to horses picking up the pace when they realize they're closing in on the barn. These guys look miserable out there. The faster they go, the faster this will be over.

John K. wrote in to question our recent entry that "no one looks happy to be out there."

"You mean even Horner has lost his characteristic grin?" he asks.

Well, no. Indeed, in Horner's case we believe the grin has frozen in place today.

Word from the route is that Burke Swindlehurst (Bissell) has pulled out.

It looks like the leaders are getting a bit of relief from the rain. It's easing up where they are, but it's still raining in SLO.

The leaders are now 2:15. Jelly Belly's Bryce Mead has slipped off of the back of the lead group. They are now down to six.

In the lead group we still see

George Hincapie (High Road)
Dominique Rollin (Toyota)
Edward King (Bissell)
Bauke Mollema (Rabobank)
Iker Camano Ortuzar (Saunier Duval)
Danilo Wyss (BMC)
Roman Kilun (Health Net)

NOAA conditions in San Luis Obsipo at 4:15 PST: 51 degrees, light rain/mist. Winds are from the ESE at 9 mph

to go the Astanas are still leading the peloton. Bryce Meade has been swept up by the main field. The gap is 2:00.

The riders have reached the 6:08:00 point and they still have a ways to go. Astana is not getting any help. If the sprinters' teams want to see a mass scramble to the line, they may have to throw a few guys in there.

in the main field is 41-year-old Mario Cipollini. Apparently he's not suffering from the crud... can he score a win today? I sure wouldn't bet against him.

The wind is picking up and the field is forming into echelons.

We missed seeing Roman Kilun when we tallied the lead group. There are seven men up front.

George Hincapie (High Road)
Dominique Rollin (Toyota)
Edward King (Bissell)
Bauke Mollema (Rabobank)
Iker Camano Ortuzar (Saunier Duval)
Danilo Wyss (BMC)
Roman Kilun (Health Net)

is down to 1:50. Astana is still not getting any help.

Up front, we have
George Hincapie (High Road)
Dominique Rollin (Toyota)
Edward King (Bissell)
Bauke Mollema (Rabobank)
Iker Camano Ortuzar (Saunier Duval)
Danilo Wyss (BMC)
Roman Kilun (Health Net)

at 1:50. The Astanas seem content to let this one go, as long as the gap is manageable.

None of the sprinters' teams seem interested in putting anyone up there. Perhaps they're all just thinking of warm showers. We have the leaders at around 15.5 miles from the finish line.

is still strong, but the rain has stopped and the roads look dry.

is at 2:00. We may see a bit of jockeying in the front group as the finish approaches.

is breaking up. We have an attack by Dominique Rollin (Toyota United) and he has a nice gap.

It looks like Hincapie and Saunier Duval's Iker Camano Ortuzar are giving chase.

has pulled out of the break. Back in the pack, Leipheimer is signalling his team to ease up. None of the men up front are a GC threat at this point, so he could give a hoot about what's happening up the road.

With Rollin powering off on his own. He is 2:50 ahead of the main field, with George Hincapie and Iker Camano Ortuzar giving chase at about 20 seconds. Those two represent some serious horsepower.

(sorry)

Dominique Rollin has 20 seconds on Hincapie and Camano. He has about 10 miles to go. Keep in mind that Hincapie's team is now based in San Luis Obispo. He may be especially hungry for a win.

The sky is clearing up and we even see a rainbow.

is now taking over at the front of the peloton. Is it a decision prompted by a desire to give JJ Haedo extra sprinter's points?

is currently tied on points with Haedo. CSC may be as worried about keeping Haedo in the points race as they are hunting for a stage win.

The gap to Rollin is almost four minutes at this point, so with only 8 miles left, it may be hard to pull him in. He is holding a 30-second lead on Hincapie and Iker Camano Ortuzar.

And just for entertainment value, the rain has started again.

This guy is no slouch:
Canadian road champion 2006
three stage wins, 2007 FBD Insurance Ras
3rd overall, 2007 Tour of Missouri

While Rollin has good legs, he's getting good advice from the Toyota-United brain trust, Len Pettyjohn and Scott Moninger. Those boys know the sport, folks.

is holding his own. He is holding a 20-second lead on his two closest pursuers. The CSC boys are really putting in a big effort. Rollin has less than 10k to go.

on seven hours in the saddle folks. By any definition, this is the longest stage in the history of the Tour of California.

The peloton is being driven by CSC, with 8km to go. We're looking for time splits, too.

is looking good. He's holding off his two closest pursuers and the CSC-led peloton. Our latest time checks give him 15 seconds on George Hincapie and Iker Camano Ortuzar and nearly 3:00 on the main field.

Rollin is powering to the finish. He won't be caught by the main field, but he still has to fend off the efforts of George Hincapie and Iker Camano Ortuzar. Those two are 15 seconds back

Riding through the final kilometers of a bike race with George Hincapie and Iker Camano Ortuzar on your rear end?

Rollin is holding his own. He may pull it off, but he has Hincapie and Camano on his tail.

Dominque Rollin wins it with a well-timed attack!

come through at 19 seconds.

grabs 15 points in the green jersey race.

It looks like Gerald Ciolek (High Road) may have nabbed fourth. Everyone is interested in a warm shower more than they are in the points race.

is the new points leader. Levi Leipheimer is secure in the yellow jersey.

It's been a long and interesting stage folks. Please check back for a stage report and other features from the VeloNews crew.

As always, we're grateful that you chose VeloNews.com for your up-to-the-minute reports from this, the fourth stage of the 2008 Amgen Tour of California.

Be sure to check in tomorrow for live reports from the stage 5 time trial in Solvang.