The Tour of California will not be held in 2020, the race organiser has announced.

AEG, the sports and live entertainment company that has run the Tour of California for the last 14 years, said the week-long stage race has been put on “haitus” next season.

The organiser did not reveal the exact reason for the decision, but hopes the race can be re-launched for 2021.

Kristin Klein, the president of the Tour of California and executive vice president of AEG Sports, said: “While professional cycling globally continues to grow and we are very proud of the work we have done to increase the relevance of professional cycling, particularly in the United States, it has become more challenging each year to mount the race.

“This new reality has forced us to re-evaluate our options, and we are actively assessing every aspect of our event to determine if there is a business model that will allow us to successfully re-launch the race in 2021.”

First held in 2006, the race grew from a 2.HC category race to become the only WorldTour race in the US from 2017.

Former winners have included Bradley Wiggins in 2014, Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) in 2015 and last season Egan Bernal (Team Ineos).

In 2015 the three-stage Women’s Tour of California was also launched, which quickly became a Women’s WorldTour level race.

Chairman of USA Cycling, Bob Stapleton, said: “On behalf of USA Cycling, I would like to thank AEG, Kristin and her team for providing and outstanding showcase for the sport in America and for our American athletes.

“We stand ready to help really additional support and resources in the hope of resuming this event in 2021.”

>>> Teams launch scathing criticism of UCI and demand urgent action 

The news that the the Tour of California will not be held next year may have played a part in Peter Sagan opting to ride the Giro d’Italia next season.

Sagan, the record winner of seven Tour of California stages, has ridden the event every year since 2010, but is opting to ride the Italian Grand Tour which traditionally overlapped with California.

Tadej Pogačar (UAE-Team Emirates) became the youngest ever winner of a WorldTour stage race as he defended the yellow jersey on the seventh and final day of the Tour of California.

The 20-year-old Slovenian finished safely in the peloton as Cees Bol (Team Sunweb) was the fastest in the bunch sprint in Pasadena. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Jasper Philipsen (UAE-Team Emirates) finished second and third respectively.

It was Bol’s second win as a professional, the 23-year-old Dutchman claiming his first at Danilith-Nokere-Koerse two months ago.

His win capped off a week of success for young and emerging riders, with every stage being won by a rider aged 23 and under, except for Sagan’s victory on stage one.

Pogačar, who won stage six atop Mt. Baldy, won the race by 16 seconds from Colombian 21-year-old Sergio Higuita (EF-Education First). Kasper Asgreen (Deceuninck-Quick Step) finished third.

Highly-rated before the race, Pogačar’s profile will rise significantly after a win that showcased his attacking abilities but also a maturity that belies his age.

How it happened

A large breakaway formed from the outset. Stage three winner Rémi Cavagna (Deceuninck-Quick Step) joined Davide Ballerini (Astana), Lawson Craddock (EF-Education First), perennial escapee Alex Hoehn (United States), Lennard Hofstede (Jumbo-Visma), Rui Oliveira (UAE-Team Emirates), Neilson Powless (Jumbo-Visma), Diego Rosa (Team Ineos), Maximilian Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe), Peter Stetina (Trek-Segafredo) and Michael Storer (Sunweb).

Mainly because of the presence of Schachmann who was ninth on GC, the break didn’t last long as a counter-attack from the peloton, led by Lachlan Morton of EF-Education First, caught up to them to swell the size of the group.

All of the general classification riders, including Pogačar, Higuita, Asgreen and George Bennett (Jumbo-Visma), were present.

A 25-man group ascended the day’s two climbs together, though the ever-hungry Bennett did try his luck with an attack. Balerini, Hofstede, Cavagna and Schachmann then launched their own small group that clipped off the front.

With 20km to go, and the peloton back together but not far behind, Cavagna dropped back to assist Asgreen as he successfully bridged across to the breakaway.

Sitting just 20 seconds shy of Pogačar, Asgreen then took three bonus seconds at the intermediate sprint.

However, the Dane realised on the first of three laps of the finish circuit that it was highly unlikely he could win by eight seconds and take the 10 second bonus on the line to dislodge Pogačar, and thus dropped back to the peloton that was readying itself for a bunch sprint.

Cavagna and Ballerini, however, counter attacked in the second lap, but they too were reeled back in.

Deceuninck-Quick Step, Bahrain Merida and CCC Team took turns on the front in the final few kilometres

Dimension Data, working for Janse van Rensburg, were on the front as they turned onto the finishing straight. With just 400m left, a crash split the peloton, leaving around 20 riders left to contest the first.

Sitting in fourth-place, Bol opened up his sprint early and hit a direct line. Sagan was to his left, but then the three-time world champion swung back in behind Bol and ran out of road to edge past the Dutchman. Philipsen appeared to start his sprint too late and settled for third.

Results

2019 Tour of California stage seven: Santa Clarita to Pasadena (141km)

1. Cees Bol (Ned) Sunweb, in 2-53-16

2. Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe

3. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) UAE-Team Emirates

4. Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Bahrain-Merida

5. Maximiliano Richeze (Arg) Deceuninck-Quick - Step

6. Kristoffer Halvorsen (Nor) Team Ineos

7. Travis McCabe (USA) United States

8. Andrea Peron (Ita) Novo-Nordisk

9. Jens Debusschere (Bel) Katusha-Alpecin

10. Edwin Ávila (Col) Israel Cycling Academy, all at same time

General classification after seven stages

1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE-Team Emirates in 32-55-12

2. Sergio Higuita (Col) EF-Education First, at 16 secs

3. Kasper Asgreen (Den) Deceuninck-Quick Step, at 17 secs

4. George Bennett (Nzl) Team Jumbo-Visma, at 29 secs

5. Richie Porte (Aus) Trek-Segafredo, at 41 secs

6. Simon Špilak (Slo) Katusha-Alpecin, at 1-03

7. Jesper Hansen (Den) Cofidis, at 1-18

8. Felix Grossschartner (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe, at same time

9. Tejay van Garderen (USA) EF-Education First, at 1-22

10. Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 1-23

Anna van der Breggen (Boels-Dolmans) rode superbly to stave off repeated attacks to ensure  she emerged victorious in the Tour of California.

On the third and final stage of the women’s WorldTour race, Elisa Balsamo (Valcar Cylance) was the fastest in a reduced bunch sprint, beating Arlenis Sierra (Astana) and Leigh Ann Ganzar (Hagens Berman-Supermint).

It was another excellent result for an in-form Balsamo. The 21-year-old, who was second on stage one, won Trofee Maarten Wynants a week ago, while she recorded some impressive spring results.

The stage could have turned out much differently, however, if it wasn’t for the effort and relentless work from Van der Breggen who, predictably, had to contend with attacks from her general classification rivals.

Such was the ferocity of the racing, the world champion lost three of her team-mates to the pace and she was forced to do much of the chasing herself, before eventually finishing in the leading bunch.

She won the race by 29 seconds from her teammate and 2018 champion Katie Hall, who won stage two atop Mt. Baldy. It is the second time Van der Breggen has topped the race’s GC, doing so last in 2017.

How it happened

The opening exchanges of the 125km stage were fiery, with several breaks trying but failing whilst the pace saw three distinct groups emerge from the peloton.

Lizzie Deignan (Trek-Segafredo) and Leah Kirchmann (Sunweb) were among five riders who attempted an audacious but ultimately futile breakaway.

Just 35km into a race, a group of 20 launched and stayed away, holding an advantage of 30 seconds. Unfortunately for Van der Breggen, neither she nor any of her team-mates were present, forcing them to work hard to try and reel the group back in.

The group contained big-hitters such as the Canyon-Sram trio of Hannah Barnes, Omer Shapira and Lisa Klein, Brodie Chapman (TIBCO-SVB), Kirchmann and  Kathrin Hammes (WNT-Rotor). Chapman was the best placed on GC, 1-47 shy of Van der Breggen.

The fierce proceedings meant that the gruppetto fell drastically behind, while Boels-Dolmans were down to just three rides in the chasing bunch with 70km remaining, leaving Van der Breggen chasing.

The Dutchwoman caught the break and for a brief period the antics calmed as the escapes merged with the chasers to form a peloton once more.

Ahead of the climb of the Angeles Forest Highway, Jasmin Duehring (Sho-Air Twenty20) ignited another breakaway, bringing with her Hammes, Queen of the Mountain victor Liliana Moreno Blanca (Astana), Eric Magnaldi (WNT-Rotor) and Pauliena Rooijakkers (CCC-Liv).

A three-person chase group of Barnes, Ruth Winder (Trek-Segafredo) and Juliette Labous (Sunweb) managed to bridge across to the breakaway, and the eight riders had a 40 second advantage to a peloton that was being dragged along by the yellow jersey of Van der Breggen.

Eight became two, when Hammes and Rooijakkers attacked from the break, and with their former companions swallowed up by the peloton, they were allowed to stretch a lead out over to 90 seconds with 40km to go ahead of the downhill ride into the finish.

One the first of three laps in Pasedena, the duo had a 35 second lead, but it was only with 8km remaining that they were joined by Olga Zabelinskaya (Cogeas-Mettler).

The three were then joined by Marta Cavalli (Valcar-Cylance) and they put 20 seconds between themselves and the chasing group.

With two kilometres left, though, they were reeled in by a reduced bunch of around 20 riders. Cavalli attacked again under the flamme rouge but was sucked in with 500m left.

Riders spread themselves across the road and Belsamo came from the left, powering into the lead and despite a strong effort from six others who tried to edge around her to the right, she held off the challenge from Sierra and Ganzar.

Results

Women's Tour of California 2019 stage three: Santa Clarita to Pasadena (125km)

1. Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Valcar Cylance in 3-19-57

2. Arlenis Sierra (Cub) Astana

3. Leigh Ann Ganzar (USA) Hagens Berman-Supermint

4. Chloe Dygert (USA) Sho-Air Twenty20

5. Leah Kirchmann (Can) Sunweb

6. Lisa Klein (Ger) Canyon-Sram

7. Lizzie Deignan (GBr) Trek-Segafredo

8. Brodie Chapman (Aus) TIBCO-SVB

9. Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) Bepink

10. Sara Bergen (Can) Rally UHC, all at same time

General classification after three stages

1. Anna van der Breggen (Ned) Boels-Dolmans in 8-32-34

2. Katie Hall (USA) Boels-Dolmans, at 29 secs

3. Ashleigh Moolman (RSA) CCC-Liv, at 1-06

4. Clara Koppenburg (Ger) WNT-Rotor, at 1-25

5. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon-Sram, at 1-34

6. Brodie Chapman (Aus) TIBCO-SVB, at 1-46

7. Kristabel Doebel-Hickok (USA) Rally-UHC, at 1-58

8. Omer Shapira (Isr) Canyon-Sram, at 2-12

9. Emma Grant (GBr) Sho-Air Twenty20, at 2-15

10. Pauliena Rooijakkers (Ned) CCC-Liv, at 2-28

UAE-Team Emirates' Tadej Pogačar belied his age and experience to win stage six of the Tour of California and with it seized the overall lead.

In a thrilling final to a sensational stage that finished atop a misty Mt. Baldy, the 20-year-old caught Sergio Higuita (EF-Education First) inside the final kilometre and beat the Colombian in a sprint on the line.

The Slovenian, who won the Volta ao Algarve in February, replaces Tejay van Garderen (EF-Education First) as the leader of the race, holding a 16 second advantage to Higuita with just one stage remaining.

On the slopes of the vicious climb, Van Garderen could not keep pace with firstly the chasing bunch and then the flurry of attacks, with the young climbers of Pogačar and Higuita showcasing their immense talent.

Higuita, who is just 21-years-old and racing his first WorldTour event, looked to be on course for his maiden professional win after powerfully attacking with three kilometres to go. But Pogačar then passed him to claim his third win of the season.

George Bennett (Jumbo-Visma) finished five seconds behind the duo, while Kasper Asgreen (Deceuninck-Quick Step) rode strongly to limit his losses and keep him on the GC podium, dropping from second to third.

How it unfolded

The day’s breakaway was made up of eight riders, with Owain Doull of Team Ineos amongst them. He was joined by Michael Storer (Sunweb), Juraj Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe), Pawel Bernas (CCC Team), Hugo Houle (Astana), Matteo Fabbro (Katusha-Alpecin), Lennard Hofstede (Jumbo-Visma) and Mikkel Bjerg (Hagens Berman Axeon).

The break sat five minutes ahead of the peloton, while Nathan Haas (Katusha-Alpecin), Ben King (EF-Education First), Joao Almeida (Hagens Berman Axeon) and  Alex Hoehn (United States) tried to bridge across to them, but their efforts were ultimately futile.

Mads Pedersen, teammate of Trek-Segafredo’s Richie Porte, spectacularly jumped across from the peloton to the break with 30km to go, but the chances of the escapees being successful were very slim by this point.

At the foot of Mt. Baldy, Porte’s team and EF-Education First took charge of the peloton, while the breakaway up ahead watched their time dwindle.

Bora-Hansgrohe's Max Schachmann, just 22 seconds off Van Garderen in the GC, attacked with 14km remaining and quickly joined the break who struggled to keep pace with the German. He subsequently pulled clear all by himself, holding a 40 second lead to the peloton.

Despite Schachmann being the virtual leader on the road by 20 seconds, Van Garderen refused to panic, with Bennett’s Jumbo-Visma team also working on the front of the reduced chasing peloton.

Third on GC overnight, Gianni Moscon (Team Ineos) cracked with five kilometres to go. Then, 800 metres later, Van Garderen fell back, too, leaving just nine riders up ahead including Asgreen. At this juncture, Schachmann was only around 200 metres ahead of the chasers.

Porte led a four-men chasing group that caught Schachmann, with Pogačar the first to overtake the German. He brought Higuita along with him, while Asgreen struggled to keep up.

Bennett put in an enormous effort to catch the two riders up ahead and as a result of spreading themselves across the road and thus slowing down, they allowed Porte to catch back on.

The Australian pulled away slightly, but then Higuita powered ahead. As the Colombian amassed a lead of 15 seconds with just 2km to go, Porte suffered a drop chain.

Bennett led Pogačar in the chase, but then the New Zealander failed to maintain his effort, allowing Pogačar free to reel Higuita in just after the flamme rouge.

Dancing on his pedals and swaying his bike from side-to-side, Higuita rode ahead of Pogačar, with Bennett just behind as they reached the flatter terrain at the summit.

Bennett sprinted furiously to catch the duo, and this prompted Higuita to launch his own sprint. However, as he went round the final corner in pole position, he was too aggressive and swung too wide, allowing Pogačar to ride past him on the inside and sprint to victory.

Stage seven from Santa Clarita to Pasadena features a significant amount of climbing during the middle of the stage but ends with a lengthy downhill and a probable sprint, meaning that Pogačar shouldn't lose the yellow jersey.

Results

Tour of California stage six 2019: Ontario to Mount Baldy (127.5km)

1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE-Team Emirates in 3-48-49

2. Sergio Higuita (Col) EF-Education First, at same time

3. George Bennett (Nzl) Team Jumbo-Visma, at 5 secs

4. Richie Porte (Aus) Trek-Segafredo, at 10 secs

5. Riccardo Zoidl (Aut) CCC Team, at 20 secs

6. Kasper Asgreen (Den) Deceuninck-Quick Step, at 22 secs

7. Simon Špilak (Slo) Katusha-Alpecin, at 25 secs

8. Rohan Dennis (Aus) Bahrain-Merida, at 47 secs

9. Rob Britton (Can) Rally UHC

10. Jesper Hansen (Den) Cofidis, all at same time

General classification after stage six

1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE-Team Emirates in 30-01-56

2. Sergio Higuita (Col) EF-Education First, at 16 secs

3. Kasper Asgreen (Den) Deceuninck-Quick Step, at 20 secs

4. George Bennett (Nzl) Team Jumbo-Visma, at 29 secs

5. Richie Porte (Aus) Trek-Segafredo, at 41 secs

6. Simon Špilak (Slo) Katusha-Alpecin, at 1-03

7. Jesper Hansen (Den) Cofidis, at 1-18

8. Felix Grossschartner (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe, at same time

9. Tejay van Garderen (USA) EF-Education First, at 1-22

10. Rohan Dennis (Aus) Bahrain-Merida, at 1-23

Anna van der Breggen moved a step closer to winning the Women's Tour of California for a second time, after her Boels-Dolmans team-mate Katie Hall won stage two atop Mount Baldy.

Katie Hall, the 2018 winner, crossed the line just ahead of stage one winner Van der Breggen, who extends her lead in the general classification, to 29 seconds over the American.

The current world champion attacked with Hall on the steep slopes of Mt. Baldy, overtaking Israeli national champion Omer Shapira who had attacked at the foot of the climb and looked to be on course for a surprise win.

But Hall and Dutch ace Van der Breggen were able to catch and surpass Shapira, and despite a brave response from Ashleigh Moolman (CCC-Liv), it was a Boels-Dolmans one-two that rolled into the ski village first.

Hall's win continues a remarkable run, having won stage two of the race in each of the last three editions; and 12 months after last win in South Lake Tahoe.

Stage three features yet more climbing, but a lengthy descent into Pasadena should favour sprinters meaning that Van der Breggen is expected to win the race, repeating her 2017 success.

How it happened

The 74km stage began in Ontario and the riders only had 30km of flat terrain before they had to engage their climbing legs on the first ascent – the category one Glendora Mountain – a 15km slog topping out at just over 1,000m elevation.

