Team Discover

Jason McCartney Tour of California

Thor Horsvald

Photo's Courtesy of Jamie Kohm

2007 Teams

Discovery Team Info Team Website	CSC Team Info Team Website	Credit Agricole Team Info Team Website
Team Predictor-Lotto Team Info Team Website	Quick Step-Innergetic Team Info Team Website	T-Mobile Team Info Team Website
Rabobank Cycling Team Info Team Website	Liquigas Team Info Team Website	Healthnet Team Info Team Website
Navigators Insurance Team Info Team Website	Team Slipstream/Chipotle     Team Info Team Website	Toyota-United Pro Team Info Team Website
Priority Health Cycling Team Info Team website	USA National Team Team Info Team website	Colavita/Sutter Home Team Info Team Website
BMC Racing Team Team Info Team Website	Jelly Belly Team Info Team Website	Gerolsteiner Team Info Team website

LEVI WINS TIME TRIAL & WIDENS OVERALL LEAD
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Under sunny skies in Solvang, Calif., Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team's Levi Leipheimer, of Santa Rosa, Calif., further built on his overall lead in today's critical time trial, besting Team CSC's Jens Voigt (GER) by 18 seconds after an eagerly awaited showdown between the two cyclists.

"I've been looking forward to this race for a year now, and for me it's a dream come true to be leading the Amgen Tour of California," said Leipheimer. "I think I sprinted harder today because I didn't know if I had won. I had nothing left. The moral on Discovery is sky high."

State officials estimate that 1 million fans have attended the 2007 Amgen Tour of California since the San Francisco Prologue on Sunday, putting the race on pace to break its own record as the largest sporting event in California.

"Combining the best collection of cyclists ever to compete in the United States with an incredibly challenging and scenic course, the eyes of the cycling world are clearly focused on the last two days of the Amgen Tour of California," said Shawn Hunter, president of AEG Sports, presenters of the race. "With the title still on the line and two more days of exciting racing to come, we could not have hoped for better finishing stages than we are about to see in Santa Barbara, Santa Clarita and Long Beach."

The 14.5-mile (23.4 km) time trial loop was located in and around the picturesque Danish-themed town of Solvang. Leipheimer covered the course in a time of 29:40.44, with an average speed of 29.4 mph (47.3 kph).

As the overall race leader, Leipheimer was last to start and was reported as 4 seconds faster than Voigt at the halfway point. He picked up time on the climbs, including the twisting Ballard Canyon climb lined with cheering fans, to extend his lead by 14 seconds approaching the line and winning the stage by a comfortable 18 seconds.

Voigt rode to second place with a time of 29:58.51, followed by Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team's Jason McCartney (USA) with a time of 30:05.14. Leipheimer is one step closer to the overall win, retaining his lead by 21 seconds with a total time of 18 hours, 21 minutes and 52 seconds over the past six days of racing. Discovery Channel Pro also holds the overall team lead.

With two stages remaining, Team CSC will meet tonight to consider their options.

"If we really want to turn the whole thing around that means you gotta basically unleash hell on everybody. It's going to be something like flat out from the start; it depends if we feel like we're ready for that," said Voigt after the finish.

Today's result answers the climax of the 2006 Tour of Germany, in which Voigt beat Leipheimer in the final time trial to win the race.

"We have a good natured rivalry... I said to Jens 'we're in California now, and today it's my turn,'" joked Leipheimer at a press conference today.

Fourth place in today's time trial was claimed by world champion Fabian Cancellara (SUI), who rides for Team CSC.

As this was a time trial, the lead of the California Travel and Tourism King of the Mountains (KOM) competition did not change with Credit Agricole's Christophe Laurent (FRA) remaining at the front with 26 points. The Herbalife Sprinter's competition also maintains yesterday's results, with Team CSC's Juan Jose 'J.J.' Haedo (ARG) keeping the lead with 28 points.

In the Union Bank Best Young Rider competition, Rabobank's Robert Gesink (NED) took a commanding lead of 41 seconds over Predictor-Lotto's Matthew Lloyd (AUS). Thomas Peterson (USA), riding for Team Slipstream powered by Chipotle, is in third. Title sponsor Amgen will hold another "Breakaway Mile" tomorrow on the final mile of the course before the peloton streaks into Santa Clarita.

"Amgen continues to seek out meaningful ways to communicate the progress we have made discovering and developing innovative and vital medicines that have helped millions of patients fight cancer, kidney disease and other serious illnesses," said Dr. Steve Elliott, scientific director, Amgen. "Through the Amgen Tour of California sponsorship, we will raise awareness of the medical advances possible through biotechnology while also helping support cancer patients and caregivers through the Breakaway from Cancer™ initiative."

