Amgen Tour of California
 Stage
7 (Final) - Sunday
For the first time, the final stage of the 2008
Amgen Tour of California was a point-to-point course
from Santa Clarita to Pasadena where the race concluded
with six circuits around the iconic Rose Bowl in
front of a boisterous crowd that lined the streets
despite cold, wet  weather. A ten-man break initiated
by Rock Racing's Mike Creed took off early in the
stage with the right mix of riders, none of whom
was a threat to the top of the GC. With Astana's
Levi Leiphemier comfortably in the overall lead,
the break's advantage grew, but never by more than
a few minutes.
The weather got worse as the riders
approached the circuits around the Rose Bowl, which
seemed to benefit the break. Bissell's Tom Zirbel,
a gifted time trial rider, attacked the break and
jetted on a solo flight. He managed to hold off
the splintered chase group until the final lap. Creed,
HealthNet's Rory Sutherland, CSC's Jason McCartney
and High Road's George Hincapie countered and settled
the day in a thrilling dash to the line. One of
America's
most popular riders, Hincapie claimed the top prize
as winner of Stage 7, sponsored by Amgen. Hincapie
won two stages at the first Amgen Tour of California
two years ago.
Photo courtesy of the
Amgen Tour of California
2008 Archive 2007
Tour of California Read Naomi's
Personal Account of the Race
|
May - 2008