Given how important the stage was to the general classification, no riders were allowed to form a breakaway, Valcar Cylance setting a fast early pace that saw the peloton reduce in size.

As they began the climb of Glendora, Olga Zabelinskaya (Cogeas-Mettler) hit the front of the peloton, sharing the work load with Trek-Segafredo.

Zabelinskaya broke clear 30km from the finish on stage one but was caught with five kilometres remaining. Her legs still evidently fresh, she continued to press hard that forced the peloton of between 30 and 40 riders into several groups. All the main favourites were present.

The leading bunch crested the summit together, and on the descent Coryn Rivera (Sunweb) and Lisa Klein (Canyon-Sram) combined to break free together.

Their efforts were in vain, however, and they were soon back in the peloton that saw more failed attacks.

On the approach to Mt. Baldy Village, WNT-Rotor’s Kathrin Hammes and Canyon-Sram’s Shapira made their move, and they quickly had a 25 second advantage.

An eager Rivera joined the pair up front as they rode through the village en-route to the bottom of the climb. As the gradient rose skywards at 8km remaining, Shapira dropped her companions who dropped back to the chase group.

Shapira had a 25-second advantage and she maintained her lead with four kilometres to go. Behind her, a strong chase group formed consisting of reigning champion Hall, Van der Breggen, Lizzie Deignan (Trek-Segafredo), Moolman and Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon-Sram).

Hall then went ahead of the group, bringing with her Van der Breggen and the team-mates moved well together, catching Shapira.

The duo looked in imperious condition as they worked their way towards the summit. Behind, however, Moolman threatened to spoil a Boels-Dolmans one-two, closing the gap and eventually making it a trio as they entered the final three hairpin bends.

With the finish line in sight, Hall and Van der Breggen were too strong for Moolman, and the team-mates rode clear of the South African. Van der Breggen allowed Hall to win the stage as she increased her GC lead.

The gap to Moolman was 33 seconds and many pre-race favourites finished more than a minute and two minutes adrift, underlying the dominance and brilliance of the Boels-Dolmans duo.

Results

Women's Tour of California stage two 2019: Ontario to Mt. Baldy (74km)

1. Katie Hall (USA) Boels-Dolmans in 2-36-39

2. Anna van der Breggen (Ned) Boels-Dolmans, at same time

3. Ashleigh Moolman (RSA) CCC-Liv, at 33 secs

4. Clara Koppenburg (Ger) WNT-Rotor, at 46 secs

5. Omer Shapira (Isr) Canyon-Sram, at 57 secs

6. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon-Sram, at same time

7. Brodie Chapman (Aus) TIBCO-SVB, at 1-08

8. Emma Grant (GBr) Sho-Air Twenty20, at 1-15

9. Kristabel Doebel-Hickok (USA) Rally-UHC, at 1-19

10. Amber Neben (USA) Cogeas-Mettler, at 1-37

General classification after stage two:

1. Anna van der Breggen (Ned) Boels-Dolmans in 5-12-37

2. Katie Hall (USA) Boels-Dolmans, at 29 secs

3. Ashleigh Moolman (RSA) CCC-Liv, at 1-06

4. Clara Koppenburg (Ger) WNT-Rotor, at 1-25

5. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon-Sram, at 1-34

6. Brodie Chapman (Aus) TIBCO-SVB, at 1-47

7. Kristabel Doebel-Hickok (USA) Rally-UHC, at 1-58

8. Omer Shapira (Canyon-Sram), at 2-12

9. Emma Grant (GBr) Sho-Air Twenty20, at 2-15

19. Pauliena Rooijakkers (Ned) CCC-Liv, at 2-30.

The peloton was resigned to a controversial UCI ruling that saw Tejay van Garderen dismissed and then reinstated multiple times as Tour of California race leader on Wednesday.

International UCI officials deliberated at length in the immediate aftermath of the crash-marred fourth stage in which the 3km rule was effectively stretched to include the American and erase his time deficit.

>>> Controversy at Tour of California as Tejay van Garderen allowed to keep leader’s jersey despite losing time

Van Garderen (EF Education First) was chasing back from a crash and off-course incident, in sight of but not with the peloton when a mass pile-up in the bunch just outside of 3km to go blocked the road and delayed him further.

Speaking before the start of stage five on Thursday, the 30-year-old said he had been as confused as everyone else.

“To me I thought that’s the nail in the coffin, I’m going to lose the jersey. But they awarded those guys the same time and I think they thought it was only fair that they gave me the same time,” he said.

“As I was showering, they [UCI judges] said you need to hurry because you need to go to podium, you still have the jersey. And then before I even got out of the shower they came in again and said actually they changed their mind. Then as I was getting dressed, they said no you’re back in yellow.”

Kasper Asgreen (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) had been provisionally declared the new race leader after stage four. A team spokesman declined to comment but sports director Wilfred Peeters did protest.

Jumbo-Visma climber George Bennett sympathised with EF Education First’s position but also questioned the UCI’s logic that he suggested undermined the costly work of his team.

“I think that was a crazy decision because it sets a dangerous precedent. I just think, like today, I can roll in at that back and if something goes wrong in the last 8km I’m safe. That’s good to know that’s going to be the way forward,” Bennett said dryly.

The 2017 tour champion’s view was compounded after he lost key team-mate Timo Roosen to the crash. Roosen was hospitalised last night and did not start stage five along with David de la Cruz (Ineos), who was also injured in it.

“The other thing is I knew how hard that finish was and how dangerous it was as we’ve done it before, so I burnt my whole team to put me on the front,” Bennett continued.

“At one stage I was even riding on the front at 3km to go. I lost a man because of it. He broke his collarbone risking to help me be at the front. We really put all our energy into it and it’s not a coincidence, it wasn’t lucky that I was at the front, it was because I was good at that kind of thing."

Fellow overall contender Richie Porte (Trek-Segafredo) understood both sides.

“I’ve seen it before in the Giro 2015 and Paris-Nice 2015. It’s I guess the commissaires’ discretion and it’s just how it is. But at the same time Tejay is a good friend and I wouldn’t like to see him lose a race because there is an unfortunate incident like that,” Porte said.

Ineos sports director Brett Lancaster agreed, after his rider Gianni Moscon, who suffered skin abrasions in the crash, maintained his top three position on the general classification.

“They made their decision and there is no point complaining now you can’t change anything,” said Lancaster.

Van Garderen leads the Tour of California ahead of the penultimate stage to Mt Baldy tomorrow, which will likely decide the race. Asgreen collected an intermediate prime to move from third to second overall ahead of Moscon following stage five.

Anna van der Breggen took a stranglehold of the Women’s Tour of California, comfortably winning stage one.

The reigning world champion attacked on the last climb of the day and soloed to victory, finishing 18 seconds ahead of chasing group of seven led by Elisa Balsamo (Valcar Cylance).

Collecting bonus seconds on the line, Van der Breggen has a healthy lead of 25 seconds on GC to Balsamo ahead of Friday’s Queen stage take takes the riders up to the summit of Mt. Baldy.

It is the Boels-Dolmans rider’s second win of the season, her first arriving just a few weeks ago at La Flèche Wallonne. She won this race in 2017.

Lizzie Deignan (Trek-Segafredo) and Olga Zabelinskaya (Cogeas-Mettler) both tried in vain to catch up with Van der Breggen.

How it happened

An undulating course wasn’t all the peloton had to contend with, with strong winds and gusts throughout the 96.5km stage from Ventura that headed towards the coast before returning to the start town for the finish.

There were attempts at forming a breakaway from the get go, but the peloton refused to let any riders club together. After almost 20kms, Lindsay Goldman of Hagens Berman-Supermint was permitted to ride clear.

Behind the American, the relentless nature of the small climbs and incessant pace set by the strongest teams shredded the peloton into what was a much smaller group

Goldman was producing a valiant effort out front all alone, but she was caught by the reduced peloton with 50km still left to ride.

No other ride was able to jump away until Zabelinskaya successfully freed herself of the bunch. The Uzbekistani immediately built an impressive lead that stretched to more than a minute and looked favourite to take the stage and thus control of the race.

Her chances increased when the wind caused echelons and yet more splits in the chasing peloton behind.

However, despite holding a 45 second advantage with six kilometres to go, she she was caught at five kilometres to go.

On the slopes of the final climb, Van der Breggen made her move, attacking powerfully to move ahead of what was now a select group of the world’s best riders, including Ashleigh Moolman (CCC-Liv) and Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon-Sram).

Deignan chased after Van der Breggen but the Dutch woman had quickly amassed an unassailable lead and the Briton was sucked back into the small group behind, all its members content with racing for second-place.

Stage two  of three will likely determine the final outcome of the yellow jersey, and Van der Breggen’s team-mate Katie Hall, the reigning champion, will have to overturn a 20 second deficit to retain her title.

Results

Women’s Tour of California stage one: Ventura > Ventura (96.5km)

1 Anna van der Breggen (Ned) Boels-Dolmans in 2-36-17

2 Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Valcar Cylance at 18 secs

3 Arlenis Sierra (Cub) Astana

4 Leah Kirchmann (Can) Sunweb

5 Ashleigh Moolman (RSA) CCC-Liv

6 Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon-Sram

7 Emma White (USA) Rally UHC

8 Lizzie Deignan (GBr) Trek-Segafredo, all at same time

9 Brodie Chapman (Aus) TIBCO-SVB, at 20 secs

10 Marta Cavalli (Ita) Valcar-Cylance, at same time

General classification after stage one

1 Anna van der Breggen (Ned) Boels-Dolmans in 2-36-04

2 Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Valcar Cylance at 25 secs

3 Arlenis Sierra (Cub) Astana at 27 secs

4 Lizzie Deignan (GBr) Trek-Segafredo at 29 secs

5 Leah Kirchmann (Can) Sunweb at 31 secs

6 Ashleigh Moolman (RSA) CCC-Liv

7 Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon-Sram

8 Emma White (USA) Rally UHC

9 Olga Zabelinskaya (Uzb) Cogeas-Mattler at 32 secs

10 Brodie Chapman (Aus) TIBCO-SVB at 33 secs

Bahrain-Merida’s Iván García Cortina scored his first WorldTour win of his career, winning stage five of the Tour of California.

The 23-year-old Spaniard was the fastest in a smaller-than-expected group to reach the finish line together, beating Maximiliano Richeze (Deceuninck-Quick Step) and Sergio Higuita (EF-Education First).

Cortina, who finished second on stage two of this March’s Paris-Nice, ends Deceuninck-Quick Step’s dominance in the race, the Belgian team having won each of the last three stages.

It was thought that the day was earmarked for the pure sprinters, but Peter Sagan’s involvement in the breakaway and a flurry of attacks on a climb five kilometres from the finish made a mockery of pre-race expectations.

Race leader Tejay van Garderen was one of just 26 riders to make it the finish line together, the EF-Education First man maintaining his lead on the general classification.

Kasper Asgreen (Deceuninck-Quick Step) collected a valuable three bonus seconds, moving him up to second on GC and just four seconds off the lead ahead of Friday's Queen stage.

How it happened

Van Garderen controversially began the day in yellow, sitting six seconds ahead of Moscon, despite finishing 54 seconds behind yesterday’s race winner Fabio Jakobsen.

Feeling aggrieved that he wasn’t the new leader, Asgreen was eager to put the pressure on Van Garderen and won the day’s first intermediate sprint, collecting three bonus seconds, putting him just four seconds adrift of the lead.

Only then was a breakaway allowed to form and it featured some high-profile names such as Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe).

The three-time world champion was joined by Davide Ballerini (Astana), Jasper Philipsen (UAE-Team Emirates), Tim Declercq (Deceuninck-Quick Step), Toms Skujins (Trek-Segafredo), Leonoardo Basso (Team Ineos), Michael Schär (CCC Team), Brandon McNulty (Rally UHC), Alex Hoehn (United States), Cees Bol (Sunweb) and the Jumbo-Visma pairing of Neilson Powless and Lennard Hofstede.

Hoehn’s grip on the mountain classification faded with Ballerini collecting maximum points throughout the day, the former returning to the peloton before the catch, accepting defeat.

On the penultimate climb of the day, with the peloton less a minute behind, the breakaway attacked one another, Declercq putting in a reasonable attack that allowed him an extended stay out front.

At eight kilometres from the end, though, the peloton caught the large break, with Declercq around 20 seconds ahead.

The anticipated sprint finish failed to materialise, though. An unclassified sharp climb 5km from the finish prompted a number of moves from the peloton, most notably from Declercq’s teammate Zdenek Štybar.

Splits occurred in the peloton, lining riders out all over the road and creating a multitude of small groups with most of the pre-stage favourites failing to keep pace and dropping back.

Up ahead, Sergio Higuita and George Bennett of Jumbo-Visma both passed Stybar, the duo seeking the stage win and hoping to reduce their deficit to Van Garderen.

Unfortunately for them they were caught by a small group initially that morphed into a larger one.

Containing sprinters such as Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis), more attacks were expected inside the final three kilometres.

A tailwind, however, deterred any movements and it came down to a sprint in Ventura.

Richeze was deployed as Asgreen’s lead-out, but the Dane was unable to take full advantage. Instead, sitting in the Argentine’s slipstream was Cortina who was able to go left and open up his sprint, edging past Richeze in what came down to a two-man fight for the line.

Stage six takes the peloton up the slopes of Mount Baldy, a summit finish that is certain to cause changes in the general classification.

Results

Tour of California stage five: Pismo Beach > Ventura (218.5km)

1. Iván García Cortina (Esp) Bahrain-Merida in 4-56-11
2. Maximiliano Richeze (Arg) Deceuninck-Quick Step
3. Sergio Higuita (Col) EF-Education First
4. Joris Nieuwenhuis (Ned) Sunweb
5. Kasper Asgreen (Den) Deceuninck-Quick Step
6. Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe
7. Pawel Bernas (Pol) CCC Team
8. Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) Cofidis
9. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE-Team Emirates
10. Hugo Houle (Can) Astana, all at same time

General classification after five stages

1. Tejay van Garderen (USA) EF-Education First in 26-13-01
2. Kasper Asgreen (Den) Deceuninck-Quick Step, at 4 secs
3. Gianni Moscon (Ita) Team Ineos, at 6 secs
4. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE-Team Emirates, at 16 secs
5. Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 22 secs
6. Sergio Higuita (Col) EF-Education First, at 28 secs
7. Jonas Gregaard (Den) Astana, at 33 secs
8. George Bennett (NwZ) Jumbo-Visma, at 34 secs
9. Felix Grossschartner (Ast) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 35 secs
10. Rigoberto Urán (Col) EF-Education First, at 36 secs

By Benjy Howard 

The Tour of California has proved fertile ground for super-team Deceuninck - Quick-Step, as the Belgian outfit racked up its 29th win of the season on stage four.

What makes this feat even more commendable is that it hasn’t just been a couple of riders collecting the victories: 11 have contributed to the total.

Promising young sprinter Fabio Jakobsen provided a strong finish into Morro Bay to record a third successive victory with as many riders for Deceuninck - Quick-Step at the Tour of California – the first outfit ever to do so in the race.

>>> Egan Bernal takes Strava KoMs on daunting Andorran mountains 10 days after breaking collarbone

The 22-year-old triumphed over no less than three-time world champion Peter Sagan in the fast, uphill finish after an impressive lead-out from Michael Mørkøv, Maximiliano Richeze and Zdenek Štybar, demonstrating the astounding strength in depth of the Belgian outfit.

When asked to comment on his team’s remarkable show of strength at this year’s Tour of California, the stage winner replied: “What makes us so successful? We are a great group of riders, all willing to sacrifice ourselves and work hard for each other.

“It’s worth mentioning also that we came here in good shape and the previous wins this week gave us a lot of confidence, so we’re just riding the wave at the moment and seizing every opportunity we get.”

On stage two, Quick-Step's Danish rider Kasper Asgreen powered to an impressive victory at Lake Tahoe, before climber Rémi Cavagna made it two in two with an exceptional solo ride on stage three. Jakobsen then rounded off the hat-trick by providing his team with their 29th win of the year.

>>> Watch: Rémi Cavagna’s sketchy descending while riding to Tour of California solo victory

Yet Quick-Step’s superiority hasn’t been limited to stage wins - Asgreen currently sits in third place overall, just seven seconds down on current leader and previous winner Tejay van Garderen.

Following yesterday’s controversial drama on stage four, which saw Van Garderen handed back the lead after losing time to a mechanical, some might argue that 24 year-old Asgreen should already be in the yellow jersey.

And with each of the last three stages offering the chance for the GC contenders to gain time on Van Garderen, the Asgreen is still in the fight for the overall crown, further adding to Quick-Step’s unrivalled palmarès.

Specialized has announced that Fabio Jacobsen of Deceuninck – Quick-Step won the fourth stage of the Tour of California on its tubeless tyres, although it’s keeping exact details of the products used under wraps.

Specialized has always looked to its sponsored pros to test its products in the most arduous conditions, so Jakobsen’s win follows in this vein. It’s part of the brand’s on-going Project Black programme to develop its technologies of tomorrow.

>>> Tubeless tyres: are you doing it properly?

Spesh says that the Deceuninck – Quick-Step rider had had a puncture earlier in the race, which had been effectively sealed by the latex sealant in his tyre. It’s one of the benefits of tubeless tech that a flat will usually seal itself without necessitating a wheel change.

Jakobsen was effusive about the test tyres, following his win, saying: “I’m really in love with them, because they take the bumps better in the corners. I feel more confident for sure. . .  when braking I feel I have more connection to the road with tubeless. From now on, if the team allows me, I race with them all the time.”

