Tour of California (2016) Photos May 15 - 22

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The legs of World Champion, Peter Sagan. We'll see them again later.	Bradley Wiggins	The rollout from San Diego for Stage 1
Early break
Oscar CLARK (USA/HSD) won the cat 1 Honey Springs Rd KOM to win the first KOM Jersey	Katusha leading the chase
Michael Sheehan (Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis) won the intermediate sprint in the break	15:22:47 152247__BH15692.jpg	The three remaining break riders, Oscar Clark (Holowesko-Citadel), Jacob Rathe (Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis), Daniel Patten (Team WIGGINS)
Mark Cavendish in the peloton	Bradley Wiggins	The Stage 1 full flight sprint finish in San Diego
The Stage 1 sprint in full flight		Amazing freelance sprint by Peter SAGAN (TINKOFF), timing his sprint and bike throw perfectly to win ahead of 2nd Wouter WIPPERT (CANNONDALE) and 3rd Dylan GROENEWEGEN (LOTTO NL - JUMBO)
The overhead angle and margin of victory	Peter Sagan always brings it to the Tour of California
Your Stage 1 podum: 2nd Wouter WIPPERT (CANNONDALE), 1st Peter SAGAN (TINKOFF) and sullen looking Dylan GROENEWEGEN (LOTTO NL - JUMBO), 3rd

Stage 2:  South Pasadena → Santa Clarita, 148 km  Full Results and Report

The rollout from South Pasadena for Stage 2
		Lots of climbing on this stage with three cat 2s and a cat 1
Mark Cavendish was dropped	Stage 1 winner and Race leader, Peter Sagan
The break		13:45:25 134525__BH16519.jpg
14:03:03 140303_DSC_6067.jpg	Bradley Wiggins custom lace-up Giro shoes	Tinkoff leading the chase
Ben King leading the break
	Break blessing	Peloton blesssing
Peter Sagan	Down to three (U.S.) riders in the break, Evan HUFFMAN (RALLY CYCLING) with Ben KING (CANNONDALE) and William BARTA (AXEON HAGENS BERMAN)	BMC chasing
	William BARTA (AXEON HAGENS BERMAN) about to be dropped	Down to two riders in the final kms with the peloton blurry in the distance
The break survives in Santa Clarita by 8s with the peloton blurry in the distance; Benjamin KING (CANNONDALE) beats Evan HUFFMAN (RALLY CYCLING) in the two-up sprint		And Ben King is now the race leader by 8s
The sprint for 2nd	3rd Alexander KRISTOFF (KATUSHA) + 8s, 4th Peter SAGAN (TINKOFF), 5th Niccolo BONIFAZIO (TREK - SEGAFREDO), 6th Danny VAN POPPEL (SKY)	Your Stage 2 podium: 2nd Evan HUFFMAN (RALLY CYCLING), 1st Benjamin KING (CANNONDALE) and 3rd Alexander KRISTOFF (KATUSHA)
Peter Sagan congratulates Ben King	The jersey leaders after Stage 2

Stage 3:  Thousand Oaks → Santa Barbara County, 168 km  Full Results and Report

Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish looking at each other affectionately prior to Stage 3 in Thousand Oaks	Stage 3 start scene
	This would be Ben KING's (CANNONDALE) only day in the leader's jersey after winning Stage 2	Cannondale chasing the break
With a summit finish, this wasn't a good stage for Mark Cavendish		The break
The peloton in single file
Cannondale at the front again	The break
The break was caught at the base of the Gibraltar finishing climb	Approaching the final climb	Tom Boonen
The yougest rider in the race, 19 year-old Neilson Powless put in a solid attack on the 12.0 km at 8.0 % avg, max 14.2 % Gibraltar road finishing climb	Cannondale chasing Neilson Powless	Peter STETINA (TREK - SEGAFREDO) caught and passed Lachlan MORTON (JELLY BELLY P/B MAXXIS) and Neilson POWLESS (AXEON HAGENS BERMAN)
Peter STETINA (TREK - SEGAFREDO) soloing through crazy Southern California fans who often came dangerously close while running next to the riders	Julian ALAPHILIPPE (ETIXX - QUICK STEP) caught and passed Peter STETINA in the final km	Julian ALAPHILIPPE (ETIXX - QUICK STEP) wins Stage 3 by 15s
Moves into the race lead as well	2nd Peter STETINA (TREK - SEGAFREDO) + 15s	6th Laurens TEN DAM (GIANT - ALPECIN) + 33s
Ben King was dropped before the final climb and finished well of the pace, 35th + 5:28	Your Stage 3 podium: 2nd Peter STETINA (TREK - SEGAFREDO) + 15s, 1st Julian ALAPHILIPPE (ETIXX - QUICK STEP), 3rd George BENNETT (LOTTO NL - JUMBO) + 25s

Stage 4:  Morro Bay → Monterey County, 215 km  Full Results and Report

Peter Sagan received a good luck kiss from a pirate at the Stage 4 start in Morro Bay
		Heading north along the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1)
A beautiful shot of the peloton crossing Bixby Creek Bridge
	Mark Cavendish in the break	Today's break which included Mark Cavendish at the back
Greg Daniels on the attack again today	Peter SAGAN (TINKOFF) wins ahead of Greg VAN AVERMAET (BMC RACING) and Nathan HAAS (DIMENSION DATA) on the Laguna Seca Raceway in Salinas, Monterey County
Julian ALAPHILIPPE (ETIXX - QUICK STEP) retains the race lead	Your Stage 4 winner, Peter SAGAN (TINKOFF), his 15th career win at this year's race	The jersey leaders after Stage 4

