TEJAY VAN GARDEREN OVERTAKES RACE LEAD WITH BLAZING TIME TRIAL RIDE AT THE AMGEN TOUR OF CALIFORNIA’S MIDPOINT
SAN JOSE / MORGAN HILL, Calif. (May 16, 2018) – BMC Racing Team’s Tejay van Garderen (Tacoma, Wash.) rocketed to a decisive stage victory and the overall race lead at the Amgen Tour of California individual time trial in San Jose / Morgan Hill today.
Van Garderen began the day in 8th place overall, exactly one minute behind the race leader Egan Bernal, Team Sky’s 21-year-old Columbian rider. Van Garderen, who picked up two Grand Tour stage wins in 2017 at the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España (Time Trial stage), made up that minute and more on the 21.6-mile loop, causing the Amgen Race Leader Jersey to change hands to the third owner since the race began on Sunday and extending his lead 23 seconds over Bernal, now second in the overall standings.
Photo Gallery by Dave Richards, daverphoto.com
3 time world road champion Peter Sagan (Bora Hansgrohe) tests his skills at time trialing. Men's Stage Four, Individual Time Trial, Morgan Hill, 2018 Amgen Tour of California cycling race (Photo by Dave Richards, daverphoto.com)
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3 time world road champion Peter Sagan (Bora Hansgrohe) tests his skills at time trialing. Men's Stage Four, Individual Time Trial, Morgan Hill, 2018 Amgen Tour of California cycling race (Photo by Dave Richards, daverphoto.com)
“Today was special motivation… I had my girls here, I had memories here from five years ago. I didn’t expect it to go quite this well but I kind of had it in the back of my mind on Gibraltar if I can keep it to within a minute, I can maybe take it today. Today was going to be my big power play, and I’m glad I was able to produce one. It feels great,” said van Garderen, who won the 2013 Amgen Tour of California and the Time Trial stage that year.
Van Garderen continued, “Tahoe is going to be a big test to the strength of the team, and I think we have one of, if not the, strongest team here. They’ll be able to control it, then when we get to the upper slopes of the final climb I’m going to have to stick with the climbers’ wheels. From what I understand the climb is not as demanding as what we saw on Gibraltar. The altitude might play a factor, but I’ve lived in Colorado and I was born in Montana. I’m no scrub when it comes to altitude, so I think I should be able to handle that okay. For sure there’s going to be loads of attacks from all the guys who want to take this jersey, but I think as far as motivation goes, I’m probably the most motivated guy to keep it.”
In the final three race days this week, BMC Racing Team will have to fend off challengers to the yellow jersey, which van Garderen has his sights set on retaining: “We really just need to worry about that stage into Tahoe, but we have a really strong team, and the motivation’s going to be high and if you’re going to want to beat me, you’re going to have to go to the bitter end.” Stage winners podium L-R: Patrick Bevin (BMC Racing), Tejay Van Garderen (BMC Racing) & Tao Geoghegan Hart (Team Sky). Men’s Stage Four, Individual Time Trial, Morgan Hill, 2018 Amgen Tour of California cycling race (Photo by Dave Richards, daverphoto.com)
Stage 4 presented by TAG Heuer in San Jose / Morgan Hill featured cyclists racing the clock one by one on a looped course that featured one moderate climb. The gusty day blew apart the leader board with other shakeups including BORA-hansgrohe’s Rafal Majka (POL) dropping from 2nd to 6th place in the overall (+1.29”) and Mitchelton-SCOTT’s Adam Yates (GBR) sliding from 3rd to 5th (+1.07”). Team EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale’s Daniel Martinez (COL) rose from 6th to 3rd (+.37”) and Bernal’s teammate Tao Geoghegan Hart (GBR) climbed from 11th to 4th (+.52”).
Bernal retains the Visit California Sprint Jersey, the Lexus King of the Mountain Jersey and the TAG Heuer Best Young Rider Jersey for the third day.
Stage 4 Podium
Tejay van Garderen (USA), BMC Racing Team (USA) 40’47″33
Patrick Bevin (NZL), BMC Racing Team (USA) (+.07”)
Tao Geoghegan Hart (GBR), Team Sky (GBR) (+.32”)
Jersey Winners after Stage 4:
Amgen Race Leader Jersey – Tejay van Garderen (USA), BMC Racing Team (USA)
Lexus King of the Mountain (KOM) Jersey –Egan Bernal (COL), Team Sky (GBR)
Visit California Sprint Jersey – Egan Bernal (COL), Team Sky (GBR)
TAG Heuer Best Young Rider Jersey – Egan Bernal (COL), Team Sky (GBR)
Riders in good standing still have to defend their positions over the next three stages, including the grueling Stage 6 and the HC climb up Kingsbury Grade. Tomorrow’s Stage 5 presented by Visit California begins in Stockton. Sprinters should flourish on the 109.7-mile fast and flat stage to finish in Elk Grove, where the Amgen Tour of California Women’s Race empowered with SRAM kicks off with the first of three race days.
The 2018 edition of America’s premier cycling stage race covers 645 miles of roadways, highways and coastlines during seven stages from Long Beach to Sacramento May 13-19, while the Amgen Tour of California Women’s Race empowered with SRAM, showcasing the world’s best women cyclists, runs concurrently May 17-19, covering upward of 187 miles over three stages. The annual professional cycling events are the only U.S. races on the UCI WorldTour calendar and continue to attract some of the most renowned cyclists and teams in the world.
About the Amgen Tour of California
The Amgen Tour of California and the Amgen Tour of California Women’s Race empowered with SRAM are Tour de France-style cycling road races created and presented by AEG. Running concurrently, the races challenges the world’s top professional cycling teams to compete along demanding courses that traverse hundreds of miles of California’s iconic highways, byways and coastlines each spring. The teams chosen to participate have included Olympic medalists, Tour de France contenders and World Champions, and award important, world-ranking points to the top finishers. More information is available at amgentourofcalifornia.com.
Results
STAGE CLASSIFICATION 4
SAN JOSE – MORGAN HILL – TIME TRIAL
WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2018
Pl Bib Name First Name Team Nat Time P Split Pl Bib Name First Name Team Nat Time P Split
1 23 VAN GARDEREN Tejay BMC USA 40’47″33 00″
2 22 BEVIN Patrick BMC NZL 40’54″88 07″
3 82 *GEOGHEGAN HART Tao SKY GBR 41’19″45 32″
4 113 CRADDOCK G Lawson EFD USA 41’33″68 46″
5 145 *GANNA Filippo UAD ITA 41’36″12 49″
6 101 *BJERG Mikkel HBA DEN 41’40″32 53″
7 72 BAUER Jack MTS NZL 41’42″99 55″
8 1 *POWLESS Neilson TLJ USA 41’43″34 56″
9 12 BODNAR Maciej BOH POL 41’44″24 57″
10 115 *MARTINEZ POVEDA Daniel FeElFipDe COL 41’44″85 ‘ ‘
11 56 *POLITT Nils TKA GER 41’46″62 59″
12 21 BOOKWALTER Brent BMC USA 41’46″88 ‘ ‘
13 167 TVETCOV Serghei UHC ROU 41’47″37 01’00”
14 111 PHINNEY Taylor EFD USA 41’49″81 01’02”
15 75 HEPBURN Michael MTS AUS 42’02″96 01’15”
16 85 *SIVAKOV Pavel SKY RUS 42’03″49 01’16”
17 131 ARNDT Nikias SUN GER 42’06″52 01’19”
18 81 *BERNAL GOMEZ Egan Arley SKY COL 42’10″35 01’23”