Tour of America (Fantasy Tour)

[jobiwan]

So, after being inspired by Lupetto's ongoing Fantasy Giro (FOLLOW THAT THREAD, It's a great one), I decided to try something on my own.

This Website is the tool behind all of this. Check it out!

So, this thread is going to be about the inaugural Tour of America!

This Tour has been in the minds of many for a long time, but no one thought it could be done. One man tried it, but it was too big of a project.

No one thought it would get done, until one bored/genius young man (who shall be known as jobiwan from this point forward) drew up an actual route for this thing.

Now, just having a route isn't good enough. You need riders to actually race the course, and you need a time to run your race!!

It just so happens that the race happened upon both riders and a time slot:

A story in L'Equipe:

In a stunning new development, Christian Prudhomme has been fired from his position as director of the ASO just 2 weeks before the start of this years Tour de France. Prudhomme was relieved of his duties for focusing so hard on engineering exciting final week mountain stages that he forgot to design the first two weeks of the Tour!! The ASO, trying to salvage this year's Tour, have decided to run the Tour as a one week race this year, leaving a giant void in the July cycling calender.

Jonathan Vaughters' Response:

I, on behalf of the AIGCP (Cycling Teams' Organization) am announcing that no World Tour teams will race in this one week "Tour de Farce". My team, Garmin-Cervelo, will not waste our perfect fitness in a one week race without a Team Time Trial. I propose that all World Tour teams join me and my sideburns in America, for our new GT.

So, there we go. A slot to run our race, and team to race it!!

I hope you'll join me in following this new race. Startlists and a course preview are coming soon!
(The course is already designed!!)

And, check out our main sponsor!

 

[jobiwan]

The Course

Designing an inaugural race is a challenge, but myself and the other organizers believe that we have designed a course that fulfills the three requirements we started with:

1. To create a course that is demanding yet rewarding to multiple types of riders
2. To create a course that celebrates the peoples, geography, and history of the United States
3. To pay tribute to the other great races already in the U.S.A.

We believe that this course will provide fans and riders a rewarding experience, worthy of a Grand Tour. So without further ado...

The Course

Stage 1: Cooperstown ITT, 35.52 km
Stage 2: Rochester - Niagara Falls, 149.10 km (Flat)
Stage 3: Cleveland - Pittsburgh, 199.53 km (Flat)
Stage 4: Hershey Park - Baltimore (Camden Yards), 197.29 km (Flat)
Stage 5: Washington D.C. TTT, 23.91 km
Stage 6: Appomattox Courthouse - Roanoke Mountain ,185.62 km (Hills)
Stage 7: Johnson City - Gatlinburg, 199.97 km (Hills)
Stage 8: Tellico Plains - Brasstown Bald, 195.07 km (MTF)
Stage 9: Rome - Birmingham, 198.79 km (Flat)
Stage 10: Russellville - Harrison, 184.16 km (Hills)
Stage 11: Fort Smith - Tulsa, 199.63 km (Flat)
Stage 12: Amarillo - Lubbock, 198.25 km (Flat)
Stage 13: Alamogordo, 197.13 km (Mountains)
Stage 14: Almont - Aspen, 194.27 km (Mountains)
Stage 15: Denver - Mount Evans, 127.29 km (MTF)
Stage 16: Salt Lake City - Snowbird ITT, 18.04 km (MTT)
Stage 17: Lake Tahoe, 160.98 km (Hills)
Stage 18: Mammoth Lakes - Onion Valley Rd., 156.23 km (MTF)
Stage 19: San Bernadino - Los Angeles, 196.16 km (Flat)
Stage 20: Los Angeles ITT, 60.35 km
Stage 21: San Francisco Bay, 197.74 km (Flat)

Course Overview:

About 140 total kilometers of TT-ing (Including MTT and TTT)
4 Time Trial Stages
8 Flat Stages
5 Mountain Stages + Mountain TT
4 MTF's (Including MTT)
4 Intermediate Stages

Total Length: 3280.8 KM's

 

[jobiwan]

The Startlist

(I promise that unlike the famous Tour de Grizzly, Lance Armstrong will not win!! )

All of the World Tour teams were invited to race the Tour of America, and all teams accepted. Most kept their Tour de France teams intact, but made some small changes.