But Specialized was more tight lipped, refusing to give any more details of the tyres that Jakobsen was riding, just saying: “We have no further information to provide on this product other than to say Specialized firmly believes the future of road tire technology, both racing at the highest level and for every rider, is tubeless. The speed, handling, comfort and flat protection of tubeless tires is a benefit for every rider and something our athletes believe in as much as we do.”

Tubeless tech has largely been spurned by the pros, in favour of tubular tyres. Tony Martin has ridden clincher tyres in time trials, but this may be the first time that a road stage of a UCI–level race has been won on tubeless tech.

>>> Why don't the pros use tubeless tyres?

It will be interesting to see if the rather conservative pro peloton quietly switches to tubeless tyre tech, in the same way that disc brakes have now crept into races.

The Tour of California has been hit by a controversy after Tejay van Garderen was allowed to hold onto the race lead, despite losing time on stage four.

EF Education rider Van Garderen was hit by a mechanical inside the final 10km and was forced to chase down the peloton but did not make it back into the bunch.

The peloton were then affected by a crash just outside the 3km mark, causing more time splits.

At the finish, Deceuninck – Quick-Step’s Kasper Asgreen was the race leader-in-waiting after Van Garderen finished 54 seconds back and Gianni Moscon (Team Ineos) also slipped off the podium after being caught in the crash.

Quick-Step's Fabio Jakobsen won the sprint at the line, taking the team's third consecutive stage win in California.

Then an hour after after stage finish, race officials announced that all riders affected by the collision and Van Garderen would be given the same time as the front finishers.

>>> Five talking points from stage five of the Giro d’Italia 2019

The commissaires panel said: “The mass crash near the finish of stage four was just outside the 3km to go point.

“The commissaires have decided to treat the crash such that all riders affected by the incident and the road blockage will receive field time.”

That decision has caused a stir, as many have pointed out the crash happened outside the 3km safety zone and that Van Garderen had not rejoined the bunch by the finish.

Quick-Step boss Patrick Lefevere said on Twitter: “This is a very dangerous precedent and I’m absolute against this decision.”

He added: “Regulations are there to be respected. Now the VAR commissaires will also decide who wins the race.

“Totally unfair against the boys who were fighting for the win.”

>>> Watch: Rémi Cavagna’s sketchy descending while riding to Tour of California solo victory 

The official rules say that a rider or riders involved in a crash or who suffer a puncture or mechanical incident inside the last 3km will be given the same finishing time as the group they were with at the time of the problem.

Rules also state that the president of the commissaires’ panel can also decide to cancel or let the results stand if a race is temporarily neutralised or stopped, taking into account the gaps recorded at the moment of the incident.

But the UCI rules are not clear about whether the panel can neutralise the time gaps because of a crash outside the 3km mark, or whether they can give a rider the same time as the bunch if he had not rejoined.

Van Garderen leads the race by six seconds over Moscon, with Asgreen one second further back.

Tejay van Garderen (EF-Education First) maintains control of the Tour of California, despite crossing the finish line more than 54 seconds adrift of winner Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-Quick Step).

In an uphill sprint finish, Jakobsen beat Jasper Philipsen (UAE-Team Emirates) and Peter Sagan (Bora-Hangsrohe) in Morro Bay, registering Deceuninck-Quick Step's third consecutive win in the Tour of California 2019.

The Dutchman's victory follows Kasper Asgreen's triumph on stage two and Remi Cavagna's successful long-range attack 24 hours earlier.

But the main story of the day is reserved for the confusion surrounding Van Garderen and the general classification. On a stage that shouldn't have caused the 2013 winner any problems, a snapped chain inside the final 10 kilometres forced him onto a new bike that he struggled to handle.

He was unable to get back to the peloton and finished 54 seconds back. Team Ineos' Gianni Moscon, who was six seconds shy of the American before the stage, was brought down in a crash inside five kilometres, meaning he too failed to cross the line in the leading group; the Italian finished seven seconds worse off than Van Garderen.

It looked, therefore, like race leadership had been ceded to Asgreen, but an hour after the stage, officials dramatically announced that Van Garderen was indeed still the holder of the yellow jersey.

Race officials said that Van Garderen was in the main bunch when the last crash occurred inside three kilometres. Initial television footage didn't show how many kilometres were remaining when the peloton split, but commentators did not say that were less than 3,000m remaining.

Nonetheless, officials have credited everyone with the same time as they say the crash occurred in the final three kilometres meaning that much to Van Garderen's relief and Asgreen's anguish, he maintains his lead.

How it happened

The stage began without Kristijan Durasek of UAE Team Emirates after he was named in connection with the Austrian blood doping scandal, the rider being provisionally suspended by the UCI.

Cloudy, windy and rainy conditions greeted the riders at the start of the coastal stage in Raceway Laguna Seca. A five-man breakaway consisted of Michael Hernandez (United States), Roy Goldstein (Israel Cycling Academy),  Joonas Henttala (Nova-Nordisk) and the Hagens Berman Axeon duo of Ian Garrison and Jonny Brown, the latter being the reigning American road race champion.

The peloton were content to allow the escapees an advantage of around four minutes, comfortable that they would bring them back later in the stage.

Behind, however, Astana's Magnus Cort Nielsen crashed in the middle of the pack and looked to be sporting several wounds. Trek-Segafredo, Bora-Hansgrohe and Deceuninck-Quick-Step were doing most of the pulling on the front of the peloton.

Racing into a headwind, the break - especially Hernandez - started attacking each other with their lead just a minute. It was to no avail, though, eventually all being scooped up with nine kilometres remaining.

At 8.4km, race leader Tejay van Garderen suffered a snapped chain, forcing him to dismount. Team-mate Lachlan Morton gave the American his bike, but the EF Education First man initially looked in pain as he struggled to rejoin.

Just a few kilometres later as he closed down the peloton, Van Garderen and his temporary bike was unable to turn right and he missed the turn, going straight. Four of his team-mates, including Rigoberto Urán, dropped back to pace him back to the leading group that was preparing itself for the sprint.

Up ahead, Team Sunweb pressed on. More drama ensued as tape on the road brought down a few riders in the peloton, creating a split. Van Garderen, though, had caught up to what was now the second group on the road.

Inside the final 2,000 metres, Team Ineos took charge on the front, leading a reduced group of around 35 riders towards the finish.

Michael Mørkøv (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) led out the sprint as they turned right into the finishing straight, the Danish rider bringing with him only six riders.

It was Philipsen who was tucked in right behind Mørkøv and he sprinted first, powering forward in the middle of the road.

The Belgian had Sagan in his shadows who then went right in an attempt to pass Philipsen. Once Sagan swung off, Jakobsen - who had been sitting in fourth, biding his time as he sat conserving his energy in the slipstream, went left.

The 22-year-old passed Philipsen and just edged him as they crossed the line, Sagan sitting up to take third place. It is Jakobsen's 11th win as a professional, and his fourth this season.

Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) was unable to contest the finish.

Results

Tour of California 2019, stage four: Raceway Laguna Seca > Morro Bay (212.5km)

1. Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-Quick Step) in 5-53-22

2. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) UAE-Team Emirates

3. Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe

4. Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) Cofidis

5. Janse van Rensburg (RSA) Dimension-Data

6. Davide Ballerini (Ita) Astana

7. Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Bahrain-Merida

8. Kristoffer Halvorsen (Nor) Team Ineos

9. Danny van Poppel (Jumbo-Visma)

10. Kasper Asgreen (Den) Deceuninck-Quick Step, all at same time.

General classification after stage four

1. Tejay van Garderen (USA) EF-Education First in 9-31-19

2. Gianni Moscon (Ita) Team Ineos, at 6 secs

3. Kasper Asgreen (Den) Deceuninck-Quick Step, at 7 secs

4. Tadej Pogacar (Slv) UAE-Team Emirates, at 16 secs

5. Maximillian Schachmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 22 secs

6. Rob Britton (Can) Rally UHC, at 33 secs

7. Jonas Gregaard (Den) Astana, at same time

8. David de la Cruz (Esp) Team Ineos, at 34 secs

9. Felix Grossschartner (Ast) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 35 secs

10. George Bennett (NZl) Team Jumbo-Visma, at 36 secs

We’ve all had a few dodgy moments while descending sweeping roads.

Whether its carrying too much speed and shooting out wide or dabbing the brakes and feeling a bit shaky on the way in, it’s happened to us all - even the pros.

Deceuninck – Quick-Step’s Rémi Cavagna proved that you don’t have to be the most talented bike handler in the world to win at the professional level.

The Frenchman unleashed a mammoth 67km solo attack on stage three of the Tour of California, riding away from his breakaway companion Alex Hoehn (United States) and finishing with seven minutes to spare over the peloton.

>>> Riders pulled from Giro d’Italia and Tour of California as UCI publishes names linked to blood doping scandal

But Cavagna proved to be his own worst enemy on the road to Morgan Hill, as his sketchy descending threw him off course on more than one occasion.

While descending the slopes of Mt. Hamilton with around 60km to race and later San Jose around 20km from home,  Cavagna looked very shaky on the tight hairpin bends, missing the apex multiple times and even unclipping from the pedal to avoid leaving the road at one point.

Speaking after the stage, the 23-year-old said: “Okay,I was a bit scared on the downhill because it was a very difficult one, but I remained calm and went as fast as I could there.”

He added that last year he crashed twice in two weeks, which affected his confidence in handling the bike.

>>> Tom Dumoulin continues on at Giro d’Italia despite knee injury

Despite the hair-raising moments, Cavagna was strong enough to hold the peloton at bay and take a huge solo victory, securing Quick-Step’s second consecutive stage win in the US.

He added: “The stage was so long and hard. We rode full gas from the start, and when I sensed there was an opportunity I jumped into the breakaway where we worked really well together. Then, when I attacked, I felt I could go all the way.”

Stage three in California is Cavagna’s second career victory, after Dwars door West-Vlaanderen last year.

Rémi Cavagna won stage three of the 2019 Tour of California after an impressive breakaway effort.

The Deceuninck-Quick-Step rider was part of a two-man breakaway with Alex Hoehn (United States), and the Frenchman distanced his companion on the toughest climb of the day.

Sitting almost 18 minutes adrift of overnight leader Tejay van Garderen (EF-Education First), the 23-year-old was permitted to stay away and soloed to a memorable victory, just his second as a professional.

He crossed the line more than seven minutes ahead of second-placed Ben King (Dimension Data).

It is his team's second successive win after Kasper Asgreen's impressive win at South Lake Tahoe the preview day.

The win wasn't without its complications, though, with the winner of the 2018 Dwars door West-Vlaanderen race struggling to stay upright on many of the day's descents.

Rolling home 7-47 back, Van Garderen kept hold of the yellow jersey, maintaining his six second advantage to Gianni Moscon of Team Ineos.

How it happened

The 207km stage began in Stockton and the road gradually went skywards as the kilometres ticked by, the highlight being the ascent of Mount Hamilton, a 7.2km climb that topped out at 140.5km. From there, the peloton descended via two more smaller climbs to the finish in Morgan Hill.

A large breakaway group of 17 formed early on, with Travis McCabe (United States), second on stage one, and Rohan Dennis (Bahrain-Merida) involved. As expected, though, Dennis’ presence meant that the peloton soon reeled them in.

That prompted an attack from Hoehn and Cavagna who were allowed a lead that stretched over 10 minutes. It also allowed the former to scoop the King of the Mountains points on offer, the American doing enough to take control of that classification.

Pawel Bernas (CCC Team) then aimed to get involved, but he was obdurately stuck six minutes back from the leading duo, yet four minutes ahead of the peloton.

At 67km to go, on the slopes of Mt. Hamilton, Cavagna attacked his Hoehn, pulling a minute ahead. When the peloton hit the climb, Mark Cavendish (Dimension-Data) suffered an untimely chain problem.

On the descent, Cavagna had to take it extremely careful on a number of tight hairpin bends, but he managed to build an even bigger lead to both a flagging Hoehn and the peloton who appeared to concede that the day’s leader would win the stage, what with him posing no threat to Van Garderen.

The French rider, however, looked very uneasy on the descents, almost crashing on multiple occasions.

His win all but assured, EF Education First took charge at the front of the peloton ahead of the final run-in.

Simon Geschke (CCC Team) and Ben King (Dimension Data) sprung clear, chasing second-place on the stage, the latter just 2-55 down on Van Garderen. The pair caught Hoehn with three kilometres remaining and King beat Geschke to claim second-place.

The peloton, containing the general classification favourites, finished 36 seconds further back.

Stage four looks like being a day for the sprinters.

Results

Tour of California 2019, stage three: Stockton > Morgan Hill (207km)

1. Rémi Cavagna (Fra) Deceuninck-Quick-Step in 5-44-22

2. Ben King (USA) Dimension Data, at 7-11

3. Simon Geschke (Ger) CCC Team, at same time

4. Kasper Asgreen (Den) Deceuninck-Quick Step, at 7-47

5. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) UAE-Team Emirates)

6. Maximillian Schachmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe

7. Nathan Haas (Aus) Katusha-Alpecin

8. Davide Ballerini (Ita) Astana

9. Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Deceuninck-Quick Step

10. Tadej Pogacar (Slo) UAE-Team Emirates, all at same time

General classification after stage three

1. Tejay van Garderen (USA) EF-Education First in 9-31-19

2. Gianni Moscon (Ita) Team Ineos, at 6 secs

3. Kasper Asgreen (Den) Deceuninck-Quick Step, at 7 secs

4. Tadej Pogacar (Slv) UAE-Team Emirates, at 16 secs

5. Maximillian Schachmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 22 secs

6. Rob Britton (Can) Rally UHC, at 33 secs

7. Jonas Gregaard (Den) Astana, at same time

8. David de la Cruz (Esp) Team Ineos, at 34 secs

9. Felix Grossschartner (Ast) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 35 secs

10. George Bennett (NwZ) Team Jumbo-Visma, at 36 secs

Mark Cavendish survived a brutal day of climbing on stage two of the Tour of California that was “like sitting on the indoor trainer for seven hours.”

The Dimension Data sprinter slipped out the back of the peloton with 80km still to race on the road to Lake Tahoe.

Stage two of the seven-day race covered 214.5km from Rancho Cordova near Sacramento through the Eldorado National Forest and finishing at the southern edge of the lake, taking in more than 4,000 metres of climbing.

The consist rise in the parcours caused huge time gaps on only the second day of racing, as Deceuninck – Quick-Step’s Kasper Asgreen rode to victory.

>>> ‘If you want to pass a rider you have to change lines’: Elia Viviani’s sports director defends sprinter after relegation

Cavendish finished 36-09 down on the stage winner, alongside team-mate and faithful lieutenant Bernhard Eisel.

The Brit said on Twitter after the stage: “Well glad that’s out the way. Always the stage I dread most in the cycling season.

“Racing up to Lake Tahoe in the Tour of California was like sitting on the indoor trainer for seven hours. Half of it with just Bernhard Eisel for company. Like a re-run of our day in 2016.”

Cavendish was the second from last rider to cross line, as Novo Nordisk’s Fabio Calabria rounded out the day 47-35 down on the front group.

The race organisers set the time cut at 60 minutes to avoid a mass departure of riders.

Trek-Segafredo’s Tom Skujinš also suffered on the stage, finishing in a group of 27 riders 26-19 down.

Skujinš said: “Not the day I was expecting at the Tour of California.

“Really disappointed that I couldn’t be there for my team, but turned into the hardest day since racing the Tour of the Gila in 2014 with Hincapie Racing.”

>>> Tao Geoghegan Hart ‘can come back stronger’ after losing time on Giro d’Italia stage three

Asgreen, Tejay van Garderen (EF Education First) and Gianni Moscon (Team Ineos) were the only riders left to battle for the win at the line, with Asgreen riding away to take stage victory.

Van Garderen’s strong showing puts him into the leader’s jersey with a six-second advantage over Moscon overall.

Peter Sagan claimed his first win in almost four months as he proved the fastest on stage one of the Amgen Tour of California.

Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) sprinted to victory on stage of the Tour of California in Sacramento

The Bora-Hansgrohe man beat Travis McCabe (United States) and Max Walscheid (Team Sunweb) in a sprint in the state capital of Sacramento.

Mark Cavendish (Dimension-Data) and Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) were some of the fancied sprinters who failed to contest the finish, the former 30 seconds down on Sagan.

It is Sagan's 17th win in the race, but only his second of 2019. The last time he raised his hands in triumph was stage three of the Tour Down Under on January 17.

The three-time world champion will be relieved to have returned to winning ways after coming close at Paris-Roubaix and Milan-San Remo.

Victory for the Slovak means that he takes the leader's jersey but he is unlikely to be able to repeat his result from four years ago when he won topped the general classification after eight stages.

Stage two of the 14th edition sees the riders gradually climb from sea level to 2,616m before finishing at South Lake Tahoe. An uphill finish will tempt the rouleurs.

How it happened

Starting in Sacramento, the peloton headed for the northern Central Valley. Almost immediately, four men swelled to form a breakaway: Laurens de Vreese (Astana), Tyler Stites (United States), Charles Planet (Novo-Nordisk) and Michael Schär (CCC Team).

The quartet were never allowed to extend their lead to more than a few minutes, and perhaps aware of the inevitable, De Vreese sat up to be swamped by the peloton with 76km of the 143km stage still to race.

A peloton hungry for a bunch sprint caught Plant, the last surviving member of the breakaway, with 19km still to race, setting up the finish.

Deceuninck-Quick-Step set the pace initially as the sprinting teams organised ahead of two laps in the city's downtown which were watched by large crowds.

