THIS WEEK IN PRO CYCLING »

Get the VeloNews Email Newsletter FREE

  Learn More | Archive
Home » Top Stories » Road » Amgen Tour of California

Cancellara wins the Sacramento prologue of the 2009 Amgen Tour of California

Leipheimer, Zabriskie follow Olympic TT champ onto podium

Published: Feb. 14, 2009
2009 ATOC, prologue: Cancellara crushed.
2009 ATOC, prologue: Cancellara crushed.
Photo: Casey B. Gibson

George Hincapie described the scene at the Amgen Tour of California prologue in Sacramento Saturday, saying only Tour de France crowds could compare. And those crowds were treated to a Tour de France-caliber show, with Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) blazing the downtown 3.9km course with a winning time of 4:32.

Defending race champion Levi Leipheimer (Astana) turned in the second best time of the day with 4:34, with U.S. time trial champion David Zabriskie rounding out the podium in 4:35.

2009 Amgen Tour of California
Prologue, Sacramento, 3.9km (2.4 miles)

Winner: Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) won in 4:32.91, taking the stage win and the Amgen race leader's jersey.
Winner's average speed: 51.62 kph (32.1 mph)
Rabobank Best Young Rider: Mark Cavendish (Columbia-Highroad)
Best Team: Columbia-Highroad
Herbalife Sprint Leader: Levi Leipheimer
Amgen Couragous Award: Lance Armstrong
California King of the Mountains Leader: Not awarded
Peloton: All 136 riders finished. There were no penalities, but Garmin's Thomas Peterson missed his start and was timed from his scheduled start, putting him in last place with a 6:35
Up next: Stage 1 is 108 miles from Davis to Santa Rosa

“I’m for sure happy,” said Cancellara, who also won the prologue last year. “This is a beautiful race, I love to come every year. With this crowd, it gave me the final motivation to win.”

2009 ATOC, prologue: Leipheimer — lickety-split
2009 ATOC, prologue: Leipheimer — lickety-split
Photo: Casey B. Gibson

Nearly all of the big names came at the end of the day, and all drew huge cheers from the crowd of thousands packed around the blustery course. But the Lance Factor trumped all. In his first race back on U.S. soil, Armstrong generated thundering noise all around the course. He finished the day in 10th, with a time of 4:37.

Floyd Landis, riding his first major race in two years, left the start house before Leipheimer, the last man out. Landis finished 90th, at 4:53. Two years out of competition, many questions surrounded the American, including how his form would be, and how his legs would perform with his prosthetic hip.

“Today felt great,” Landis said. “I’m really happy about how good my hip feels. Testing the BHR at the highest level of competition, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Two-time California winner Leipheimer reported his satisfaction in finishing right behind the big Swiss rider on a short course on such a blustery day.

“The crowd was awesome — bigger and better every year,” Leipheimer said. “Of course Fabian is really tough to beat, especially in a prologue. To be just two seconds behind that, I’m really happy with that. Really it’s the perfect situation. I definitely have the form to compete for the win. That’s not to say I can win. The competition is extremely good. A lot can happen in the next eight days.”

Related Video: VeloNews.tv

Cancellara declined to say what goals his Saxo Bank squad would pursue over the next eight days. “We are going to decide tomorrow morning, when we do our tactic,” he said. “We have the possibility to go for the overall, but we also have the possibility to go for sprints with JJ Haedo.”

Where it all began: the start ramp in Sacramento.
Where it all began: the start ramp in Sacramento.
Photo: Neal Rogers

Team Columbia-Highroad started the Amgen Tour strong. Michael Rogers finished just off the podium in 4:35, with George Hincapie in sixth, just behind Cervélo TestTeam’s Thor Hushovd, who for a while held the lead. Hincapie banged his bars in frustration after crossing the line in 4:36 – then the second-best time. The irritation wasn’t just at the close miss – his rear tire had started to go flat during the short event.

Columbia held the top of the leaderboard for most of the day as Australian Mark Renshaw set a solid mark of 4:36, and his teammate Mark Cavendish one second behind.

With a field sprint a likely conclusion of stage 1 — and plenty of bonus seconds available — Cavendish isn’t the only fast finisher with a shot at the leader’s jersey Sunday. Quick Step’s star Tom Boonen turned a great time of 4:36, slotting into 7th on the day.

Garmin-Slipstream’s Svein Tuft also laid down a good ride of 4:37, putting him in 9th.

Looking toward the Tour of California’s finish in Escondido in a week, common wisdom says the winner must demonstrate not only good time trialing — which the podium finishers obviously showed today — but good climbing legs as well. Cancellara said he didn’t know how well he was climbing, but he did say that legs alone will not win the race.

“With eight days still to do, it’s a lot, it’s long,” he said. “We have to do good tactics, because in the end that’s what I think will decide the race.”
Email Ben Delaney

Related

Photo Gallery