4 Wild Card Teams were invited to race alongside the Top Teams, and they are:

Geox-TMC
United Healthcare
Cofidis
Androni Giocattoli

So, here is the Startlist for the Denny's Tour of America:

SAXO-BANK SUNGARD

1 Alberto Contador
2 Jesus Hernandez
3 Daniel Navarro
4 Gustav Larrson
5 Richie Porte
6 Chris Anker Sorensen
7 Juan Jose Haedo
8 Nicki Sorensen
9 Brian Vandborg

LEOPARD TREK

11 Andy Schleck
12 Fabian Cancellara
13 Jakob Fuglsang
14 Maxime Monfort
15 Stuart O'Grady
16 Daniele Bennati
17 Linus Gerdemann
18 Frank Schleck
19 Jens Voigt

EUSKALTEL-EUSKADI

21 Samuel Sánchez
22 Gorka Izagirre
23 Egoi Martinez
24 Alan Perez
25 Ruben Perez
26 Amets Txurruka
27 Pablo Urtasun
28 Igor Anton
29 Gorka Verdugo

OMEGA PHARMA LOTTO

31 Jurgen Van Den Broeck
32 Philippe Gilbert
33 Andre Greipel
34 Sebastian Lang
35 Jurgen Roelandts
36 Marcel Sieberg
37 Jurgen Van De Walle
38 Jelle Vanendert
39 Frederik Willems

RABOBANK CYCLING TEAM

41 Robert Gesink
42 Carlos Barredo Llamazales
43 Lars Boom
44 Steven Kruijswijk
45 Bauke Mollema
46 Oscar Friere
47 Luis León Sánchez Gil
48 Laurens ten Dam
49 Maarten Tjallingii

TEAM GARMIN-CERVELO

51 Thor Hushovd
52 Thomas Danielson
53 Dan Martin
54 Tyler Farrar
55 Ryder Hesjedal
56 David Millar
57 Ramunas Navardauskas
58 Christian Vande Velde
59 David Zabriskie

PRO TEAM ASTANA

61 Alexander Vinokourov
62 Rémy Di Grégorio
63 Dmitriy Fofonov
64 Andriy Grivko
65 Maxim Iglinskiy
66 Roman Kreuziger
67 Paolo Tiralongo
68 Tomas Vaitkus
69 Allan Davis

TEAM RADIOSHACK

71 Janez Brajkovic
72 Christopher Horner
73 Markel Irizar
74 Andreas Klöden
75 Levi Leipheimer
76 Robbie McEwen
77 Sergio Paulinho
78 Yaroslav Popovych
79 Haimar Zubeldia

MOVISTAR TEAM

81 David Arroyo
82 Andrei Amador
83 Rui Costa
84 Alejandro Valverde
85 José Ivan Gutierrez
86 Beñat Intxausti
87 Vasili Kiryienka
88 Jose Joaquin Rojas
89 Francisco José Ventoso

LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE

91 Ivan Basso
92 Maciej Bodnar
93 Peter Sagan
94 Paolo Longo Borghini
95 Daniel Oss
96 Maciej Paterski
97 Fabio Sabatini
98 Sylvester Szmyd
99 Vincenzo Nibali

AG2R LA MONDIALE

101 Nicolas Roche
102 Maxime Bouet
103 Hubert Dupont
104 John Gadret
105 Sébastien Hinault
106 Blel Kadri
107 Sébastien Minard
108 Jean-Christophe Peraud
109 Christophe Riblon