Team Sunweb rode superbly at the front in the final few kilometres, Sagan noticeably sitting in the middle of their lead-out train that was intended for Walscheid.

As they entered the final kilometre, both Deceuninck-Quick Step and Ineos were at the front of the race, the peloton behind splitting across the road leaving only a half-a-dozen riders to battle it out in the finale.

Owain Doull hit the front, working for his teammate Kristoffer Halvorsen. But behind the Welshman was Sagan who was making the most of the slipstream.

At 150m to go, Sagan darted into the vacant space to the right of Doull, with Michael Morkov of Deceuninck-Quick Step quick to follow. The Dane, however, couldn't match the speed of Sagan.

Sagan powered to the line but McCabe put in a valiant effort to match Sagan and almost snatch victory on the line. Doull rolled home sixth, the rest of the peloton four seconds behind, led by John Degenkolb of Trek-Segafredo.

Results

Tour of California 2019, stage one: Sacramento > Sacramento (143km)

1. Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe, in 3-14-10

2. Trevor McCabe (USA) United States

3. Max Walscheid (Ger) Team Sunweb

4. Kristoffer Halvorsen (Nor) Team Ineos

5. Michael Morkov (Den) Deceuninck-Quick Step

6. Owain Doull (GBr) Team Ineos, all at same time

7. John Degenkolb (Ger) Trek-Segafredo, at 4 secs

8. Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Bahrain-Merida

9. Erik Baska (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe

10. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) UAE-Team Emirates, all at same time

General classification after stage one

1. Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe in 3-14-10

2. Trevor McCabe (USA) United States, at 4 secs

3. Max Walscheid (Ger) Team Sunweb, at 6 secs

4. Kristoffer Halvorsen (Nor) Team Ineos, at 10 secs

5. Michael Morkov (Den) Deceuninck-Quick Step

6. Owain Doull (GBr) Team Ineos, all at same time

7. Tyler Stites (USA) United States, at 11 secs

8. George Bennett (NwZ) Team Jumbo-Visma, at 13 secs

9. John Degenkolb (Ger) Trek-Segafredo, at 14 secs

10. Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Bahrain-Merida, at same time

A total of 19 teams have been announced for the men's Tour of California 2019 (May 12-18), including 13 squads from the UCI's top-tier WorldTour.

Among those riders already confirmed for the American stage race are sprinters Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe), and Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data).

Bahrain-Merida's Rohan Dennis will take up leadership duties for his team, while Richie Porte (Trek-Segafredo) will make his return to racing at the US stage race.

Overall winner in 2018 Egan Bernal (Team Ineos) will not return to the race this year, as he was set for a leadership role at the Giro d'Italia but is currently out injured.

>>> Tour of California 2018: Latest news, reports and info

Meanwhile, 16 teams will take part in the women's race over May 16-18.

2019 Amgen Tour of California start list

Team Ineos (GBr)

BASSO Leonardo (Ita)

DE LA CRUZ David (Esp)

DOULL Owain (GBr)

HALVORSEN Kristoffer (Nor)

MOSCON Gianni (Ita)

ROSA Diego (Ita)

ROWE Luke (GBr)

Jumbo-Visma (Ned)

BENNETT George (Nzl)

HOFSTEDE Lennard (Ned)

DE TIER Floris (Bel)

POWLESS Neilson (USA)

VAN POPPEL Danny (Ned)

ROOSEN Timo (Ned)

LINDEMAN Bert-Jan (Ned)

Bahrain-Merida (Brn)

DENNIS Rohan (Aus)

SIEBERG Marcel (Ger)

GARCÍA CORTINA Iván (Esp)

BAUHAUS Phil (Ger)

HAUSSLER Heinrich (Aus)

PERNSTEINER Hermann (Aut)

Trek-Segafredo (USA)

PORTE Richie (Aus)

DEGENKOLB John (Ger)

SKUJIŅŠ Toms (Lat)

STETINA Peter (USA)

REIJNEN Kiel (USA)

PEDERSEN Mads (Den)

EG Niklas (Den)

Astana Pro Team (Kaz)

BALLERINI Davide (Ita)

CORT Magnus (Den)

CONTRERAS Rodrigo (Col)

FOMINYKH Daniil (Kaz)

DE VREESE Laurens (Bel)

HOULE Hugo (Can)

GREGAARD Jonas (Den)

Bora-Hansgrohe (Ger)

SAGAN Peter (Svk)

SCHACHMANN Maximilian (Ger)

BAŠKA Erik (Svk)

GROßSCHARTNER Felix (Aut)

GATTO Oscar (Ita)

SAGAN Juraj (Svk)

OSS Daniel (Ita)

Deceuninck - Quick-Step (Bel)

JAKOBSEN Fabio (Ned)

ASGREEN Kasper (Den)

CAVAGNA Rémi (Fra)

DECLERCQ Tim (Bel)

MØRKØV Michael (Den)

RICHEZE Maximiliano (Arg)

ŠTYBAR Zdeněk (Cze)

EF Education First (USA)

VAN GARDEREN Tejay (USA)

HIGUITA Sergio (Col)

URÁN Rigoberto (Col)

CRADDOCK Lawson (USA)

HOWES Alex (USA)

MORTON Lachlan (Aus)

PHINNEY Taylor (USA)

UAE Team Emirates (UAE)

POGAČAR Tadej (Slo)

PHILIPSEN Jasper (Bel)

ĐURASEK Kristijan (Cro)

FERRARI Roberto (Ita)

LAENGEN Vegard Stake (Nor)

MUÑOZ Cristian Camilo (Col)

OLIVEIRA Rui (Por)

Dimension Data (RSA)

CAVENDISH Mark (GBr)

BAK Lars Ytting (Den)

EISEL Bernhard (Aut)

JANSE VAN RENSBURG Reinardt (RSA)

KING Ben (USA)

MEINTJES Louis (RSA)

THOMSON Jay Robert (RSA)

Katusha-Alpecin (Sui)

HAAS Nathan (Aus)

CRAS Steff (Bel)

DEBUSSCHERE Jens (Bel)

FABBRO Matteo (Ita)

GONÇALVES José (Por)

ŠPILAK Simon (Slo)

ZABEL Rick (Ger)

CCC Team (Pol)

BARTA Will (USA)

BERNAS Paweł (Pol)

GESCHKE Simon (Ger)

SAJNOK Szymon (Pol)

SCHÄR Michael (Sui)

VAN HOECKE Gijs (Bel)

ZOIDL Riccardo (Aut)

Cofidis, Solutions Crédits (Fra)

BOUHANNI Nacer (Fra)

ATAPUMA Darwin (Col)

MATÉ Luis Ángel (Esp)

LE TURNIER Mathias (Fra)

HANSEN Jesper (Den)

BERHANE Natnael (Eri)

FORTIN Filippo (Ita)

Sunweb (Ger)

BOL Cees (Ned)

CURVERS Roy (Ned)

FRÖHLINGER Johannes (Ger)

NIEUWENHUIS Joris (Ned)

PEDERSEN Casper (Den)

STORER Michael (Aut)

WALSCHEID Max (Ger)

Hagens Berman Axeon (USA)

BJERG Mikkel (Den)

ALMEIDA João (Por)

ANDERSON Edward (USA)

BROWN Jonny (USA)

DAVIS Cole (USA)

GARRISON Ian (USA)

RICE Michael (Aus)

Israel Cycling Academy (Isr)

ÁVILA Edwin (Col)

SAGIV Guy (Isr)

GOLDSTEIN Roy (Isr)

BADILATTI Matteo (Sui)

SCHREURS Hamish (NZl)

CATAFORD Alexander (Can)

ENGER Sondre Holst (Den)

Rally UHC Cycling (USA)

MCNULTY Brandon (USA)

BRITTON Rob (Can)

ELLSAY Nigel (Can)

HUFFMAN Evan (USA)

MANNION Gavin (USA)

MURPHY Kyle (USA)

ORONTE Emerson (USA)

Novo Nordisk (USA)

BRAND Sam (GBr)

CALABRIA Fabio (Aus)

HENTTALA Joonas (Fin)

KUSZTOR Péter (Hun)

LOZANO David (Esp)

PERON Andrea (Ita)

PLANET Charles (Fra)

United States (USA) - confirmed

BOARDMAN Samuel (USA)

BRYON Miguel (USA)

HERNANDEZ Michael (USA)

HOEHN Alex (USA)

MCCABE Travis (USA)

STITES Tyler (USA)

SWIRBUL Keegan (USA)

2019 Amgen Tour of California Women's Race start list

Canyon-SRAM Racing (Ger)

CROMWELL Tiffany (Aus)

NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna (Pol)

RYAN Alexis (USA)

Bepink (Ita)

Astana Womens Team (Ita)

SIERRA Arlenis (Cub)

Boels - Dolmans Cycling Team (Ned)

BLAAK Chantal (Ned)

HALL Katie (USA)

CCC - Liv (Pol)

MOOLMAN Ashleigh (RSA)

Cogeas - Mettler Pro Cycling Team (Rus)

Drops (GBr)

Hagens Berman-Supermint Pro Cycling Team (USA)

Rally UHC Cycling Women (USA)

WHITE Emma (USA)

TWENTY20 Pro Cycling (USA)

DYGERT Chloe (USA)

Swapit Agolico (Mex)

Sunweb (Ger)

LABOUS Juliette (Fra)

RIVERA Coryn (USA)

Tibco - SVB (USA)

RYAN Kendall (USA)

Trek-Segafredo Women (USA)

WINDER Ruth (USA)

DEIGNAN Elizabeth (GBr)

WILES Tayler (USA)

LEPISTÖ Lotta (Fin)

Valcar Cylance Cycling (Ita)

BALSAMO Elisa (Ita)

WNT-Rotor Pro Cycling (Ger)

BRENNAUER Lisa (Ger)

The Amgen Tour of California route has been confirmed for 2019, with seven stages starting in Sacramento on Sunday, May 12, and finishing in Pasadena on Saturday, May 28.

Run at the same time as the Giro d'Italia, the first American race to be awarded UCI WorldTour status has historically attracted a variety of riders, with a combination of stages tailored to the sprinters, a time trial and a summit finish high in the mountains.

The 2019 edition will run in seven stages over seven days, over a 1251km course.

This year will include 14 sprints and 25 King of the Mountain climbs, the most in the race’s history.

The Tour of California Women’s Race will be run over three stages alongside the men’s, from May 16-18.

>>> Giro d’Italia start list: confirmed list of teams for the 2019 race

President of the race, Kristin Klein, said: “The Amgen Tour of California is the pinnacle of cycling in America.

“The 2019 race course is incredibly demanding – there’s more climbing and more long road days than ever before.

“With the best of the best in cycling coming to California to contest it, we are in for another memorable race.

“We look forward to shining the spotlight on the beauty of California.”

Last year’s race was won by Team Sky's young revelation Egan Bernal, after the Colombian won two stages.

Tour of California 2019 route

Women's Tour of California 2019 route

Tour of California 2019: stage-by-stage

Stage one: Sunday, May 12, Sacramento to Sacrament (143km)

The opening day will see racers roll out of Sacramento across the iconic Tower Bridge and passing through West Sacramento before hugging the Sacramento River into the city of Woodland.

Then the race travels across several rural roads in Yolo County, before turning back towards the start for an expected fast finish.

Stage two: Monday, May 13, Rancho Cordova to South Lake Tahoe (194.5km)

The city of Rancho Cordova will be a new stage host for the 2019 edition, starting at sea level before heading east through the El Dorado Hills.

Huge crowds are expected in Placerville before the peloton heads for the picturesque Mormon Emigrant Trail and Highway 88.

There will also be some testing climbing on the way, with the King of the Mountain line at Carson Pass topping out at 2,627 metres – the highest point the race has ever reached.

A long descent will follow, with a brutally steep finish to South Lake Tahoe.

Stage three: Tuesday, May 14, Stockton to Morgan Hill (207km)

The city of Stockton returns for stage three, before the race route winds around the city and heads towards the HC climb up to Mount Hamilton – 35km of climbing and descending, with two climbs and 25 switchbacks.

The race will return to the eastern slopes of San Jose and into Morgan Hill, site of the 2018 time trial stage.

Stage four: Wednesday, May 15, Laguna Seca to Morro Bay (212.5km)

After a short climb out of Laguna Seca, the race will pass through Seaside, Monterey and Carmel.

There will be gentle rolling landscape along the highway.

After passing through Morro Bay State Park, the riders will tackle a steep test to the finish with Morro Rock over their shoulders.

Stage five: Thursday, May 16, Pismo Beach to Ventura (218.5)km

This stage will also be the start of the Tour of California Women’s Race, with a 96.5km route from Ventura to Ventura.

This stage will trek through San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties, long the cornerstone of this race.

Riding through the Foxen Canyon, famous for its vineyards and wineries, the riders will then head onto the highway before the gruelling climb up San Marcos Pass.

There will be two categorised climbs ahead on Casitas Pass.

The finish will be atop the short 12 per cent climb up Fero Drive.

On the women’s side, there will be a punchy day’s racing with five Queen of the Mountain checkpoints, the final 56km mirroring the men’s race.

Stage six: Friday, May 17, Ontario to Mount Baldy (127.5km)

This is the queen stage of the race, with a return to the Mount Baldy race that thrilled fans in 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2017.

This will also be the first time the women race on the slopes, a favoured training ground for Californian riders, over 74km.

Heading north to the cities of Rancho Cucamonga and Upland, the riders will start a 17km climb to the village of Mount Baldy.

Then there’s a 33km run of narrow and twisting descent down the back of Glendora Mountain Road.

At Ice House Canyon the race takes a hard left turn, before the road climbs with 1.6km to go at 15 per cent to the line.

Stage seven: Saturday, May 18, Santa Clarita to Pasadena (141km)

This will also be the climax of the women’s race, over 115.5km also from Santa Clarita to Pasadena.

The general classification teams will be looking to protect their riders as the sprinters eye the finish line on the final day.

The first climb will come at Mill Creek Summit, before a descent and onto Upper Big Tujunga to the final climb of the race.

A quick dash through La Canada Flintridge follows and down Rosemont Avenue to the famous Rose Bowl for the final line of the race.

Women's Tour of California 2019: stage-by-stage

Stage 1: Thursday May 16, Ventura to Ventura (96.5km)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m37NlGJ4dms

A new route for this year - with a 900 metre climb, averaging at 10 per cent, which summits just 5 km from the finish.

A roll in to the sprint means it's probably not going to be easy to break up the field, and a bunch sprint is likely.

Stage 2: Friday May 17,  Ontario to Mt Baldy (74km)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=655zP0PZJrk

A super short day which promises some aggressive racing from the word go.

This Queen stage features two categorised climbs, and pretty much goes up all day.

The first, Glendora Mountain Road, is 12.6km long, averaging at 5 per cent.

The second climb - Mount Baldy - is 8km long at just over 8 per cent, becoming steeper towards the finish line.

Stage 3: Saturday May 18, Santa Clarita to Pasadena (126km)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFjiE1TrqqQ

Stage three opens with wide roads from Santa Clarita, with steady climbs early on.

There's a long descent to Pasadena, and no particularly steep climbs along the way, so a bunch sprint is likely.

Live pictures from the 2019 Amgen Tour of California over May 12-18 will be broadcast on Eurosport and via the Amgen Tour of California Tour Tracker app.

The women's race takes place from May 16-18 and you can catch up via the Tracker app. Eurosport will play a 15 minute highlight each evening, too.

Eurosport will broadcast the final two hours of each men's stage live, starting at 22.00 BST each night and finishing at the end of the stage around midnight. There will be replays throughout the day (and night).

Meanwhile the Tour Tracker app, which is available for iOS and Android devices, will allow users to watch live coverage of the final two hours of the men's race alongside live GPS and race profiles, and nightly highlights of the Amgen women's race.

>>> Tour of California 2017 route guide

>>> Tour of California 2017: Latest news, reports and info

Tour of California 2019: Official tracker

The Amgen Tour of California 2019 Tracker is an online facility that shows a live video stream alongside text updates and a rolling stage profile.

Tour of California 2019: Eurosport Live schedule

Monday 13 May

0000-0200 Stage 1 LIVE on Eurosport 1

1630-1800 Stage 1 Highlights on Eurosport 1

2200-0000 Stage 2 LIVE on Eurosport 1

Tuesday 14 May

1830-2000 Stage 2 Highlights on Eurosport 1

2200-0000 Stage 3 LIVE on Eurosport 1

Wednesday 15 May

1830-2000 Stage 3 Highlights on Eurosport 1

2200-0000 Stage 4 LIVE on Eurosport 1

Thursday 16 May

1830-2000 Stage 4 Highlights on Eurosport 1

2200-0000 Stage 5 LIVE on Eurosport 1

Friday 17 May

1830-1845 Women’s Stage 1 Highlights on Eurosport 1

1845-2000 Stage 5 Highlights on Eurosport 1

2200-0000 Stage 6 LIVE on Eurosport 1

Saturday 18 May

1730-1845 Stage 6 Highlights on Eurosport 1

1845-1900 Women’s Stage 2 Highlights on Eurosport 1

2000-2200 Stage 7 LIVE on Eurosport 1

Sunday 19 May

1845-1900 Women’s Stage 3 Highlights on Eurosport 1

1900-2000 Stage 7 Highlights on Eurosport 1

While effort is made to ensure the accuracy of this information, schedules are subject to change.

Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors) took his second stage win of the 2018 Tour of California as he out-sprinted Caleb Ewan (Mitchelton-Scott) and Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) on stage five.

With only one minor categorised climb halfway through the stage, stage five of the Tour of California look destined to be decided in a bunch sprint, with Michael Rice (Hagens Berman Axeon), Ruben Companioni and Fabian Lienhard (Holowesko-Citadel), Tanner Putt (UnitedHealthcare), and Stijn Vandenbergh (Ag2r La Mondiale) being the five riders who formed the day's doomed breakaway.

The breakaway was not allowed more than 3-30 up the road all day, and as the race entered the final 30km first Rice and then Companioni were dropped from the break, leaving just three riders in the lead who put in a decent fight to hold off the bunch until two kilometres from the line.

While Quick-Step Floors controlled the front of the bunch to keep Fernando Gaviria out of trouble, some of the Colombian's rivals were not having quite such an easy ride.

Marcel Kittel (Katusha-Alpecin) suffered a puncture with six kilometres remaining, while Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) first clashed with another rider, requiring him to get a replacement rear wheel with 10km remaining, before he was held up by a crash with three kilometres to go and eventually rolled in in 35th place.

Meanwhile at the front of the bunch Quick-Step Floors delivered a textbook lead-out effort for Gaviria to deliver him to 200m to go at the head of the group with Ewan and Sagan in his wheel.

Although Sagan was unable to come out of Gaviria's wheel, Ewan launched a spirited charge on the left-hand side of the road, but left it too late to overcome his Quick-Step rival as Gaviria made it two victories from two bunch sprints at this year's Tour of California.

As for the general classification, there was no change in the top 10 as Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing) and the rest of the GC contenders finished safely in the main bunch.

Results

Tour of California 2018, stage five: Stockton to Elk Grove, 176.5km

1. Fernando Gaviria (Col) Quick-Step Floors, in 4-04-34

2. Caleb Ewan (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott

3. Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe

4. Rick Zabel (Ger) Katusha-Alpecin

5. John Murphy (USA) Holowesko-Citadel

6. Sean Bennett (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon

7. Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Arg) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling

8. Ivo Oliveira (Por) Hagens Berman Axeon

9. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) UAE Team Emirates

10. Travis McCabe (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling, all at same time

General classification after stage five

1. Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing, in 16-55-29

2. Egan Bernal (Col) Team Sky, at 23 secs

3. Daniel Martinez (Col) EF Education First-Drapac, at 37 secs

4. Adam Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott, at 1-07

5. Tao Geoghegan Hart (GBr) Team Sky, at 1-15

6. Rafal Majka (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 1-29

7. Brandon McNulty (USA) Rally Cycling, at 2-08

8. Laurens De Plus (Bel) Quick-Step Floors, at 2-13

9. Kristijan Durasek (Cro) UAE Team Emirates, at 2-15

10. Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing, at 2-34

Mark Cavendish will have an opportunity to change the tide of a so far bewildering season on stage five of the Tour of California.

Sprinters will again come to the fore of the race following a test in the mountains, a day for opportunists and Wednesday’s 34.7km individual time trial at Silicon Valley.

Cavendish (Dimension Data) wasn’t in the mix and sat-up on the opening stage, which Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors) won, though stayed upright. That was perhaps a sigh of relief for the 32-year-old, who after winning a stage on season debut at the Dubai Tour has spent majority time on the tarmac and finished just two of the six races he has started.

Cavendish stayed in the Middle East and rode the Tour of Oman before the Abu Dhabi Tour in which he fell in the neutral zone and abandoned kilometres later with a concussion.

The 30-time Tour de France stage winner recovered in time for Tirreno-Adriatico but crashed in the opening team time trial, which he finished outside the time limit with a fractured rib and facial lacerations.

He then fractured another rib when he somersaulted over a high and wide bollard at Milan-San Remo, a race he knows intimately well having won in 2009.

“I always found the phase of the Classics more intense because you can win and lose in a shorter period of time whereas this is more drawn out,” Dimension Data sports director Roger Hammond said in California.

“Now I feel like I’m on a massive oil tanker that takes two miles to change direction or turn. Once you start that’s it, whereas the Classics feel like a speed boat race.”

Cavendish entered the Tour of California, normally happy hunting ground for him, off the back of the Tour de Yorkshire that he retired from on stage four.

Hammond said California was a “new start” to get “on the right path” with a view to the Tour de France more than anything else.

“He’s not here riding around to have a look at the California countryside but it’s part of a phase of the season now,” he said. “I think we’re pretty confident that you wouldn’t bet against him winning.

"That’s what he did in Milan San-Remo. He didn’t ride in Abu Dhabi, or Tirreno-Adriatico, and then he was one of the last sprinters left approaching the Poggio, before he hit the bollard. That’s the way to look at it.”

Hammond interpreted the spills as bad luck over something more sinister and threw a wider net, encompassing the squad’s season, which has been compared to a voodoo doll getting repeatedly beaten.

The latest blow could have been fatal for veteran road captain Bernhard Eisel, who underwent emergency brain surgery for a crash-related subdural haematoma last month.

“I think a little bit of bad luck brings more bad luck in that you have less and less people around you. It’s not just Mark in the team,” Hammond said.

“Reinardt Janse van Rensburg hasn’t raced since the World Championships last year so he’s an important part of his lead-out. [Mark] Renshaw has been sick since last year as well so that’s another key person in his lead-out.

"If you then have to cover those people on your own, or have people that are new and stepping up, it’s like working with neo-pros in that position, which isn’t ideal. We do our best to try and replace, make it right, but things happen.”

Thursday’s 176.5km fourth stage from Stockton to Elk Grove features one category three climb around the halfway point of an otherwise flat course.

The final stage in Sacramento - where Cavendish has never lost a bunch sprint – is what the Manxman has put his own name down for though.

Toms Skujiņš (Trek-Segafredo) took an attacking victory on an exciting third stage of the Tour of California as Egan Bernal (Team Sky) maintained his overall lead.

On a day peppered with five second and third-category climbs, Skujiņš attacking on the third climb of the day to Cachuga Road with Logan Owen (EF Education First-Drapac) to bridge across to Evan Huffman and Robin Carpenter (Rally Cycling).

Skujiņš and Owen quickly passed the two riders from the early break, before Skujiņš continued on solo. However the Latvian soon had company once again as he was joined by Sean Bennett (Hagens Berman Axeon) on the approach to the finish at the Laguna Seca race track.

As they crested the final climb of the day with five kilometres remaining, Skujiņš and Bennett had just a 10 second lead on the pack and look destined to be caught, but were able to hold that gap and even slightly extend it for the final couple of kilometres on the race track.

Skujiņš looked the stronger of the two, and duly rode Bennett off his wheel on a steep pitch in the final kilometre and crossed the line with plenty of time to celebrate a year after he abandoned the Tour of California with concussion following a scary crash.

Meanwhile Caleb Ewan (Mitchelton-Scott) and Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) had both managed to survive the day's multiple climbs and duly led the chasing pack across the line at eight seconds, while Bernal finished one place behind Sagan in fifth to maintain the overall lead.

Results

Tour of California 2018, stage three: King City to Laguna Seca, 197km

1. Toms Skujiņš (Lat) Trek-Segafredo, in 4-52-48 4:52:47

2. Sean Bennett (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon, at 3 secs

3. Caleb Ewan (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott, at 8 secs

4. Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe

5. Egan Bernal (Col) Team Sky

6. Adam Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott

7. Alex Howes (USA) EF Education First-Drapac

8. Tom-Jelte Slagter (Ned) Dimension Data

9. Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing

10. William Barta (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon, at same time

General classification after stage three

1. Egan Bernal (Col) Team Sky, in 12-09-08

2. Rafal Majka (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 25 secs

3. Adam Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott, at 31 secs

4. Antwan Tolhoek (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo, at 40 secs

5. Kristijan Durasek (Cro) UAE Team Emirates, at same time

6. Daniel Martinez (Col) EF Education First-Drapac, at same time

7. Mathias Frank (Sui) AG2R La Mondiale, at 50 secs

8. Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing, at 1-00

9. Rúben Guerreiro (Por) Trek-Segafredo, at 1-11

10. Laurens De Plus (Bel) Quick-Step Floors, at 1-14

Egan Bernal (Team Sky) took a dominant victory on a tough summit finish at the end of the second stage of the Tour of California to move into the race lead.

While Team Sky and Chris Froome have been struggling at the Giro d'Italia, 21-year-old Bernal was flying in California as he launched a stinging attack in the final three kilometres to ride clear, crossing the line more than 21 seconds ahead of Rafal Majka (Bora-Hansgrohe) and 25 seconds ahead of Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott).

The early part of the day had seen a three-man group escape early, with Ruben Companioni (Holowesko-Citadel), Adam De Vos (Rally) and Australian Jonny Clarke (UnitedHealthcare) enjoying a maximum lead of more than six minutes as the peloton prepared itself for the testing summit finish of Gibraltor Road.

In the end the break was caught by the base of the 12km climb, with Michael Schär (BMC Racing) helping to blow the race to pieces on the lower slopes of the climb as he worked to protect Tejay van Garderen and Brent Bookwalter.

Schär's work reduced the group to just a dozen or so riders, before Team Sky moved to the front with Tao Geoghegan Hart working hard to set up the anticipated move by Bernal.

And with slightly less than three kilometres remaining that move came as Bernal put in a stinging acceleration that none of the other GC contenders were able to follow.

By the line Bernal had opened his lead to 21 seconds ahead of Majka, with Yates, on his comeback from injury, another four seconds back. That result means that Bernal not only moves into the race lead, but also the mountains, points, and best young rider jerseys.

The Tour of California continues on Tuesday with another mountainous stage to Laguna Seca, before a 34.7km time trial on Wednesday where Bernal will face a stiff test to hold on to his lead.

Results

Tour of California 2018, stage two: Ventura to Gibraltor Road, 157km

1. Egan Bernal (Col) Team Sky, in 4-14-00

2. Rafal Majka (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 21 secs

3. Adam Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott, at 25 secs

4. Antwan Tolhoek (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo, at 30 secs

5. Daniel Martinez (Col) EF Education First-Drapac, at same time

6. Kristijan Durasek (Cro) UAE Team Emirates, at same time

7. Mathias Frank (Swi) Ag2r La Mondiale, at 40 secs

8. Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing, at 50 secs

9. Edward Ravasi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates, at 59 secs

10. Rúben Guerreiro (Por) Trek-Segafredo, at 1-01

General classification after stage two

1. Egan Bernal (Col) Team Sky, in 7-16-13

2. Rafal Majka (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 25 secs

3. Adam Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott, at 31 secs

4. Antwan Tolhoek (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo, at 40 secs

5. Kristijan Durasek (Cro) UAE Team Emirates, at same time

6. Daniel Martinez (Col) EF Education First-Drapac, at same time

7. Mathias Frank (Swi) Ag2r La Mondiale, at 50 secs

8. Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing, at 1-00

9. Edward Ravasi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates, at 1-09

10. Rúben Guerreiro (Por) Trek-Segafredo, at 1-11

Adam Yates has not let an injury disrupted season affect resolve as he looks clearly toward a yellow jersey bid at the Tour de France in July.

The 25-year-old will comeback from injury at the Tour of California this weekend, almost two months after fracturing his pelvis in a “pretty serious” crash at the Volta a Catalunya.

“Considering the injury, I’m in pretty good shape I would say. I had 10 days off completely and then a week on the home trainer just pedalling again,” Yates said.

>>> Tour of California 2018 start list

The Andorra-based climber has been training around Lake Tahoe in the lead-up to California where Mitchelton-Scott have multiple options with he and Australian sprinter, Caleb Ewan.

“I’ve been training with the guys and it’s all been going good so far. Nothing special, but good enough,” Yates said.

“Here we have different goals, we’ve brought more of a sprint squad but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to try and be competitive in GC and pretty much every stage. Realistically, I’d like to be top 10. There’s a couple of tricky stages and also the TT, which is not so easy for me.”

Yates has been keeping tabs on the exploits of twin brother, Simon, who was leading the Giro d’Italia at the time of print.

It’s a position he hopes to emulate at the Tour de France this year as Mitchelton-Scott’s primary leader.

Yates finished 50th on debut at the Tour in 2015 and just 12 months later shocked with fourth-place overall.

“I was there two years ago and, yeah, I mean last time we didn’t really go in with a plan of riding GC but I think as a rider I’ve been progressing year on year,” he said.

Yates competed at the Giro d’Italia, over the Tour, last season in which he learned the intricacies of Grand Tour team leadership, which he believes will bode well come July.

“It’s no different from that. The guys trust me and I trust the guys,” he said.

“After this [California], I go home for 10 days and then do [the Critérium du] Dauphiné. That’s pretty much it towards the Tour.

"The big goal for the season has always been the Tour and this is a good stepping stone for that,” he said.

Peter Sagan will return to racing for the first time since finishing his spring Classics campaign, lining up at the Tour of California which starts in Long Beach on May 13.

Sagan enjoyed a successful spring in April and May, winning Paris-Roubaix and Ghent-Wevelgem, and achieving top 10 placings in Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders, and the Amstel Gold Race.

After a period of rest, Sagan has been confirmed as returning to the Tour of California as part of a seven-man Bora-Hansgrohe line-up which also includes his brother Juraj.

Sagan has been a frequent visitor to the Tour of California, taking part in the American WorldTour race in every year since he turned pro in 2010.

Watch: First look - Specialized Tarmac Disc

During that time the three-time world champion has picked up 16 stage wins, mainly in sprint stages, but also won the race overall in 2015 as he took victory in the individual time trial and never finished lower than sixth in each of the race's eight stages.

Sagan will be joined in Calfornia by star domestiques such as Daniel Oss, who played an integral part in the Slovak's successful spring campaign.

The team also includes Polish GC contender Rafal Majka who will hope to deliver results on the Tour of California's three mountain stages as he builds his form ahead of the Tour de France in July.

The 2018 edition of the Tour of California consists of seven stages between May 13 and May 19. Three of the stages are suited to the sprinters, while three include tough climbs with a high altitude summit finish on stage six probably deciding the winner of one of the toughest editions in the race's history. However the 34.7km individual time trial from San José to Morgan Hill on stage four could also prove important.

Bora-Hansgrohe team for Tour of California

Maciej Bodnar

Rafal Majka

Jay McCarthy

Daniel Oss

Pawel Poljanski

Juraj Sagan

Peter Sagan

Top sprinters Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data), Marcel Kittel (Katusha-Alpecin) and world champion Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) will line-up for the 2018 Tour of California over May 13-19.

The American WorldTour stage race's organiser announced that the trio of fastmen will take part in the 2018 edition of the race, as it also confirmed the routes for both the men's and women's races.

Cavendish will return to the race after being forced to take a year out in 2017 after suffering with mononucleosis, which scuppered the first part of the British rider's season. Previously, he has taken 10 stage victories in the race.

"I have been very successful in California," Cavendish said of his participation in the race, continuing: "It’s been a pretty smooth winter. I deserved a little bit of smoothness after last year. And now I’m looking for victories."

>>> Tour of California: Latest news, reports and race info

Cavendish took his first win of the year at the Dubai Tour on Thursday, where he beat a world-class field of sprinters – including Kittel – to claim stage three of the race.

Cavendish's stage win record in the Tour of California is only bettered by Sagan, who boasts no less than 16 stage wins. The Slovak has been become a mainstay of the race, and will vie for a seventh points classification victory in the 2018 edition.

"Building up to the Tour de France with a strong performance at the Amgen Tour of California is always an important goal," said Sagan. "The race is one of my favourite competitions every year - always challenging competition and such beautiful scenery - and I'm excited to return and try for more stage wins this year."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AntnS1WXA4

The full 1039km (645.5 mile) route of the 2018 Tour of California was confirmed, but with a note that the route may be altered in the wake of the region's recent wildfires and subsequent mudslides.

Stage two finishing on the climb to Gibraltar Road, stage four's 34.7km time trial and stage six to South Lake Tahoe look to be the decisive days in terms of the general classification.

New Zealander George Bennett riding for LottoNL-Jumbo took the 2017 victory ahead of Rafał Majka (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Andrew Talansky (Cannondale-Drapac).

Amgen Tour of California 2018 stages (men)

Stage one, Sunday May 13, Long Beach to Long Beach, 133km

Stage two, Monday May 14, Ventura to Gibraltar Road, 155km

Stage three, Tuesday May 15, King City to Laguna Seca, 197km

Stage four, Wednesday May 16, San Jose/Morgan Hill, 34.7km ITT

Stage five, Thursday May 17, Stockton to Elk Grove, 176km

Stage six, Friday May 18, Folsom to South Lake Tahoe, 196.5km

Stage seven, Saturday May 19, Sacramento to Sacramento, 146km

Amgen Tour of California 2018 stages (women)

The three-stage route for the women's Tour of California (May 17-19) has also been confirmed, with stages one and two expected to end in a bunch sprint and stage two to South Lake Tahoe providing the platform for the overall classification battle to be fought. Dutch rider Anna van der Breggen (Boels-Dolmans) won the 2017 edition.

Stage one, Thursday May 17, Elk Grove, 123.5km

Stage two, Friday May 18, South Lake Tahoe, 108km

Stage three, Saturday May 19, Sacramento, 70km

Two Katusha-Alpecin staff members have been suspended after being filmed emptying a septic tank at the side of the road after stage six of the Tour of California.

The footage, posted online by YouTube user Ryan Patrick Early, shows the two staff members emptying the septic tank of their camper van in a lay-by by the side of California State Highway 330, attempting to wash the contents away using a hose.

