Tour of California in photos

Van Garderen took the overall lead after stage 5; a stage that was won by Jens Voigt (Radioshack-Leopard) who put in a late attack from the breakaway he helped create. The 24-year-old van Garderen went on to win the stage 6 ITT and held on to his overall lead on the final two stages to win his first ever stage race.

The win bodes well for BMC’s fortunes at the upcoming Tour de France with Cadel Evans also proving he’s in good form. But will BMC ride for Evans or for van Garderen? And is van Garderen good enough to win the Tour de France? He was fifth overall last year (and 1st in the best young rider classification) and he seems to have improved since then (he was 5th in the Tour of California last year).

Van Garderen himself told reporters after the final stage:

“There’s a big difference between being up there and winning,” he said. “I think I’ve finally showed I have the full package, having the patience and maturity.”

So what do you think? Could van Garderen win the Tour de France if BMC were to ride for him? While you’re pondering that, check out this gallery of terrific shots from photographer Wil Matthews from the Tour of California.

: Cannondale mechanic Win Allen positions the number placard on Peter Sagan’s primary race bike on the eve of the first stage.

: Peter Sagan, before the start of stage 1. The personable star’s popularity continues to soar with fans whether he wins or not.

: The peloton descends one of the many hills in the Antelope Valley area outside Los Angeles.

: The Vacansoleil-DCM team leads race-leader Lieuwe Westra through searing southern California heat on stage 2.

: California race fans continue to push the envelope on roadside enthusiasm.

: Jonathan Cantwell starts out on a replacement bike following a crash which also saw Tejay van Garderen, Phillipe Gilbert, and Timothy Duggan hit the deck. Cantwell abandoned the race two stages later as the road rash set in.

: The peloton begins a journey over the San Gabriel mountains en route to Palm Springs.

: California’s interior valleys provided terrain ranging from high mountains and meadows to barren desert.

: Francisco Mancebo sobs following his completion of stage two, an exhausting mountain finish in heat exceeding 38 degrees celsius.

: David De La Cruz is assisted after the stage 2 finish that saw riders competing in 44-degree heat en route to a mountain-top finish. Two riders were transported to local hospitals following the stage for heatstroke, sparking debate over what should be done with the race in extreme conditions.

: Antler Fan finds the peloton in hills outside Palmdale.

: World Champion Philippe Gilbert pursues a breakaway attempt, an example of the riding that led the BMC team to win the overall team classification. Gilbert withdrew the next day to attend the birth of his child.

: The peloton passes by Lake Castic in stage 3 on the way from Palmdale to Santa Clarita.

: Lucas Euser mows down a burrito and a liter of Pedialyte following the third consecutive day of hot and windy weather.

: Jesse Anthony attempts to stay hydrated on the hot and windy third stage.

: Michael Rogers (right), 2010 winner of the Tour of California, awaits the start of stage 4 with his Saxo-Tinkoff teammates.

: The peloton rides away from the hills of Santa Clarita en route to Santa Barbara.

: Team soigneurs position themselves in the feed zone in preparation for the peloton’s arrival.

: Jacob Rathe after stage 4 in which he helped teammate Tyler Farrar to a sprint victory.

: The peloton travels down a palm tree-lined road en route to Santa Barbara.

: Big Hair Superfan hollers to the racers outside Santa Barbara. Many of the race fan’s alternate identities have become fixtures of the race, from Big Hair Superfan to the Antler fan to the faux Pope.

: Tejay van Garderen’s reaction upon climbing the podium to collect the race leader’s jersey. His reaction showed just how much the young rider had been wanting this moment.

: Because of a 200-mile transfer, the BMC Racing Team mechanics spent a late night preparing the TT bikes in San Jose. Many teams were not finished with time trial preparation until midnight.

: Tejay van Garderen makes the first pedal strokes in his winning time trial ride.

: By the halfway point in the time trial, Tejay van Garderen had a nearly 30 second advantage on Michael Rogers, second in overall race standings.

: The peloton is strung out single file on the Mount Diablo climb.

: Leopold Konig solos in for the stage win atop Mount Diablo following a series of attacks on the lower slopes of the mountain.

: Tejay van Garderen, photographed in Livermore, CA.

: The peloton crests Patterson Pass in Livermore, CA, the second of three KOM points on the queen stage.

: Riders cool off after the summit finish on Mount Diablo, a twelve-mile climb known for its hot weather and steep pitches.

: On the final stage Highway 101 was closed to vehicle traffic as the riders made their way through the tunnel into Marin County.

: The final day’s stage offered steep climbs along the Pacific Ocean, but was largely ceremonial.

: The final stage began with a backdrop of the Golden Gate Bridge.

: The Golden Gate Bridge has been closed for only four special events in the last three decades, twice for the Amgen Tour of California and twice for the bridge’s anniversary party.

: Tejay van Garderen and the BMC team were not tested on the final stage into Santa Rosa.