SKY PROCYCLING

111 Bradley Wiggins
112 Juan Antonio Flecha
113 Ian Stannard
114 Edvald Boasson Hagen
115 Christian Knees
116 Ben Swift
117 Geraint Thomas
118 Rigoberto Uran
119 Xabier Zandio

QUICKSTEP CYCLING TEAM

121 Sylvain Chavanel
122 Tom Boonen
123 Gerald Ciolek
124 Kevin De Weert
125 Dries Devenyns
126 Addy Engels
127 Jérôme Pineau
128 Gert Steegmans
129 Niki Terpstra

GEOX-TMC

131 Denis Menchov
132 Carlos Sastre
133 Marcel Wyss
134 David Blanco
135 Giampaolo Cheula
136 Dmitry Kozontchouk
137 Fabio Duarte
138 Mauricio Ardila
139 Rafael Valls

BMC RACING TEAM

141 Cadel Evans
142 Brent Bookwalter
143 Marcus Burghardt
144 George Hincapie
145 Amaël Moinard
146 Steve Morabito
147 Manuel Quinziato
148 Ivan Santaromita
149 Greg Van Avermaet

COFIDIS

151 Rein Taaramae
152 Mickaël Buffaz
153 Samuel Dumoulin
154 Leonardo Duque
155 Julien El Farès
156 Tony Gallopin
157 David Moncoutie
158 Tristan Valentin
159 Romain Zingle

LAMPRE-ISD

161 Damiano Cunego
162 Leonardo Bertagnolli
163 Grega Bole
164 Matteo Bono
165 Danilo Hondo
166 Michele Scarponi
167 David Loosli
168 Adriano Malori
169 Alessandro Petacchi

HTC-HIGHROAD

171 Mark Cavendish
172 Lars Ytting Bak
173 Bernhard Eisel
174 Matthew Harley GosS
175 Tony Martin
176 Danny Pate
177 Mark Renshaw
178 Tejay Van Garderen
179 Peter Velits

ANDRONI GIOCATTOLI

181 Jose Serpa
182 Emanuele Sella
183 José Rujano
184 Alessandro De Marchi
185 Giairo Ermetti
186 Roberto Ferrari
187 Carlos José Ochoa
188 Jackson Rodriguez
189 Angel Vicioso

KATUSHA TEAM

191 Vladimir Karpets
192 Pavel Brutt
193 Denis Galimzyanov
194 Joaquim Rodriguez
195 Mikhail Ignatiev
196 Filippo Pozzato
197 Giampaolo Caruso
198 Egor Silin
199 Yury Trofimov

VACANSOLEIL-DCM PRO CYCLING

201 Romain Feillu
202 Borut Bozic
203 Thomas De Gendt
204 Johnny Hoogerland
205 Björn Leukemans
206 Marco Marcato
207 Wout Poels
208 Rob Ruijgh
209 Lieuwe Westra

UNITED HEALTHCARE

211 Rory Sutherland
212 Robert Förster
213 Christopher Jones
214 Christian Meier
215 Karl Menzies
216 Andrew Pinfold
217 Charles Wegelius
218 Bradley White
219 Boy Van Poppel

 

[Eric8-A]

This sounds awesome! I've been playing around with the same program for the last couple of days. I've been thinking it would be a great idea to get a fantasy race calendar now that someone's found a program to create stage profiles.

Other than that. I love that there are three TT's. I'm looking forward to this. Also following the fantasy giro.

 

[jobiwan]

The Rules

Since the Tour de France is not going to be a Grand Tour this year, we managed to steal all of their jerseys!!!

The ToA will use the same system for all classifications as the TdF, with a few rule changes:

1. TIME BONUSES!!! - Bonuses of 20'', 12'', and 8'' will be given to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd riders, respectively, across the finish line in all mass start stages

2. TIME CUTS - As some of the organizers are too lazy to spend a whole bunch of time calculating percentages, the following time cuts will be used:

- Flat Stage - 15'
- Hilly Stage - 30'
- Mountain Stage - 45'

A rider can miss ONE TIME CUT, and be allowed to stay in the race. If the rider misses a 2nd time cut, NO MATTER HOW MANY OTHERS ARE IN HIS GROUP, he will be disqualified from the race.