>>> Peter Sagan left frustrated by breakaway again at Tour of California as Bennett confirms victory

A spokesperson for the race said that it would be consulting with the UCI over what sanctions would be appropriate.

In its guide for race organisers, the UCI states that "the inappropriate management of harmful environmental effects relating to the organization of a cycling event may not only severely damage the reputation of the event itself but can also be detrimental to the sport of cycling in general", although there are no specific guidelines relating to incidents of this kind.

After spent the first five months of his professional career working for others, Jon Dibben was understandably delighted to take his first pro win at the Tour of California, revealing that a top 20 finish would have been satisfactory enough.

The 23-year-old Team Sky rider blasted around the 24km time trial course on stage six of the Tour of California, setting a time of 28-27 that was enough to hold off the general classification contenders, even with Dibben easing off 50m from the line.

"When I crossed the line I didn’t know I’d set the fastest time for a couple of minutes,” Dibben said after the stage.

"I was pretty happy with that because I knew a few people who were targeting the time trial had gone before me. But I thought [Andrew] Talansky and [Brent] Bookwalter would be up there, so I didn’t think I’d be in the hot seat for long.

“Then when I beat Vegard Stake Laengen, who I thought would go well, I got slightly nervous. I started to believe. Watching the last guys come in was stressful!”

>>> Crashes, time penalties, and stomach problems: a history of Team Sky's bad luck at the Giro d'Italia

While the course at Big Bear Lake was a fairly simple out-and-back course, the fact that it was at more than 2,000m above sea level meant that Dibben and the rest of the riders in the race were unsure what to expect.

“After the Tour de Yorkshire me and Tao flew straight to Park City, which is at 2,000 metres, and we were there for nine days," Dibben continued.

"We didn’t got there with this TT in mind, it was more just to get an altitude camp and a good block of training in ahead of the race, but it would definitely have helped today.

“We were all discussing this morning how we thought it was going to go, what difference being at altitude would make, but no one really knew.

>>> Tour of California 2017 live TV guide

As part of his first year at Team Sky, Dibben has ridden races in the Middle East and the cobbled Classics in support of others (including finishing 47 minutes down and outside the time limit at Paris-Roubaix), but admitted that he has had an eye on races which could suit him for personal glory.

"At the start of the year I didn’t have any specific goals. Just to turn up at races and do my job, hitting performance targets. Along the way I guess I’ve highlighted days like today and thought, ‘OK, that could suit me,’ but to win…

"Beforehand I was speaking to Tao and I didn’t really know what to expect. I guess I’d have been happy with a top 20 so to win is pretty damn good!"

Cannondale-Drapac have provided an update on the condition of Toms Skujins after he crashed heavily at the Tour of California.

Clearly suffering from concussion, the Latvian rider struggled to remount his bike and gingerly continued to ride for short distance before his team pulled him out of the race.

"Toms' crash obviously had a huge impact on us today. It was a high-speed crash and unfortunately it happened at a time when the race was fragmented, which delays information and makes these situations extremely hard," said sports director Tom Southam.

>>> Vaughters: Cannondale could compete with Sky if we had 70 per cent of their budget

"Toms instinctively continued riding but it was clear that he couldn’t go on. It’s a blow for the team and for his own ambitions but that was a serious fall, and racing can take a back seat while he heals."

Team boss Jonathan Vaughters was at the race, but not in the team car, and had to contact his team's sports directors to get them to pull Skujins out of the race after seeing the pictures on TV.

Toms Skujins after crashing on stage two of the 2017 Tour of California (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Vaughters said that Skujins was now on the team's internal concussion protocol, which will see him work closely with the team's medical staff as he recovers."Our internal concussion program is designed to slow things down and give the rider time to recover properly," said Vaughters.

"Concussion recovery varies from person to person and from day to day. We’ll evaluate Toms daily and he’ll need to pass a cognitive test before he returns to hard training or racing. His health is the most important thing to all of us."

>>> Team Sky give update on condition of Geraint Thomas and Mikel Landa ahead of Giro d'Itlaia time trial

As for the rider himself, Skujins said that he was feeling OK and was grateful for messages of support he had received, although was unable to respond as looking at screens can slow recovery from concussion.

"I’m feeling alright," said Skujins, who also suffered a collarbone fracture and road rash in the crash. "I’m really bummed, of course. Besides that, I’m healthy. I’m good.

"We’ll assess with the team doctors and figure things out moving forward. Thank you to all the messages from my fans and my friends — but I won’t be able to answer them because I shouldn’t be looking at my phone."

Rafal Majka won a thrilling second stage of the Tour of California to San Jose from the breakaway, taking the overall lead of the race along with his victory.

The Bora-Hansgrohe rider beat New Zealander George Bennett (LottoNL-Jumbo) in the final two up sprint, as the dashed ahead of their two breakaway companions Lachlan Morton (Dimension Data) and Ian Boswell (Team Sky) on the final uphill rise towards the finishing straight.

>>> Tour of California 2017 route guide

Bennett had made the decisive attack that split the foursome in the final kilometre, but it was Morton who had been determined to try and get away solo as he attacked twice earlier in the closing 2km.

Polish champion Majka was able to match every attack though, and followed Bennett up the final rise before launching his sprint early and boxing Bennett to the left barriers.

Bennett was unable to round Majka in time, and the Bora man was able to celebrate a hard fought victory on a 144.5km stage that took in five classified climbs.

Majka now leads the overall by two seconds over Bennett, with race leader at the start of the stage Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step) dropped on one of the many climbs.

The stage's profile looked set to favour a breakaway, but it took a long time for anything to settle, with first riders not able to get away until the first classified climb with around 60km gone.

Various riders tried to get into that group, but by the time the leaders hit the hors categorie climb of Mount Hamilton, seven riders had made it into the break.

Majka, Bennett, Morton and Boswell were away with Scott Thwaites (Dimension Data), Toms Skujins (Cannondale-Drapac) and Daniel Jaramillo (UnitedHealthcare) and established over two minutes lead at one point.

Skujins tried solo on Hamilton and took the KOM points there, but he was eventually caught and his own Cannondale team-mates began to chase down the break.

The gap quickly tumbled to around a minute, and despite Thwaites and Jaramillo getting dropped on the final classified climb, the group was working well together.

Disaster struck for Skujins though on the descent though, as he suffered a nasty crash with 22.9km remaining, and stumbled across the road looking dazed.

Boswell, Bennett, Majka and Morton meanwhile pushed on, and made it to the final with 55 seconds in hand before they began to slow and look at each other. Impetus from the peloton behind had gone as they realised the break would contest the finish.

The final kilometre then saw Bennett and Majka make their move, with the latter able to triumph on the stage.

The Tour of California heads into its third of seven stages on Tuesday, with a likely sprint finish on the 186.5km stage to Morro Bay.

Result

Tour of California 2017, stage two: Modesto - San Jose (144.5km)

1 Rafal Majka (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe, in 3-43-46

2 George Bennett (NZl) Team LottoNl-Jumbo, same time

3 Ian Boswell (USA) Team Sky, at 7s

4 Lachlan Morton (Aus) Dimension Data, st

5 Robert Gesink (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo, at 37s

6 Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing Team

7 Tao Geoghegan Hart (GBr) Team Sky

8 Sam Oomen (Ned) Team Sunweb

9 Enric Mas (Spa) Quick-Step Floors

10 Andrew Talansky (USA) Cannondale-Drapac, all same time

General classification after stage two

1 Rafal Majka (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe, in 7-29-14

2 George Bennett (NZl) Team LottoNl-Jumbo, at 2s

3 Ian Boswell (USA) Team Sky , at 14s

4 Lachlan Morton (Aus) Dimension Data, at 16s

5 Robert Gesink (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo, at 48s

6 Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing Team

7 Sam Oomen (Ned) Team Sunweb

8 Andrew Talansky (USA) Cannondale-Drapac

9 Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) Quick-Step Floors, all same time

10 Vegard Stake Laengen (Nor) UAE Team Emirates

Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step) displayed is trademark sprinting power in Sacremento on Sunday, taking the first stage of the Tour of California and the race's overall lead.

The German out-sprinted a stellar field of fast-men in the flat opening stage of the now WorldTour level race, beating world champion Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) to the line.

Sagan, a 15 time stage winner and 2015 overall winner of the Tour of California, was well placed coming into the final 150 metres but could do nothing but follow the phenomenal pace of Kittel who held his sprint right to the line.

Kittel had been dropped perfectly in the centre-front of the field in the final 200 metres by his team-mate Fabio Sabatini, and had the win in the bag from that point.

Team Sky's Elia Viviani also benefited from exceptional work from his teammates in the closing kilometres, but was unable to finish it off to take a second win of the year.

Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) may be the most disappointed of the sprinters with his 13th place. He looked to have a strong leadout but was dropped off early by his teammates and never looked in the running for the win.

167.5km stage had been fairly straight forward affair for the riders before taking on laps of a circuit in Sacramento.

Floris Gerts (BMC), Jonny Clarke (UnitedHealthcare), Charles Planet (Novo Nordisk) and Ben Wolfe (Jelly Belly-Maxxis) formed the day's main breakaway, and despite only holding around 2-30 of an advantage most of the way, they admirably held on to within the final 16km.

Clarke was the last rider caught with 9km to go, as Sky began to ramp up the pace.

But there was nothing anyone could do about the pace of Kittel, who now leads the overall by four seconds thanks to a time bonus and looked right on top form with a number of other sprint stages coming up in the race.

It's unlikely to be tomorrow though, with a tough finish in San Jose set for the riders after a 143km route full of classified climbs.

Result

Tour of California 2017, stage one: Sacrmento - Sacramento (167.5km)

1. Marcel Kittel (Ger) Quick-Step Floors, in 3-45-35

2. Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe

3. Elia Viviani (Ita) Team Sky

4. John Degenkolb (Ger) Trek-Segafredo

5. Jean-Pierre Drucker (Lux) BMC Racing Team

6. Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg (RSA) Dimension Data

7. Martin Velits (Svk) Quick-Step Floors

8. Marko Kump (Slo) UAE Team Emirates

9. Wouter Wippert (Ned) Cannondale-Drapac

10. Travis Mccabe (USA) UnitedHealthcare, all same time

General classification after stage one

1 Marcel Kittel (Ger) Quick-Step Floors 3-45-25

2 Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 4s

3 Elia Viviani (Ita) Team Sky, at 6s

4 Floris Gerts (Ned) BMC Racing Team, at 9s

5 John Degenkolb (Ger) Trek-Segafredo, at 10s

6 Jean-Pierre Drucker (Lux) BMC Racing Team

7 Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg (RSA) Dimension Data

8 Martin Velits (Svk) Quick-Step Floors

9 Marko Kump (Slo) UAE Team Emirates

10 Wouter Wippert (Ned) Cannondale-Drapac, all same time

Bora-Hansgrohe have revealed their line-up for the Tour of California, with a fairly strong team travelling to the west coast of America to support world champion Peter Sagan.

Sagan, who won the race overall in 2015 and has take 15 individual stage wins since 2010, will be the star attraction in California, with Elia Viviani (Team Sky), Alexander Kristoff (Katusha-Alpecin) and John Degenkolb (Trek-Segafredo) expected to provide his main competition in the sprints.

Alongside Sagan in the Bora-Hansgrohe team will be his brother, and Slovakian national champion, Juraj Sagan, and Polish champion Rafal Majka, who has previously finished on the podium at the Vuelta a España.

>>> Tour of California 2017 route guide

Sagan will also be joined by Maciej Bodnar, with whom is was in a break on stage 11 of the 2016 Tour de France together with Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas.

The Bora-Hansgrohe line-up is completed by Jay McCarty, Pawel Poljanski, Michal Kolar, and Erik Baska.

The 2017 Tour of California starts on May 14 with a flat stage starting and finishing in Sacramento, and finishes six days later in Pasadena.

Team Sky’s Tao Geoghegan Hart has described how his late team-mate Chad Young was in his thoughts during the Tour de Yorkshire. The two riders were both on the American Axeon Hagens Berman development team prior to Geoghegan Hart signing with Sky for 2017.

Young passed away on Friday after sustaining a head injury after crashing during the final stage of the Tour of the Gila the weekend before.

“I was thinking of him, and his family, and also the staff of my old team," said Geoghegan Hart, after placing eighth overall at the Tour de Yorkshire on Sunday.

"They’re just doing their job and part of their job shouldn’t have to be with a 20-year-old guy during the last moments of his life on the side of the road,” he said.

“It’s really really sad. It reaches deep into cycling. I think the one think we can take is that it’s amazing to see the support from all of cycling for Chad and his family and everyone involved with the team.”

He added: “It definitely serves as a reminder to make the most out of every day we’re lucky enough to have and value the people around me who are giving the ability to do amazing days of racing like today where there’s just people going wild all day long.

“I think it just makes you realise that everything can disappear in an instant, and to cherish it.”

>>> Tour of California 2017: Latest news and race info

Geoghegan Hart is now readying himself for an assault on the Tour of California, starting May 14.

Speaking after the three-day Yorkshire race, the 21-year-old Londoner said: “[California’s] a different race to this – you probably couldn’t get much more different. But I’m looking forward to it. I think we’ll have a pretty young but cool team there. I think it’s going to be exciting and it’s obviously a familiar event for me and we’ll see a few faces from the past.”

Geoghegan Hart has ridden the Tour of California three times — twice for US based Axeon Hagens Berman.

Geoghegan Hart is currently beginning a short US-based training block before travelling to Sacremento to begin the Tour of California on May 14, where he has twice come second on the young rider classification, and was 12th overall last year.

American Ian Boswell says that 2017 is the pivotal point in his career to prove that he can lead Team Sky in stage races. It starts with the Tour of California on May 14.

Boswell joined the professional ranks in 2013 with Team Sky. He has spent the last four years finding his feet and learning to help the team's leaders. The 25-year-old has already raced in three Grand Tours and helped Chris Froome to second overall in the Vuelta a España last year.

"I've been a relatively reliable domestique, especially in 2016," Boswell told Cycling Weekly from his base in Nice, France.

"I didn't have any major results, but I rode Grand Tours and quite a few WorldTour races. I felt like I was an asset to the team in those races.

"Going forward in 2017 and 2018, it's the pivotal point in my career. I need to dedicate myself to my career goals. Do I stick in the role where I'm at, continue to improve as a domestique, or branch out? I had a talk with Dave [Team Principal David Brailsford], and he wants to see me win races."

Boswell's 2017 programme sees him targeting the Tour of California with a window of opportunity to help Froome win his fourth Tour de France title in July.

Geraint Thomas took a similar route of targeting smaller stage races. He became Sky's 'plan B' in the Tour de France and for 2017, the team's co-leader with Mikel Landa for the Giro d'Italia. As the saying goes, the sky is the limit for Boswell.

>>> ix American WorldTour riders to watch out for in 2017

The Oregon native is training in Nice. When he spoke, he had just returned from a long walk to help his Achilles. Soon, he will leave for the races, starting with the Abu Dhabi Tour on February 23 and continuing with the Volta ao Algarve, Coppi & Bartali, País Vasco and the Giro del Trentino.

"I'll be in a lot more smaller races, but then I have chances to be more competitive. All leading towards the Tour of California," Boswell added.

"My goal is to show up there, be at peak fitness, be ready to ride GC and lead Team Sky. That's a big call for me, especially with Sky having quite a few American sponsors, and I'm the only American on the team."

Bradley Wiggins, Tejay van Garderen and Robert Gesink have won the Tour of California in recent years. This year, the stage race travels north to south over seven days. The organiser has yet to release the full details, but based on some early information, the biggest days could be the Mount Baldly summit finish or the time trial up to Big Bear.

Andrew Talansky (Cannondale-Drapac), who Boswell helped to second overall in the 2010 Tour de l'Avenir amateur stage race, will attend. Other stars like Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo) could also line up in Sacramento.

>>> How Team Sky will treat their young riders differently in 2017

"I'm going bring my best and be competitive, and see how I stack up compared to those guys," continued Boswell.

"I feel like I'm stepping into this role and it's time to see what I'm capable of as a leader. It's not as though California will decide everything for me, but it's about being more selective and targeting races.

"I can go to the other races and try to win a stage or try to ride GC, to be higher up on the totem pole. I need to build up confidence and be competitive in the races."

Boswell already has the confidence and experience of three Grand Tours. He raced the 2015 Vuelta, and both the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta in 2016. The Tour seems like the next logical step. Boswell said: "That would be my goal, yes."

The Tour of California, however, is not the normal path for a Sky cyclist. Usually, they are training at altitude on Spain's remote Canary Island of Tenerife in that period. If Boswell rides well in the Golden State, though, Brailsford plans on putting his name on the list of potential nine starters for the Tour de France.

>>> Tour of California 2017: Latest news, reports and info

"I won't stress about it, it will come if everything else stacks up," Boswell explained.

"Dave says your dream is to make the team but your goal should be able to give us a headache in team selection based upon your California ride.

"It would be fantastic to ride the Tour. To have a great California ride in the GC and then help Chris win a fourth Tour de France."

Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) won the final stage of the Amgen Tour of California for the third year running, out-sprinting Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) in state capital Sacramento.

Cavendish went into the final sprint without any teammates, having burned through his lead-out in the final kilometres to bring back a stubborn breakaway group.

Sagan, with Cavendish, piggy-backed on stage seven winner Alexander Kristoff's Katusha train and sprinted past the Norwegian in the final 100m.

