Sagan Wins Sprint Finish

Peter Sagan raises arms in triumph

Another exciting sprint finish signaled the end of Stage 5 at the Tour of California. The route from Seaside to Paso Robles had originally been set to flow south along the coast and Highway 1, but mudslides earlier this year required the course be moved inland, setting the scene for a sprint into the town’s central plaza. Team Radioshack started the day determined to maintain Chris Horner’s overall lead, which at over one minute from the rest of the pack, may be enough to carry him through the finale on Sunday.

A breakaway was pulled back to allow the sprinters to duke it out on the line. Peter Sagan of Liquigas-Cannondale inched out Leigh Howard of HTC-Highroad and Ben Swift of Team Sky. It was a bit of payback for Sagan, who was bested by Swift on Stage 2. HTC and Garmin-Cervelo are still itching for a stage win at this race. With the time trials set for tomorrow and a tough mountain stage on Saturday, the final circuits in Thousand Oaks on Sunday may be a sprinters battle.

Second-place finisher Leigh Howard

Tejay Van Gardaren of HTC-Highroad took the new lead in the competition for the best young rider, while Oscar Freire of Rabobank was awarded the most courageous rider jersey. Chris Horner successfully stayed out of trouble and kept the overall lead.

With the gloomy weather behind them, the cyclists are heating up the competition under sunny skies as they head south to Solvang tomorrow. The men’s race will be preceded by the first women’s international time trial featuring 13 competitors, invited by race organizers and competing for a prize of $10,000.

See you in Solvang!