STAGE 6 PRESENTED BY HEALTH NET TOMORROW:
Saturday, Feb. 24 - Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita (105.4 mi/169.6 km)
Live Race Coverage
Estimated Start Time: 11 a.m.
Estimated Finish Time: 2:30-3:30 p.m.

This could be the pivotal stage for the 2007 Amgen Tour of California. This is one of the longest stages at 105 miles, and it is heavy on climbs with four KOMs, two Sprints and a demanding finishing circuit in Santa Clarita. With the individual time trial late in the tour, there are several teams in contention for a top-3 general classification place in Long Beach, who may look to attack tomorrow to position themselves for the final day. After a start in view of the Santa Barbara shoreline, this stage, sponsored by Health Net, will be the last chance for teams to dislodge Leipheimer from the overall lead before the circuit race finale in Long Beach. Once the peloton hits Highway 150, the racers will face two KOMs before passing Lake Casitas and riding into the scenic town of Ojai for the first Sprint of the day. The third KOM will be just a few miles outside Ojai, and then the course will head downhill into Santa Paula for the second Sprint of the day among fragrant citrus groves. The ominous Balcom Canyon will be the final climb of the day, where in 2006, nearly 10,000 fans formed a narrow corridor for the riders. The cyclists will end the day with three circuits in Santa Clarita that finish at McBean Parkway at the Valencia Town Center.

For full results, archived footage, GPS data, team and course information, race play-by-play and more, please visit the official race Web site at www.amgentourofcalifornia.com.

A lonley start- house before today's stage 5 in Solvang, California

Warmup in Solvang rollers.Credit Agricole rider

Special Water Closets

Mauro da Dalto

Paulo Battini World Road Champion at Tour of Cailifornia Solvang Stage 5

LEVI LEIPHEIMER HANGS ON TO OVERALL LEAD
Latest News | 2007 Maps | 2007 Cities | Tour Merch. | Amgentourofcalifornia.com

After facing the brutal Sierra Road Category 1 climb approaching San Jose, Team CSC won its second consecutive stage with Jens Voight (GER) dominating most of the 94.8-mile (152.2km) stage with a time of 3:43.44 to best Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team's Levi Leipheimer (USA). Predictor-Lotto's Chris Horner (USA) rounded out the top three.

As expected, the Sierra Road climb separated the riders and shook up the general classification. With Santa Rosa's Leipheimer retaining the overall leader position by three seconds, Voigt and Health Net Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis' Rory Sutherland (AUS) overtook second and third place respectively. San Jose's Ben Jacques-Maynes of the Priority Health team entered the day's stage in third place heading into his hometown, but faltered to finish 3 minutes and 3 second behind the leaders, falling to 38th place overall. Nine riders failed to cross the finish line within the qualifying time and were eliminated from the race.

"Today was an incredible day for the sport, both in terms of the competition, as well as the enthusiasm the fans showed from Stockton to San Jose," said Shawn Hunter, president of AEG Sports, presenters of the race. "When the peloton came over Sierra Road, it was like parting the red sea to get through all the fans. After a day like this, no one can argue that there is an enormous appetite for cycling in America." Voigt rode with a breakaway that formed within the first five miles and quickly opened a gap that grew to five minutes by mile 55. Seventeen riders were in the breakaway, spurred on by Voigt, who in addition to the stage win was awarded the Adobe Most Aggressive Rider Jersey and the Herbalife Sprint Jersey. The Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team, encouraged by words from Lance Armstrong following in a team car, battled to contain the deficit.

"Today was a bike ride. It was a huge battle; it was war out there," said Leipheimer, who talked with Lance Armstrong throughout the race for encouragement. "He [Lance] understands that today was a real battle. He was 100 percent behind us cheering us on. It really made everyone dig, so it was special."

Seventy-three miles into the race, at the start of the decisive Sierra Road climb, which gained about 1,700 feet (518 m) in 3.9 miles (6.3 km), the hard-charging peloton was only one minute behind the breakaway.

Discovery Channel Pro riders George Hincapie (USA) and Ivan Basso (ITA) launched Leipheimer's attack as he pursued the leaders up the climb, and the entire field exploded under the pressure of the 10%+ gradient.