3. TRANSFERS - These will be irrelevant to this race. All the teams have private jets provided to them!!

4. ROAD ACCESS - All roads used have been opened and shut down for the general public for this race, and if the road has some dirt on it, get over it.

5. CONDUCT - There will be no:

- Fighting on Wheels
- Fighting with Wheels (Pay Attention Barredo and Costa)
- Complaining about Descents (Andy)
- Trying to Get Others Disqualified (Movistar vs. Cav)
- French TV Cars
- Barbed Wire
- Deliberate Crashes (Looking at you, Karpets)
- Excessive Recklessness

Any of these actions will result in IMMEDIATE DISQUALIFICATION
-----------------------------------
That about wraps up the race preview, tomorrow the Stage 1 Report should be posted, but I'll give the profile to everyone. Hope everyone enjoys!!

Stage 1: Cooperstown ITT, 35.52 kms

 

[Eric8-A]

My predictions: Cancellara, Malori, Martin, Zabriskie

 

[Rouetheday]

I've been thinking of starting a thread like this for a while. Thanks for the jumpstart! Having said that (any 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' fans out there? ), I'm afraid the Pro Tour teams won't be able to attend your race as they'll be preoccupied with readying themselves for my GT, The Tour of the Appalachians!! Details to follow...

 

[jobiwan]

Stage 1 Preview

The Tour of America is starting with a bang! A big bang!
Most grand tours start with a prologue, an under 10 km time trial that gives a glimpse to the overall favorites for the race.

The ToA, however, is starting off with a full blown Time Trial. We want our riders to try to have top form for 3 weeks, and if they don't, they will be punished. This time trial will reward those with good form, and punish those with bad form.

Also, this Tour has a fairly large amount of TT kilometers, which goes against the normal practices of the organizers. But due to the tough mountains throughout the race, we added a lot of TT miles to try to balance it out. So if it looks like the TT specialists will win the Tour at the beginning, don't you worry!!

Today's TT starts and ends in Cooperstown, New York. It's a very small town that not many people would care about, except for one thing. It's home to the National Baseball Hall of Fame!

Baseball, the national past-time of the U.S.A., is a long loved sport that is still celebrated today. And the Tour of America is paying tribute to our wonderful sport by visiting one of baseball's landmarks in our opening TT.

35.52 punishing opening kilometers around the visibly stunning Lake Otsego await our riders. All jerseys will be awarded, with a KOM point at the north side of the Lake.

 

[jobiwan]

Stage 1 Report

June 30, Stage 1: Cooperstown ITT, 35.52 kms

Wiggins Wins in Cooperstown!

Cancellara Stunned as Climbers Lose Time

The Tour of America got off to an exhilarating start today, with the leader of Team Sky breaking through to win the first Yellow Jersey! Bradley Wiggins, whose team won the drawing to go last, closed out the Time Trial by snatching the best time from World TT Champ Fabian Cancellara by a mere 2 seconds. Dave Zabriskie, wearing the American TT Champion's jersey, finished on the podium at 10 seconds back. Zabriskie, however, will get the KOM jersey, having set the best time at the checkpoint on the Cat 4 climb midway through the course.

Today's Time Trial also gave a big indication as to the form of the favorites. Wiggins obviously has good form, as do Tony Martin, Denis Menchov, Cadel Evans, Alberto Contador, and Sammy Sanchez. These riders held their own against the TT favorites, while a few others failed.

Andy Schleck, the leader of Leopard Trek, obviously did not work hard enough on his time trial, and lost most notably 1'49" on Alberto Contador, his main rival. His brother, Frank Schleck, did not do well either, a further 34 seconds behind Andy. The biggest loser, however, was Joaquim Rodriguez. In his personal battle against the clock, the clock won again. Rodriguez lost a whopping 5'35" to Bradley Wiggins, surely his overall hopes are gone.