: Tejay van Garderen’s victory at the Amgen Tour of California will be remembered as his breakthrough win.

jules

he’s not shown he’s at the level of froome, wiggo or contador. mick rogers is no slouch but it’s a different race. i reckon BMC should keep them both as protected riders in the Tour at least until they reach the mountains. CSC did well with that with Sastre and the Schlecks in 2008 – why can’t it work for BMC?
- Brad Priest
  
  Agree. Riis liked to have a captain and an alternative, and a good strategy. BMC should go in with Cadel as leader and TJ likely alternative aka Wiggo & Froome. – 1. It keeps the captain on his toes. 2. You never know what can happen in the tour.
  - The Potato Man
    
    I also agree. One ill timed touch of wheels or flat tyre and months of speculation becomes a moot point. Having 2 GC threats is a tactical advantage. Even if one is down a couple of minutes, rival teams will still have to respond if he decides to blow the race apart giving his team leader an easier ride and fresher legs on subsequent stages.
PeterC

Could TJ win the TdF if BMC rode for him? In a word, no. He has one GC win in his career – beating a bunch of domestic riders and two Aussies returning from surgery and BMC brought their A-team to support him (I saw an apt quote on the CN forums – BMC brought a gun to a knife fight).

If TJ were on the Sky tour roster he would be the 4th best chance of riding for GC and I think that says it all as to whether he could win.

He may win a tour at some point, but it won’t be this year. With Cadel BMC can aim for the podium and they may well miss. With TJ they can’t even aim for it.
- Mr Bailey
  
  5th at last year’s tour and keep in mind he lost quite a bit of time waiting for Cadel, yet you think TJ can’t podium this year?
  
  BMC should go to the TDF with TJ as their leader. He’s American on a US team and the US want a new cycling star. It makes sense from a form/ability perspective as well as a business perspective. If BMC want to sell bikes they’ll go to the TDF with TJ.
  
  Anyway Cadel will be stuffed after the Giro.
Bogan Brouhaha

I agree PeterC
lefthandside

There is no such thing as a bad photo of Philippe Gilbert attacking up a steep hill, but this is a really great gallery. As an Australian I can empathise with the discomfort of riding in the scorching heat a bit more than the snow, to be honest – not sure which is worse (there’s a topic in itself)
Brad Priest

The BMC TM01’s are crazy!

Looks like TJ has been riding the same ‘unmarked’ SLR01 prototype Cadel has been riding in the Giro.

Great pics
Paolo

Compared to the gallery from the Giro, California looks like a pretty boring place to ride a bike around ( a bit warmer though).
- Dave Christenson
  
  Have ridden in both, lived in Italy for two years, at the foot of the Alps and lived in California for six years…both are amazing places to ride. You’re not seeing all that California has to offer in these photos. For example there is a two day stage race in the eastern Sierras that has 4,000+ meters climbing on each stage on six different climbs, three each day, and just about 160km each day and the peaks are all around 3,000-3,300 meters, plus absolutely amazing scenery. Not too many places on the planet like that I’d say. France and Italy are steeped in cycling history but the US has amazing roads and climbs so I’d suggest you head there to ride before you hate on California too much.
  - Paolo
    
    No hate here, strong conclusion to make from the use of word boring… I just prefer the landscape and smaller, winding roads of Italy. I did not compare stage km’s or climbing meters or any statistics, just the feeling i got from looking at a bunch of bike riders riding along highways through dry mountains compared to a bunch of bike riders riding through green hills or snowy mountains on small, winding roads. I won’t head to California any time soon, as there are many more places i like to see first, but thanks for the suggestion.
    - Dave Christenson
      
      Paolo,
      
      Obviously you’ve misunderstood my use of the word ‘hate’ here in the American slang sense, in this instance, meaning: “don’t be too critical”, I apologize that this flew completely over your head but I stand by what I said and suggest you not to judge the riding in California by a handful of photos, great ones at that in my opinion. It would be like me saying “the riding in Romania looks terrible” after seeing a few photos, when in reality I’ve no idea as I’ve never been there, I’m sure there’s great riding there by the way. Enjoy your riding wherever you travel to my friend, just don’t discount California as I’m sure you’d like it.
pmark1bike

Great photos.
Mountain Goat

Great pics, I’m seeing a bit of Blue Steel in the pout that TJ is rocking in the portrait shot.
Evans should be the leader, but always good for teams to have options. Winning the Tour of California is good, but it is nothing compared to placing in the Giro, or the step up to the TdF.
donncha

Nice win, but it’s nothing in comparison to Evans’ second or possibly first in the Giro. By doing so well in the Giro, Cadel has earned the right to the No.1 slot for the Tour with TJ in close support. If Cadel falters then it’s all for TJ.

Tour of California in photos

Tejay van Garderen, the next American TdF winner?

by CyclingTips

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