Predictor-Lotto's Chris Horner of Bend, Ore., and Rabobank's Robert Gesink (NED) managed to keep Leipheimer's wheel, and the trio caught Voigt a little more than halfway up. Voigt and another breakaway rider, Leipheimer's teammate Jason McCartney (USA), hung onto this speeding trio and a group of five crested the summit together.

In only four miles on Sierra Road the race changed almost beyond recognition. A group of 12 riders containing the world champion, Team CSC's Paolo Bettini (ITA), followed the new leading group over the summit, about 30 seconds back. But the leaders descended faster on the narrow roads, and by the bottom, with only 12 miles (20km) remaining to the finish, the group had a lead of about one minute over a chase group that had grown to 27 riders. With the large chase group bearing down hard on the leaders, it was a frantic flight into downtown San Jose. With a little under two miles to go, Leipheimer attacked the group, and a counter attack quickly came from Voigt. But what brought a gasp from the large crowd watching the closing miles on the big screen at the finish was the sight of the main group swinging around a corner, catching the breakaway with less than 30 seconds behind the leaders. Leipheimer led the charge into the finishing straight, but Voigt came around him and powered to the win. The time bonuses Voigt picked up during the day - three seconds for winning an intermediate sprint at Livermore and 10 seconds for the line honors - put him within easy reach of Leipheimer for the time trial. With no intermediate or finish sprint time bonuses on the 135-mile Stage 4, this sets the stage for a nail-biting time trial on Friday - provided that there is not another successful breakaway like today. Neither of the current lead contenders is willing to commit to a prediction about the conclusion of the 2007 Amgen Tour of California. "Sure, we've got a fair chance, but also Levi's got a fair chance. He's a great rider, and it was only 15 seconds to the group behind us... it's hard to say where it goes from here," said Voigt. Leipheimer was of a similar mind: "Jens Voigt can time trial pretty well. I'm a long way from the overall victory... I would've liked to have got to the finish with a minute over the group." Today's King of the Mountain Jersey was awarded to Quick Step-Innergetic's Jurgen Van de Walle (BEL). The Union Bank Best Young Rider jersey went to Predictor-Lotto's Matthew Lloyd (AUS). Title sponsor Amgen will hold another "Breakaway Mile" tomorrow on the final mile of the course before the peloton streaks into San Luis Obispo. "Amgen continues to seek meaningful ways to communicate the progress we have made discovering and developing innovative and vital medicines to treat serious illnesses," said George Morrow, executive vice president, global commercial operations, Amgen. "Through the Amgen Tour of California sponsorship, we are raising awareness of the medical breakthroughs possible through biotechnology while creating the Breakaway from Cancer™ initiative to further support cancer patients and caregivers."

STAGE 4 PRESENTED BY ADT TOMORROW:
Thursday, Feb. 22 - Seaside to San Luis Obispo (132.6 mi/213.4 km)
Live Race Coverage
Estimated Start Time: 10 a.m.
Estimated Finish Time: 3:20-4:20 p.m.

The remarkable views of Stage 4 will make it a favorite for riders and spectators alike. Beginning in Seaside with a short neutral lap and traveling along a similar route to last year's Stage 4, the peloton will head south on scenic Highway 1 where the mountains and redwood forests flank the Pacific Ocean. At more than 130 miles and with three KOMs, this is the longest stage of the race and will test the riders on consistently hilly and technical terrain. The six-hour day will take the riders through Big Sur and by Hearst Castle before shifting inland toward the finish at the intersection of Osos and Monterey in San Luis Obispo.

For full results, archived footage, GPS data, team and course information, race play-by-play and more, please visit the official race Web site at www.amgentourofcalifornia.com.

RABOBANK'S GRAEME BROWN WINS STAGE ONE
Latest News | 2007 Maps | 2007 Cities | Tour Merch. | Amgentourofcalifornia.com

Stage 1 of the Amgen Tour of California from Sausalito to Santa Rosa ended in a dramatic photo finish win of two centimeters by Rabobank's Graeme Brown (AUS) following a crash on the second circuit around downtown Santa Rosa.

An earlier crash about 70 miles into the race resulted in one of the race favorites, Team CSC's Dave Zabriskie, being forced to abandon the event. He was taken to a local hospital for tests and has been released in good condition with a mild concussion and no fractures or other injuries.

Levi Leipheimer (Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team) retained the Amgen Leader's Jersey after a determined dash over the final 30 miles, which was spearheaded by his teammate, Italy's Ivan Basso, to catch a breakaway group of four talented climbers.