Earlier in the 138km stage, on a particularly straight section of road, green jersey wearer Sagan attempted to bring the race to life and split the peloton with a burst off the front. The world champion seemed angered that most of his Tinkoff teammates hadn't followed his move, with Sagan retreating back into the peloton for the rest of the stage.

Once the teams got onto the finishing circuit in Sacremento, Tinkoff came to the front in numbers this time, needing to bring back the seven-man breakaway, who were still over a minute ahead of the pack.

Tinkoff's show of strength saw the peloton strung out on the wide roads, but with two kilometres to ride the breakaway started to attack each other, meaning Dimension Data needed to use Mark Renshaw to help drag them back, leaving Cavendish alone for the final stages.

Watch highlights of stage eight of the Tour of California

Katusha swarmed to the front for Kristoff, with Sagan and Cavendish sitting on the Norwegian's wheel. Sagan pre-empted Kristoff's sprint and got the edge on him, but Cavendish wasn't to be beaten, easing past Sagan and over the line.

Cavendish's former teammate Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx-Quick Step) sealed the general classification, finishing 21 seconds ahead of Rohan Dennis (BMC) to take his first stage race title.

On the final stage, John Degenkolb (Giant-Alpecin) continued his fine comeback from severe injuries suffered in January by sprinting to fifth place.

Amgen Tour of California stage eight, Sacramento - Sacramento (138km)

1. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Dimension Data 3-01-12

2. Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff, st

3. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha, st

4. Danny van Poppel (Ned) Team Sky, st

5. John Degenkolb (Ger) Giant-Alpecin, st

6. Niccolo Bonifazio (Ita) Trek-Segafredo, st

7. Jempy Drucker (Lux) BMC, st

8. Ariel Richeze (Arg) Etixx-Quick Step, st

9. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo, st

10. Travis McCabe (USA) Holowesko-Citadel, st

General classification after stage seven

1. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Etixx-QuickStep

2. Rohan Dennis (Aus) BMC Racing at 21 secs

3. Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing at 43 secs

4. Andrew Talansky (USA) Cannondale at 52 secs

5. Lawson Craddock (USA) Cannondale at 1-22

6. Samuel Sanchez (Spa) BMC Racing at 1-22

7. George Bennett (NZl) LottoNl-Jumbo at 1-50

8. Jurgen Van den Broeck (Bel) Katusha at 1-53

9. Neilson Powless (USA) Axeon Hagens Berman at 1-57

10. Laurens Ten Dam (Ned) Giant-Alpecin, at 2-13

Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx-QuickStep) got closer to the 2016 Amgen Tour of California overall victory on Friday, placing eighth in the crucial time trial stage in Folsom to retain his position at the top of the general classification.

Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing) won the 20.3km individual test against the clock with a blistering time of 24 minutes and 16 seconds.

Dennis's time was 17 seconds clear of second-placed Andrew Talansky (Cannondale). Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing) showed that he is coming back into top form with third place. Phinney had a long wait in the hot seat as the quickest provisional time - until Talansky reached the line.

>>> Tour of California 2016: Latest news, reports and info

Dennis's time elevates him to second place in the general classification, 16 seconds behind Alaphilippe. Brent Bookwalter (BMC Racing) is third at 38 seconds.

Owain Doull (Team Wiggins) was the highest-placed British rider on the stage, posting a solid time of 25-21, which was good enough for 14th spot.

There was no triumphant comeback for Sir Bradley Wiggins (Team Wiggins), who won the equivalent stage on his way to the overall victory in 2014. One of the Olympic time trial champion's aerobars appeared to break, and he had to roll steadily back to the finish.

The 2016 Amgen Tour of California continues on Saturday with stage seven, the final hilly stage and the last chance for the overall contenders to have a chance of gaining time on their rivals. The race concludes on Sunday in Sacramento.

Earlier in the day, the Women's Tour of California had its team time trial stage – day two of the race – on the same course as the men's ITT. Team Twenty 16 took the honours, with Boels-Dolmans in second place and UnitedHealthcare in third. Stage one winner Megan Guarnier (Boles-Dolmans) held on to the overall lead.

Results

Amgen Tour of California 2016: Stage six, Folsom ITT, 20.3km

1. Rohan Dennis (Aus) BMC Racing in 24-16

2. Andrew Talansky (USA) Cannondale at 17 secs

3. Taylor Phinney (USA) BMC Racing at 20 secs

4. Soren Kragh Andersen (Den) Giant-Alpecin at 33 secs

5. Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing at 43 secs

6. Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) Team Sky at 44 secs

7. Lawson Craddock (USA) Cannondale at 44 secs

8. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Etixx-QuickStep at 45 secs

9. Jurgen Van den Broeck (Bel) Katusha at 49 secs

10. Neilson Powless (USA) Axeon Hagens Berman at 52 secs

General classification after stage six

1. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Etixx-QuickStep

2. Rohan Dennis (Aus) BMC Racing at 16 secs

3. Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing at 38 secs

4. Andrew Talansky (USA) Cannondale at 47 secs

5. Neilson Powless (USA) Axeon Hagens Berman at 1-08

6. Lawson Craddock (USA) Cannondale at 1-17

7. Samuel Sanchez (Spa) BMC Racing at 1-17

8. Laurens ten Dam (Ned) Giant-Alpecin at 1-24

9. George Bennett (NZl) LottoNl-Jumbo at 1-45

10. Jurgen Van den Broeck (Bel) Katusha at 1-48

Tom Skujins (Cannondale) took the American WorldTour team's second stage victory at the 2016 Tour of California after winning the sprint to the line ahead of Adam de Vos (Rally Cycling) and Xabier Zandio (Team Sky).

Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx-Quick Step) held on to his overall lead after finishing safely in the peloton behind.

>>> Tour of California: Key info, route, contenders

The trio had originally been part of an 18-man breakaway that had got away in the early stages of the 213km stage (and only ever held around three minutes advantage), but managed to get away from their companions as they took on the two category two climbs on the route.

Latvian Skujins went clear from the break after competing for the KOM points on the first category two climb and gained 20 seconds with de Vos, but 14 of members of the original break then caught them on the descent.

Again the pair went clear on the next category two climb shortly after, and this time they were joined by veteran Spaniard Zandio.

They then quickly established a 50 second gap on the reduced chasing group behind, which included Trek-Segafredo's Jasper Stuyven and Mark Christian of Team Wiggins, with the peloton still back at 2-50.

Watch: Tour of California 2016 stage five highlights

The cat and mouse between the second group meant the leading trio were able to make it on to the final category three climb to the finish with 35 seconds in hand over Christian, Stuyven and Jhonatan Restrepo (Katusha) who had got away from the other riders behind with 5km to go.

Skujins, de Vos and Zandio made it into the final straight together, with the Team Sky rider quickly looking like he wasn't going to be able to contest the sprint for the line.

The Cannondale man then got on the front and launched is move, with de Vos unable to do anything but stick close behind as Skujins crossed the line to take victory.

BMC were made to work hard for their team leaders Rohan Dennis and Samuel Sanchez on the front of the bunch to try and bring the break back, and eventually the GC contenders rolled in together just 43 seconds down on the winner with no significant losses for anyone.

Friday's stage six sees the riders take on the first time trial of the race, with a predominantly flat 20.3km course in Folsom that will likely provide a GC shake-up before another tough stage of climbing on Saturday.

Results

Tour of California 2016 stage five, Lodi to South Lake Tahoe (213km)

1. Tom Skujins (Lat) Cannondale, in 5-54-45

2. Adam de Vos (Can) Rally Cycling, st

3. Xabier Zandio (Esp) Team Sky, at 8 secs

4. Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Trek Segafredo, at 28 secs

5. Jhonatan Restrepo (Col) Katusha, at 43 secs

6. Rob Squire (USA) Holowekso-Citadel

7. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Etixx-QuickStep

8. Travis McCabe (USA) Holowekso-Citadel

9. Rohan Dennis (Aus) BMC Racing

10. Lawson Craddock (USA) Cannondale, all same time

General classification after stage five

1. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Etixx-QuickStep, in 24-01-45

2. Peter Stetina (USA) Trek-Segafredo at 22 secs

3. George Bennett (NZl) LottoNL-Jumbo at 37 secs

4. Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing at 40 secs

5. Laurens Ten Dam (Ned) Giant-Alpecin at 49 secs

6. Neilson Powless (USA) Axeon Hagens Berman at 1-01

7. Rohan Dennis (Aus) BMC Racing at 1-01

8. Samuel Sanchez (Spa) BMC Racing at 1-01

9. Rob Britton (Can) Rally Cycling at 1-12

10. Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Trek-Segafredo at 1-15

World champion Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) won his second stage of the 2016 Amgen Tour of California on Wednesday.

Sagan out-paced Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing) and Nathan Haas (Dimension Data) to take his 15th career win in the race. British rider Tao Geohegan Hart (Axeon Hagens Berman) placed fifth.

Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx-QuickStep) safely finished in 10th place to retain his overall lead.

Earlier, Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) made an unusual appearance in the day's escape group. He joined six other riders: Gregory Daniel (Axeon Hagens Berman), Michael Morkov (Katusha), Timo Roosen (LottoNL-Jumbo), Tanner Putt (UnitedHealthcare), Ryan Anderson (Direct Energie) and William Routley (Rally Cycling).

The seven riders worked well together over the longest stage of the race, keeping momentum until the final climb, when all but Gregory Daniel were swallowed up by the chasing peloton with 5km to go.

>>> Tour of California 2016: Latest news, reports and info

As the riders approached the Laguna Seca raceway up a testing climb, Daniel was caught and the peloton started to split apart. Ruben Guerreiro (Axeon Hagens Berman) and Haas both launched unsuccessful solo attacks on the iconic race track.

As the lead group swept through the twisting corkscrew section and round into the final bend, Sagan was in prime position. He opened up his sprint and fended off his rivals to take the win.

Thursday's stage is virtually all one enormous long climb, starting at near sea level in Lodi and then ascending to 2615 metres above sea level at the Carson Pass summit. From then on it's an undulating route to the finish at South Lake Tahoe. Thursday also signals the start of the women's Amgen Tour of California, which navigates an abridged version of the men's route.

>>> Tour of California 2016: Stage by stage

Results

Amgen Tour of California 2016, stage four: Morro Bay to Monterey County, 215km

1. Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff

2. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing

3. Nathan Haas (Aus) Dimension Data

4. Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing

5. Tao Geoghegan Hart (GBr) Axeon Hagens Berman

6. Neilson Powless (USA) Axeon Hagens Berman

7. Rohan Dennis (Aus) BMC Racing

8. Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Katusha

9. Rob Brotton (Can) Rally Cycling

10. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Etixx-QuickStep

General classification after stage four

1. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Etixx-QuickStep

2. Peter Stetina (USA) Trek-Segafredo at 22 secs

3. George Bennett (NZl) LottoNL-Jumbo at 37 secs

4. Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing at 40 secs

5. Neilson Powless (USA) Axeon Hagens Berman at 43 secs

6. Laurens Ten Dam (Ned) Giant-Alpecin at 49 secs

7. Rohan Dennis (Aus) BMC Racing at 1-01

8. Samuel Sanchez (Spa) BMC Racing at 1-01

9. Rob Britton (Can) Rally Cycling at 1-12

10. Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Trek-Segafredo at 1-15

British road race champion Peter Kennaugh (Team Sky) could be out of action for several weeks after breaking his collarbone in a crash at the Tour of California on Tuesday.

Kennaugh was caught in an incident with French sprinter Bryan Coquard (Direct Energie) just as the bunch were about to navigate the final climb on stage three of the race.

Kennaugh had been sat near the front of the group behind two Sky team-mates when the crash occurred. He fell heavily and was then seen clutching his right arm. He was subsequently taken to hospital for checks and was forced to abandon the race.

>>> Julian Alaphilippe takes Tour of California lead as Peter Kennaugh crashes out

Team Sky doctor Derick Macleod said that checks confirmed the fracture. "Pete attended the Santa Barbara Hospital and X-rays confirmed his right clavicle is fractured," said Macleod.

"He lost some skin from his shoulder and elbow, but sustained no other injuries. He is now in a sling and getting pain relief and the plan is for him to return to the UK on Wednesday, with a view to seeing a shoulder specialist as soon as possible."

Sky will now look for stage wins in California with Dutch sprinter Danny van Poppel and seek a high overall placing with Norwegian Lars Petter Nordhaug, although he is currently in 30th place overall and 4-24 behind stage three winner and new race leader Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx-QuickStep).

Watch: Peter Kennaugh's Pinarello

Kennaugh has only just returned to racing after a spell of illness leading up to the Tour of California, and was Sky's leader in the race. Until further assessments are made, it is unclear when he will return to racing.

The Manxman's injury was a double blow for Sky on Tuesday. Just hours earlier they suffered a major setback at the Giro d'Italia when the British team's GC contender Mikel Landa quit due to illness.

Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx-QuickStep) took a solo win on stage three of the 2016 Amgen Tour of California on Tuesday.

The Frenchman attacked his general classification rivals on the final climb on Gibraltar Road to take a solo victory, and the overall race lead. Peter Stetina (Trek-Segafredo) placed second, with George Bennett (LottoNL-Jumbo) in third - the same positions they now occupy overall.

Disaster struck for Team Sky as a crash in the peloton inside the final 20km saw British road race champion Peter Kennaugh (Sky) take a hard fall. Kennaugh was obviously in pain, and was taken to hospital with a suspected broken collarbone.

The escape group of the day was formed of British rider Andy Tennant (Team Wiggins), King of the Mountains leader Evan Huffman (Rally Cycling), Kirsts Neilands (Axeon Hagens Berman), Gregory Daniel (Axeon Hagens Berman), Oscar Clark (Holowesko-Citadel), Tanner Putt (UnitedHealthcare) and Julian Arredondo (Trek-Segafredo).

Heading into the final climb with 18km still to race, Putt and Daniel had left their companions behind, but with the peloton at just a minute and a half behind. Daniel then went solo with around 11km to go.

Behind him, 2015 champion Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) slipped into the trailing group, evidently not intent on defending his title.

Also there were Bradley Wiggins (Team Wiggins) and Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data). Overnight leader Ben King (Cannondale) was another of those who found the pace too high, and his spell in the golden jersey was over.

As Daniel was caught, his Axeon team-mate Neilson Powless attacked from the bunch and opened up a 30-second gap as the climb steepened.

Lachlan Morton (Jelly Belly) and Stetina also attacked from the dwindling peloton and bridged to Powless with 3.7km remaining.

Stetina struck out with 2km to go, and behind the GC contenders group split apart with Alaphilippe launching a fast move to catch Stetina. Then Alaphilippe – second overall last year – accelerated again to take a solo win.

Wednesday's stage four is another hilly one which will suit riders coming out of the classics season, particularly with the two final climbs of Laureles Grade summit and Mazda Raceway summit in the final 10km before the race finishes in the iconic Laguna Seca race track. Given the coastal nature of the route, winds blowing off the Pacific Ocean could be a factor all day.

>>> Tour of California 2016 route: stage by stage

Results

Amgen Tour of California 2016, stage three: Thousand Oaks to Gibraltar Road, 167.5km

1. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Etixx-QuickStep

2. Peter Stetina (USA) Trek-Segafredo at 15 secs

3. George Bennett (NZl) LottoNL-Jumbo at 25 secs

4. Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing at 27 secs

5. Neilson Powless (USA) Axeon Hagens Berman at 30 secs

6. Laurens Ten Dam (Ned) Giant-Alpecin at 33 secs

7. Lachlan Morton (Aus) Jelly Belly at 35 secs

8. Rohan Dennis (Aus) BMC Racing at 48 secs

9. Samuel Sanchez (Spa) BMC Racing at same time

10. Andrew Talansky (USA) Cannondale at 59 secs

General classification after stage three

1. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Etixx-QuickStep in 12-49-47

2. Peter Stetina (USA) Trek-Segafredo at 19 secs

3. George Bennett (NZl) LottoNL-Jumbo at 31 secs

4. Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing at 37 secs

5. Neilson Powless (USA) Axeon Hagens Berman at 40 secs

6. Laurens Ten Dam (Ned) Giant-Alpecin at 43 secs

7. Lachlan Morton (Aus) Jelly Belly at 45 secs

8. Rohan Dennis (Aus) BMC Racing at 58 secs

9. Samuel Sanchez (Spa) BMC Racing at same time

10. Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Trek-Segafredo at 1-09

Sir Bradley Wiggins (Team Wiggins) and Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) are taking part in the 2016 Amgen Tour of California following a training camp at Big Bear with their prospective Great Britain Olympic team-mates.

Wiggins, who won the 2014 edition of the race overall, played down his chances in the event, noting in the pre-race press conference that this is only his second road race of the season so far and that he had not touched his time trial bike for over a year.

"I haven't done a time trial for 14 months," said Wiggins. "I just pulled the bike out of the garage to check what chainring is on it.

>>> Tour of California 2016: Latest news, reports and info

"We'll see. I don't know. Twelve kilos is a lot to be carrying around. It's like a carrying a small baby on your back," said Wiggins of the weight he's gained to improve his power in the velodrome.

"It's nice to be back at the race more than anything. We'll roll the sleeves and shorts up, work on the tan and then go back to the UK," joked Wiggins.

Cavendish returns to the race after scoring four stage wins last year. He is currently second to 2015 overall winner Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) in terms of California stage victories. Sagan is now on 14 after winning the 2016 opener, with Cavendish on nine.

Cavendish missed out on contesting the stage one sprint after getting boxed in during the scrappy finale. Then on stage two, Ben King (Cannondale) took the win from an escape group.

