Showing the poise of a veteran, Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) survived a flat tire with less than ten kilometers to race and then sprinted to an easy stage one win in the Tour of California. Sagan overpowered Heinrich Haussler (Garmin-Barracuda) and Fred Rodriguez (Team Exergy) in Santa Rosa to take the first leader’s jersey.
The Slovak used power, serenity and the help of a couple team-mates to get back into the peloton with five kilometers to race. He quickly hit the front of the bunch, and as a result, was able to avoid a crash involving Michael Matthews (Rabobank) and a team-mate further back in the peloton.
Even with the extra energy expended in the chase, Sagan made quick work of Haussler and Rodriguez in the final straight, as the latter two finished second and third respectively.
“It was a confusing sprint because it was a small field,” Sagan told reporters afterward. “With 10 kilometers to go I flatted, but I knew there was time to get back in. Thanks to the work of my teammates I didn't panic, and we were able to get back on easily. Thanks to Daniel Oss, he piloted me to the finish and I was able to win.”
Under partly cloudy skies, the race got underway in Santa Rosa, with a 186-kilometer day scheduled that would finish back in town.
It was less than ten kilometers into the race when the day’s main breakaway formed. Maxime Bouet (Ag2R-La Mondiale), Jeffry Louder (UnitedHealthcare), David Boily (Spidertech-C10), Andrew Dahlheim and Ben Jacques-Maynes (Bissell Cycling), Sebastian Salas (Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies), Josh Atkins (Bontrager-Livestrong Team) and Sam Johnson (Team Exergy) were quick to ride away, with the move sprung by Bouet, and the peloton was content to let them fly.
Just 25 kilometers into the day, the gap had ballooned to over six minutes. With no prologue to decide the first leader’s jersey, the undulating course would provide the show, with a flat finish to suit the fast men.
After a sprint point, the bunch swung back into Santa Rosa to start the big loop that would feature for the second half of the stage. Alexandre Geniez (Argos-Shimano) accelerated off the front of the peloton, but would be faced with a nearly 10-minute gap to the break, and he initially appeared keen on doing that work himself. Less than ten kilometers later, common sense prevailed, and Geniez retreated to the peloton.
In the break, Boily took the first two rated climbs of the day. For much of the race, the peloton left the breakaway in limbo, more than four minutes off the front. For a while, it appeared that the break would control the day, and that the peloton would have no choice but to sprint for the minor placings.
But Radioshack-Nissan finally decided to take control, most notably with Jens Voigt, who promptly began drilling the peloton into shape with his familiar style. At the front of the escapees, Louder took his second of two sprint points of the day. The peloton continued to pick up the pace under the impetus of Garmin-Barracuda and Radioshack-Nissan.
With 35 kilometers to race, the gap to the eight out front began to drop with rapidity and the peloton was strung out as riders struggled to hang on behind. Garmin-Barracuda kept the pace high with captain Tom Danielson vigilant near the front. As the peloton reached the base of the final big climb of the day, the gap to the break was down under three minutes.
Danielson had his team continue to work up the climb, and sprinters tailed off the back with regularity. Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano) and Robbie McEwen (GreenEdge) formed a temporary partnership, with the singular goal of surviving the climb and reattaching to the peloton before the finish in Santa Rosa.
Up front, Boily secured the first mountains jersey of the race and took maximum points. Rabobank came to the front of the bunch as it became clear that Michael Matthews was on a good day. The bunch was in shreds by now, down to about forty in the primary chase.
Louder was the first to break the harmony in the escape, as he made a brief bid to get away when it became clear that his lead group was likely doomed. He was soon reeled in, but another set of rollers broke up the tiring breakaway for good. Boily was the first to unhitch, content with his mountains jersey. With 21 kilometers to race, the gap was just north of a minute.
The three strongest of the group made the final bid to upset the apple cart for the sprinters. Louder, Jacques-Maynes, and Bouet formed a solid trio and set to work on the final fifteen kilometers. They held a minute’s gap before the peloton received some reinforcements from behind as riders dropped on the climb were able to rejoin.
The two groups caught sight of each other for the first time on a long, straight boulevard, and under the ten-kilometer banner, the gap was down to 30 seconds. As the speed picked up, an uneventful day turned the opposite. With Rabobank and Orica-GreenEdge sharing the work at the front of the peloton, Sagan suffered a rear flat. The Liquigas-Cannondale team car was quick to respond, but for whatever reason, the team mechanic was not as quick, and a 20-second tire change put Sagan at a severe disadvantage.
The Slovak remained calm though, and began a chase back to the bunch with seven kilometers to go. He eventually joined forces with two team-mates sent back to help, and two kilometers later, Sagan was moving back toward the front of the bunch, which had by this time reeled in the breakaway trio.
Just as Sagan had reached his desired spot near the head of affairs, Matthews touched wheels with a rider to his left, sending him careening into Ted King (Liquigas-Cannondale) on his right. Both were sent sprawling, and at least five others either went down or were held up behind, including Nicolas Roche (Ag2R-La Mondiale) and two of his team-mates.
With Matthews out of the picture and all of Rabobank’s work for naught, Orica-GreenEdge began lining up their train. But Sagan only needed trusty team-mate Daniel Oss, who took over as the Australian team’s lead out stalled. Oss sprung Sagan with 300 meters to race, and neither Haussler nor Rodriguez (Exergy) could come around.
Leigh Howard was fourth for Orica-GreenEdge, and Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing) was fifth.