Stage 5:  Lodi → South Lake Tahoe, 213 km  Full Results and Report

Start scene in Lodi
	Lake Tahoe in the background
		Ski country
		BMC chasing
The winning break	After long (213 km) uphill stage, we end with an uphill finish	The three men break succeeds at South Lake Tahoe
Toms SKUJINS (LAT/CANNONDALE) wins ahead of 2nd Adam DE VOS (CAN/RALLY CYCLING) and 3rd Xabier ZANDIO (ESP/SKY) + 8s	Julian ALAPHILIPPE (ETIXX - QUICK STEP) will take a 22s lead into the time trial	Your Stage 5 winner, Toms SKUJINS (LAT/CANNONDALE) also won a stage at last year's race as well
ALAPHILIPPE sitting pretty before the time trial

Stage 6:  Folsom, 20.3 km TT  Full Results and Report

Stage 6 ITT start scene in Folsom	World ITT Champ, Vasil KIRYIENKA (SKY) was 6th + 44s	3rd Taylor PHINNEY (BMC RACING) + 20s
4th Søren Kragh ANDERSEN (GIANT - ALPECIN) + 33s	9th Jurgen VAN DEN BROECK (KATUSHA) + 49s	7th Lawson CRADDOCK (CANNONDALE) + 44s
Aussie TT champion, Rohan DENNIS (BMC RACING)	Impressing all week as the youngest rider in the race. 10th Neilson POWLESS (AXEON HAGENS BERMAN) + 52s	5th Brent BOOKWALTER (BMC RACING) + 43s
Brent BOOKWALTER again	The race leader leaves the start hous	The "ride of the day", 8th Julian ALAPHILIPPE (ETIXX - QUICK STEP) + 45s
Lawson CRADDOCK (CANNONDALE) again	2nd Andrew TALANSKY (CANNONDALE) + 17s
1st Rohan DENNIS (BMC RACING) 20 km in 24:16:00	10th Neilson POWLESS (AXEON HAGENS BERMAN) + 52s
With his 8th place finish, Julian ALAPHILIPPE (ETIXX - QUICK STEP) + 45s, maintains a 17s overall heading into the weekend stages	1st Rohan DENNIS (BMC RACING) 20 km in 24:16:00	Dennis and Phinney admiring the winner's prize made at the local prision
Your Stage 6 ITT Podium: 3rd Taylor PHINNEY (BMC RACING) + 20s, 1st Rohan DENNIS (BMC RACING) 20 km in 24:16:00, 3rd Taylor PHINNEY (BMC RACING) + 20s	Jersey leaders after Stage 6 including Julian ALAPHILIPPE (ETIXX - QUICK STEP) who was 8th today + 45s and leads by 16s

Stage 7:  Santa Rosa → Santa Rosa, 147 km  Full Results and Report

Daniel TEKLEHAIMANOT (DIMENSION DATA) and his fans	Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish	The start scene for Stage 7 in Santa Rosa
Sagan and Alaphilippe
	Heading towards the coastal hills of Sonoma County
Rally Cycling	King Ridge Rd	King Ridge Rd
King Ridge Rd		Peter Sagan in the break
The Break led by Peter Sagan	The peloton and the Sonoma Coast
	Peter Sagan trying to solo his way back to Santa Rosa
Peter Sagan gave up his solo bid with 25 km to go	All back together	Sprint finish in Santa Rosa
The photo finish between 1st Alexander KRISTOFF (KATUSHA) and 2nd Peter SAGAN (TINKOFF)	A great bike throw by Sagan made the finish look much closer than it did live
1st Alexander KRISTOFF (KATUSHA) and 2nd Peter SAGAN (TINKOFF)		Your Stage 7 winner, Alexander KRISTOFF (KATUSHA) knows there would have been a different outcome if Peter Sagan hadn't done so much work in the break
Alexander KRISTOFF is congratulated by past Tour of California winner and Santa Rosa resident, Levi Leipheimer	Your Stage 7 podium: 2nd Peter SAGAN (TINKOFF), 1st Alexander KRISTOFF (KATUSHA) and 3rd Danny VAN POPPEL (SKY)

Stage 8:  Sacramento, 137 km  Full Results and Report

Race leader Julian ALAPHILIPPE (ETIXX - QUICK STEP) looking relaxed before the ceremonial stage around Sacramento	John DEGENKOLB and Peter SAGAN at the start in front of the State Capital Building	The stage 8 start scene next to the State Capital Building
Heading out from Sacramento	The token break... this stage was distant for a sprint finish	Break
It was a very flat stage today	Crops	and more crops
Did we mention it was flat stage?	Mark Cavendish getting a wheel change. We'll see him again later.
	Back in Sacramento for circuits
Passing through the finish area	Etixx Quickstep controlling the front	Sprint finish as expected
	Mark Cavendish "freestyled" his way to win the Stage 8 sprint in Sacramento while overall winner, Julian ALAPHILIPPE (ETIXX - QUICK STEP), does his own victory salute from the 11th position	10th career Tour of California win by Mark Cavendish
	Your Stage 8 winner, Mark CAVENDISH (DIMENSION DATA)
Your Stage 8 podium: 2nd Peter SAGAN (TINKOFF), 1st Mark CAVENDISH (DIMENSION DATA), 3rd Alexander KRISTOFF (KATUSHA)	Your Top 3 Overall GC Podium: 2nd Rohan DENNIS (BMC RACING) + 21s, 1st Julian ALAPHILIPPE (ETIXX - QUICK STEP) 31:47:50, 3rd Brent BOOKWALTER (BMC RACING) + 43s	One of the rising stars in the sport, Julian ALAPHILIPPE (ETIXX - QUICK STEP), at age 23, is the youngest overall winner at this event
The winner and his prizes	The Women's and Men's Jersey Winners