Both Cavendish and Wiggins had been dropped on one of the stage's climbs earlier in the day, and rolled home 15 minutes and 30 seconds behind King. Wiggins is now 135th overall and Cavendish 128th.

Cavendish has his eye on the final stage of the race in Sacramento, which should end in a bunch sprint.

"I've won three times in Sacramento," said Cavendish, "so it'll be a great initiative to get to Sacramento and try and win again there."

Dimension Data are backing South African Jacques Janse van Rensburg as their overall contender.

Neither Wiggins or Cavendish are likely to feature in the top order at the end of Tuesday's stage three, which includes an ascent to the finish line on Gibraltar Road. It'll be a day for the GC contenders and climbers.

King currently leads the race by eight seconds over fellow American Evan Huffman (Rally Cycling). The race concludes on Sunday, May 22.

Wiggins is one of the front-runners for selection to ride in the team pursuit for GB at the Rio Olympics, and Cavendish is aiming to ride in the omnium.

World champion and last year's Amgen Tour of California overall winner Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) took the opening stage of the 2016 race on Sunday.

Sagan was given a lead-out by British team-mate Adam Blythe to propel himself past his rivals and secure the early race lead and his 14th ToC career stage victory.

Wouter Wippert (Cannondale) placed second in the bunch sprint, with Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo) in third. Andy Fenn (Team Sky) was top-placed British rider in 11th.

>>> Tour of California 2016: Latest news, reports and info

British hope Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) suffered from being boxed in during the scrappy finale and finished outside the top 10. Despite Katusha's early work, Alexander Kristoff also did not figure in the sprint.

The day's break consisted of seven riders: British rider Daniel Patten (Team Wiggins), Daniel Eaton (UnitedHealthcare), Jacob Rathe (Jelly Belly), Michael Sheehan (Jelly Belly), Oscar Clark (Holowesko), Joonas Henttala (Novo Nordisk) and Danny Pate (Rally Cycling).

The gap moved out to over five minutes, but work largely from the Katusha team made sure they didn't get too much of an advantage.

The first category climb of Honey Springs Road was a feature at the mid-way point of the stage. Cavendish was among those dropped as the climb was navigated, but caught back up to the bunch on the descent.

As the peloton got within a minute of the break, Patten, Rathe and Clark struck out for one last stretch out front. Irishman Matt Brammeier (Dimension Data) joined Katusha at the front to help out with the chase for team-mate Cavendish.

Patten then got dropped, leaving Patten and Clark. With time running out, Sky and Tinkoff also collaborated with the chase inside 5km to go. The catch was made with 3km to go to set up a bunch sprint.

Sagan leads Wippert by four seconds overall thanks to his winner's time bonus, with Michael Sheehan (Jelly Belly) in third also at four seconds after he collected bonus seconds from the intermediate sprints out in the break.

On Monday, the peloton travels from South Pasadena to Santa Clarita on stage two. Four categorised climbs are included in the day's action, with the first ascent to Angeles Crest Highway starting right from the gun. The eight-day race concludes on Sunday, May 22.

>>> Tour of California 2016 route: Stage by stage

Result

Amgen Tour of California 2016, stage one: San Diego to San Diego, 170.5km

1. Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff in 4-20-41

2. Wouter Wippert (Ned) Cannondale

3. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo

4. Bryan Coquard (Fra) Direct Energie

5. Martijn Verschoor (Ned) Novo Nordisk

6. Niccolo Bonifazio (Ita) Trek-Segafredo

7. Ruben Guerreiro (Por) Axeon Hagens Berman

8. Tom Boonen (Bel) Etixx-QuickStep

9. Jempy Drucker (Lux) BMC Racing

10. John Murphy (USA) UnitedHealthcare all same time

Other

11. Andy Fenn (GBr) Team Sky

15. Owain Doull (GBr) Team Wiggins

18. Andy Tennant (GBr) Team Wiggins

22. Tao Geoghagen Hart (GBr) Axeon Hagens Berman

29. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Dimension Data

General classification after stage one

1. Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff in 4-20-41

2. Wouter Wippert (Ned) Cannondale at 4 secs

3. Michael Sheehan (USA) Jelly Belly at 4 secs

4. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo at 6 secs

5. Daniel Eaton (USA) UnitedHealthcare at 7 secs

6. Joonas Henttala (Fin) Novo Nordisk at 8 secs

7. Bryan Coquard (Fra) Direct Energie at 10 secs

8. Martijn Verschoor (Ned) Novo Nordisk at 10 secs

9. Niccolo Bonifazio (Ita) Trek-Segafredo at 10 secs

10. Ruben Guerreiro (Por) Axeon Hagens Berman at 10 secs

Mark Cavendish has been confirmed for the 2016 Amgen Tour of California, starting this Sunday, May 15.

Cavendish's Dimension Data squad have officially announced their line-up for the eight-day American stage race, with the British sprinter leading their hopes for stage victories.

Cavendish arrived in California well before the race to join a Great Britain training camp at Big Bear, where he has been riding with Sir Bradley Wiggins, Andy Tennant and other members of the GB track team and Team Wiggins.

Commenting on the Dimension Data line-up for the AToC, sports director Roger Hammond said: "We’ll look for our chances in the sprints with Mark Cavendish, but do also have all-rounders in the team that can be a surprise in the hilly stages. Nathan Haas was recently crowned the King of the Mountains at the Tour de Yorkshire. Together with Daniel Teklehaimanot and Jacques Janse van Rensburg, he will be one of our key riders for the latter part of the race."

>>> Tour of California 2016: Latest news, reports and info

Also confirmed this week, defending champion Peter Sagan will head up Tinkoff's prospects at the race. A hillier parcours for 2016 mean that the world champion will be hunting for stage wins, rather than attempting to repeat his overall win of last season.

Sagan currently holds the record for the most number of AToC stages won with 13, and Cavendish is second with nine. Last year, Cavendish secured four stage wins.

>>> Peter Kennaugh relishing prospect of racing Tour of California after illness

Alexander Kristoff will be part of Katusha's team, with American Taylor Phinney (BMC) one of the home favourites for the race's individual time trial stage.

German John Degenkolb continues his welcome return to racing after he was involved in a horrific training incident when a car ploughed into the Giant-Alpecin team. He's joined at Giant-Alpecin by ToC regular Laurens Ten Dam.

Watch: Top five men's WorldTour kits 2016

British road race national champion Peter Kennaugh heads up a Brit-heavy line-up for Team Sky, which also includes Andy Fenn, Alex Peters and Ben Swift.

With Team Wiggins, Sky, Cavendish and Tinkoff's Adam Blythe on the provisional start list there's a high possibility of over a dozen British riders taking part for the first time in the race's 11-year history. It's a stark contrast to the zero British riders taking part at the same time at the Giro d'Italia.

>>> Tour of California 2016: Stage by stage

The 2016 Amgen Tour of California starts in San Diego on Sunday, May 15, and concludes the following Sunday, May 22, in Sacramento.

Peter Kennaugh is ready to “get stuck into racing” at the Tour of California this weekend, despite his form being unknown, after spending much of the last couple of months out ill.

The Manxman fell ill just after Milan-San Remo in mid-March and was off the bike at home for most of April. He returned to form at the Tour de Yorkshire at the end of last month, where he finished 37th overall and helped his Sky teammate Nicolas Roche into second.

“California that will be a bit of an unknown,” Kennaugh told Cycling Weekly. “There’s no reason I can’t get stuck into a bit of racing and sort of try and get in the mix a bit there, but at the same time I’m not going to set my sights too high.

“I just want to go there, get back to bike racing really, trying to perform but not put too much pressure on myself.”

Watch: Peter Kennuagh's Tour de France Pinarello Dogma F8

Despite a successful start to the season, in which the 26-year-old secured victories in Australia at the Great Ocean Road Race and a stage of the Herald Sun Tour and second overall, illness forced him almost completely off the bike.

“Through Tirreno [Adriatico, in March] I had general sort of sickness, a cold and stuff, and then carried that through to San Remo. I came home after San Remo and got quite ill.

“I’ve been really struggling, just sort of felt really empty on the bike,” he said.

“It happens it seems every April it seems, I come down with this bug, low in energy and feeling really empty — it happens almost every year and I don’t really know what it is.

“From past experiences from this time of year I know I’ve just got to weather it and then I kind of always get things back on track in May, and then go into June and July really good.”

After California, it is undecided whether the Team Sky rider will race at the Tour de Suisse or Criterium du Dauphiné — the latter he won a stage at last year.

Peter Sagan will return to the Amgen Tour of California for the seventh consecutive season with designs on increasing his tally of 13 stage wins.

The odds on the world champion achieving his goal are favourable, with the Slovakian winning at least one stage in each of the last six seasons, including two in 2015.

His win in the overall classification last season was one of the results of the year - the Tinkoff rider pipping Etixx-Quick Step prodigy Julian Alaphilippe to the final yellow jersey by three seconds courtesy of bonus seconds on the last stage.

>>> How did Peter Sagan win the Tour of California?

This year, Sagan is not so confident of his chances in the classification on a tough route, but hopes for individual stage success.

“The Amgen Tour of California means a lot to me, it's a race I’ve liked competing at over the past years and it has now become a tradition in my program," Sagan said.

"Previously, in California, I've been very successful and I believe that, after a little rest, I will be back again at a good performance level. I would be happy if I am again competing for some strong results here.

"This year will be a very difficult edition, and not quite suited to my style but stage by stage we will see what we can do.”

"Peter Sagan is super strong in 2016"

The tough climb to Santa Barbara on stage three, with Gibraltar Road averaging eight per cent over 12km, means that Sagan does not expect to be in contention for the overall race lead.

Stages one and two are said to suit Sagan's skillset, according to Tinkoff coach Paxti Vila, as will stage seven to Santa Rosa.

Sagan already holds the record for stage wins in the Tour of California - four ahead of Mark Cavendish, who considerably bolstered his tally with four victories in 2015.

The Manxman will also return to the race with his Dimension Data team, having been on a training camp with the British Cycling Olympics squad in California in recent weeks.

The Amgen Tour of California starts in San Diego on May 15, culminating in Sacremento on May 22.

British riders Peter Kennaugh, Andy Fenn and Alex Peters have been selected by Team Sky to take part in the 2016 Amgen Tour of California, starting on May 15.

The trio of Brits will be joined by Norwegian 2015 Tour de Yorkshire champion Lars Petter Nordhaug, Belarusian Vasil Kiryienka, Italian Gianni Moscon, Spaniard Xabier Zandio and Dutch sprinter Danny van Poppel.

Fenn, Kennaugh, Nordhaug and van Poppel transfer to America from this year's edition of the Tour de Yorkshire, which finished on May 1.

>>> Tour of California 2016: Latest news, reports and info

British road race champion Kennaugh was a regular fixture at the front of the pack during the Tour de Yorkshire, setting the pace and helping to chase breaks down. The squad's Nicolas Roche ended the TdY in second spot, six seconds behind overall winner Thomas Voeckler (Direct Energie).

Kennaugh finished the 2015 Tour of California in ninth position behind overall winner Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) and is therefore one of Sky's strongest options for a good GC placing alongside Nordhaug. Kennaugh won the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race and a stage of the Herald Sun Tour in Australia in January and February.

>>> Bradley Wiggins to ride 2016 Amgen Tour of California

Sagan returns to California to defend his title, and is joined by another former winner in the shape of Sir Bradley Wiggins (Team Wiggins), who won in 2014.

Colombian Sergio Henao was Sky's top finisher in 2015 in third place, but is currently withdrawn from racing as his biological passport values are investigated.

Watch: Inside Team Sky's training camp

Van Poppel will provide firepower in the sprints, where he will come up against former Sky rider Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data), who took four stages and the sprint classification in 2015.

The UCI 2.HC-ranked Amgen Tour of California starts in San Diego on Sunday, May 15, and concludes in Sacramento on Sunday, May 22.

The race features a 20.3km individual time trial on stage six and a testing summit finish on stage three, both of which will shape the general classification.

Greg Van Avermaet hopes to return from injuries suffered at the Tour of Flanders at next month's Amgen Tour of California, but admits he is still suffering discomfort.

The BMC rider suffered a broken collarbone in the crash on April 3, when several members of his team came down in the peloton in Flanders, forcing him to miss Paris-Roubaix the following week.

The Omloop Het Nieuwsblad winner wasn't off the bike for long, though, and plans to be back racing in California on May 15.

"The feeling on the bike is already quite good. I just have some pain in my wrist. Every time I ride over a [drain], I feel a twinge. This still worries me," Van Avermaet told Sporza.

Watch Greg Van Avermaet win stage 13 of the 2015 Tour de France

Van Avermaet will not return to the Baloise Belgium Tour, where he won the overall title last year, as his team have not entered the race.

"I think BMC is concerned that I would ride around in the Tour of Belgium to motivated. The main goal now is the Tour [de France], where I want to be as fresh as possible at the start," he said.

Riders at the 2016 Amgen Tour of California will tackle the infamous Corkscrew corner at the Laguna Seca race track as organisers reveal the toughest route in race history.

Stage four will finish at the race track in Monterey County, with the Corkscrew presenting riders with a blind summit, followed by a sharp 12 per cent drop. As they sweep through the immediate right-hander the gradient increases to an 18 per cent drop, ensuring riders are kept on their toes throughout the final stages of the race.

The stage promises to be one of the most beautiful of the race, skirting up the California coast from Morro Bay in a race that goes from South to North of the state for only the second time in its history.

>>> Bradley Wiggins to ride 2016 Amgen Tour of California

Stage one starts and finishes in the state's second largest city, San Diego, giving the sprinters an opportunity to get an early win. The fastmen will be in action again on stage two in the 148km route between South Pasadena and Santa Clarita.

The race's first summit finish comes on stage three on Gibraltar Road - a 10km climb averaging eight per cent, with spectacular views of Santa Barbara beach below.

Stage five could be one for the puncheurs, with a long climb up to towards South Tahoe before an undulating run to the finish. The following day the time triallists will get their chance to shine in the 20.3km test in Folsom.

>>> How did Peter Sagan win the Tour of California?

Stage seven is another hilly day, but the flat finish could mean it won't have much bearing on the general classification, and the traditional sprint finish for stage eight comes in Sacramento.

The 2015 edition of the race came down to the wire, with Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) winning bonus seconds on the final sprint to beat Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx-Quick Step) by one second in Los Angeles.

Amgen Tour of California 2016 route (Men)

Sunday 15 May, stage 1: San Diego – San Diego, 170,5 km

Monday 16 May, stage 2: South Pasadena – Santa Clarita, 148 km

Tuesday 17 May, stage 3: Thousand Oaks – Santa Barbara County (Gibraltar Road), 167,5 km

Wednesday 18 May, stage 4: Morro Bay – Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway, 215 km

Thursday 19 May, stage 5: Lodi - South Lake Tahoe, 213 km

Friday 20 May, stage 6: Folsom Time Trial, 20,3 km

Saturday 21 May, stage 7: Santa Rosa - Santa Rosa, 175,5 km

Sunday 22 May, stage 8: Sacramento – Sacramento, 150 km

Women's route

Thursday 19 May, stage 1: South Lake Tahoe - South Lake Tahoe, 117 km

Friday 20 May, stage 2: Folsom Time Trial, 20,3 km

Saturday 21 May, stage 3: Santa Rosa - Santa Rosa, 111 km

Sunday 22 May, stage 4: Sacramento – Sacramento, 66 km

The route for the 2016 Tour of California has been revealed, with the eleventh edition of the race starting in San Diego and travelling north across eight stages to the overall finish in the state capital Sacramento on May 22.

Sir Bradley Wiggins has confirmed he will participate in the race as he prepares for the Olympic road race in Rio that August.

Wiggins won this race in 2014 but was not present for the 2015 edition, which was won by current world champion Peter Sagan.

The race will begin in San Diego with stage one starting and finishing in the city, before the race heads to South Pasadena for the start of stage two, which looks likely to end in a sprint finish in Santa Clarita, hosting a stage of the tour for the eleventh time.

The general classification contenders will get their first big test in stage three, with a mountaintop finish at Gibraltar Road making its first appearence in the Tour of California.

Stage four will take place between two first-time hosts, Morro Bay and Monterrey County, before the GC riders tackle a long day of climbing on stage five between Lodi and South Lake Tahoe which will feature the highest elevation ever included in the Tour of California, a whopping 8,600 feet above sea level.

How much speed can money buy?

The Tour of California Women's Race, the first US event on inaugral UCI Women's World Tour, will also run in conjunction with the men's race from stage five onwards and will start and finish from the same cities, with the exception of stage five which for the women will start and finish from South Lake Tahoe.

Stage six returns to the scene of Bradley Wiggins' emphatic victory in the 2014 edition's time trial with a circuit against the clock around Folsom that could prove decisive for the overall classification. Stage six of the women's race will feature a team time trial around the same course.

Stage seven will incorporate a section of Levi's Gran Fondo, the amateur race run by three-time Tour of California winner Levi Leipheimer, and will start and finish in Santa Rosa, before the final stage of the race starts and finishes in Sacramento.

Wiggins will be looking to become the third European winner in a row and the fourth in five years following Robert Gesink's win in 2012.

The Tour of California has been kind to European riders in the past, with all four classification winners from the 2015 race coming from Europe.

Overall winner Peter Sagan was joined on the final podium by points classification winner Mark Cavendish, king of the mountains Daniel Oss and Julian Alaphilippe who took the jersey for best young rider.