"Ivan Basso was ripping it up. I am very proud, very honored to have him lead me into my home town. It feels great (to put on the leader's jersey) here in my home town. I did that last year, and I've been looking forward to repeating that," said Leipheimer.

Rabobank's Graeme Brown (AUS) won the bunch sprint to claim the stage win from T-Mobile Team's Greg Henderson (NZL), with Discovery Channel Pro's Allan Hansen (AUS) placing third.

An undulating 97.1-mile (156.3 km) course with several stiff climbs, including one category four and one category three climb, combined with unrelenting cross-headwinds of 10-15 mph to present a formidable challenge for the peloton.

King of the Mountain contenders Quick Step-Innergetic's Juergen Van de Walle (BEL) of Belgium, and Team Slipstream presented by Chipotle Tom Peterson (USA), of North Bend, Wash., initiated the key attack of the day at 64 miles (103km), taking a group of four away from the peloton on the second King of the Mountain competition climb - a steep Category 3 ascent that rose 827 feet (252m) in only 1.5 miles (2.4km).

Van de Walle went on to say, "If you look at the field in this race, it is the best field before the ProTour races start. I hope we can build on this."

The race came back together shortly before entering Santa Rosa for three laps of a 2.9-mile (4.9km) circuit. After one lap, a rider's hand slipped off the handlebars, which resulted in a large crash. No one was seriously injured, but the delay resulted in the panel of Commissaires determining that the finishing circuits would be neutralized.

Thomas Peterson (Team Slipstream powered by Chipotle) moved into the lead of the King of the Mountains classification. Allan Davis (Discovery Channel Pro) took the lead in the Sprint classification. The Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team leads the overall team classification. T-Mobile Team's Greg Henderson and Discovery Channel Pro's Allan Davis took second and third in the stage respectively.

"Today is what cycling is all about. It was war out there," said Levi Leipheimer. "The crowd that came out was amazing; it was top-notch. I knew when we came into Santa Rosa that there would be a lot of people, but I didn't know it would be that many. For the crowd to come out like that in the U.S. is special."

Top-three general classification leaders after today are Leipheimer, Team Slipstream powered by Chipotle's Jason Donald in second and Priority Health Cycling Team's Benjamin Jacques-Maynes in third.

In addition to the exciting race finish, today's event included a special ride by local cancer survivors who cycled the final mile before the peloton came into the final circuits.

Amgen created the Breakaway from Cancer™ initiative in 2005 as a complementary component to its title sponsorship of the inaugural Amgen Tour of California. Last year, through the Breakaway from Cancer effort, Amgen raised more than $1 million to support The Wellness Community (TWC), an international non-profit organization dedicated to providing free support, education and hope to people affected by cancer. This year, the initiative expanded and also benefits the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS), the oldest survivor-led cancer advocacy organization in the country.

Today's 'Breakaway Mile' took place at the finish line of the Amgen Tour of California, prior to the exciting conclusion of the professional race. The one-mile ride was led by Santa Rosa-area cancer survivors Marilyn Butcher and Bob Hammer. Butcher rode on a tandem bike paired with Amgen scientist Dr. Astrid Ruefil-Brasse who plays a crucial role in developing innovative medicines. Following Butcher and Hammer were each survivor's peloton, comprised of caregivers, family members and health care professionals who supported their win against cancer.

"Breakaway from Cancer is an integral grassroots component of the Amgen Tour of California that benefits cancer patients across the country," said Cynthia Schwalm, vice president and general manager, Amgen Oncology. "We honor the courage of patients and their caregivers in their fight against cancer and are proud to sponsor our partners, The Wellness Community and the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship. The cancer survivors who were featured today during the 'Breakaway Mile,' along with their supporters and Amgen scientists, are an example of what we can do working together as a team to fight the war against cancer."

For the latest information on the Breakaway from Cancer campaign and ways to support those living with the illness, visit www.breakawayfromcancer.com.

STAGE 2 PRESENTED BY OLEVIA TOMORROW:
Tuesday, Feb. 20 - Santa Rosa to Sacramento
Estimated Start Time: 10 a.m.
Estimated Finish Time: 2-3 p.m.

Just 12 miles from the start, the peloton will face Trinity Road, one of the toughest climbs of the entire race. The peloton will pass through Sonoma and Napa wineries, Winters and Davis, which was recently crowned the best cycling town in the USA by Bicycle Magazine. The race will end with circuits at Capital Mall in Sacramento.

For full results, archived footage, GPS data, team and course information, race play-by-play and more, please visit the official race Web site at www.amgentourofcalifornia.com.