Results: Top 15 and Other Notables: (GC the same)

1. Bradley Wiggins
2. Fabian Cancellara +2”
3. Dave Zabriskie +10”
4. Tony Martin +20”
5. Adriano Malori +29”
6. Denis Menchov +33”
7. Cadel Evans +37”
8. Andreas Kloden +42”
9. Alexander Vinokourov +45”
10. Gustav Larrson +46”
11. Alberto Contador +46”
12. Edvald Boasson Hagen +50”
13. Samuel Sanchez +54”
14. Janez Brajkovic +59”
15. Geraint Thomas +1’03

17. Robert Gesink +1’08
20. Levi Leipheimer +1’20”
21. Vincenzo Nibali +1'22"
22. Jurgen Van den Broeck +1’23
23. Tejay Van Garderen +1’25
26. Christian Vande Velde +1’32”
27. Tom Danielson +1’35”
28. Alejandro Valverde +1’40”
32. Jose Rujano +1'54"
40. Ivan Basso +2’15”
46. Andy Schleck +2’35”
49. Igor Anton +2’49”
55. Frank Schleck +3’09”
153. Joaquim Rodriguez +5’35

Green Jersey Standings:

1. Bradley Wiggins 20 pts
2. Fabian Cancellara 17 (will wear Green)
3. Dave Zabriskie 15
4. Tony Martin 13
5. Adriano Malori 11
6. Denis Menchov 10
7. Cadel Evans 9
8. Andreas Kloden 8
9. Alexander Vinokourov 7
10. Gustav Larrson 6
11. Alberto Contador 5
12. Edvald Boasson Hagen 4
13. Samuel Sanchez 3
14. Janez Brajkovic 2
15. Geraint Thomas 1

KOM:

1. Dave Zabriskie 1 pt

Young Riders:

1. Adriano Malori
2. Edvald Boasson Hagen +21"
3. Geraint Thomas +34"

 

[Rouetheday]

Here's my prediction, jobiwan. By having Wiggins win the opening time trial, you're just trying to build up expectations before his inevitable collapse on the slopes of the Brasstown Bald where he loses ten minutes.

 

[jobiwan]

Here's my prediction, jobiwan. By having Wiggins win the opening time trial, you're just trying to build up expectations before his inevitable collapse on the slopes of the Brasstown Bald where he loses ten minutes.

It's possible, but Wiggins has another chance to gain time in the Team Time Trial. I think he'll be a strong contender for the podium IF he can survive the Rocky Mountains!

 

[jobiwan]

Stage 2 Preview

The 1st mass start stage in the Tour of America will give the Overall Favorites a chance to relax a little bit, while giving another group a riders a chance to shine.

The sprinters will be targeting this stage as a chance to lay the foundations for a possible green jersey win. Usually at the beginning of Grand Tours all riders have fresh legs and so more are in contention at the end of these finishes. Crashes can play a part, so riders should use caution.

Stage 2 moves away from Cooperstown, and moves further into Upstate New York. Starting from Rochester, New York, this stage moves west towards one of the iconic locations in North America, Niagara Falls. At just 150 kms, the Falls will be reached rather quickly, and the organizers have managed to organize a picturesque finish - IN NIAGARA FALLS STATE PARK!!

Can Mark Cavendish break his own trend and win the first sprint of a Grand Tour?
Or will the likes of Alessandro Petacchi, Tyler Farrar, or Oscar Friere beat him to the line?

Bird's Eye view of Finishing Area:

 

[Rouetheday]

On a personal note, my sister had a former co-worker and roommate from Rochester. He committed suicide several years ago. Would it be asking too much for a moment of silence at the depart?

 

[jobiwan]

On a personal note, my sister had a former co-worker and roommate from Rochester. He committed suicide several years ago. Would it be asking too much for a moment of silence at the depart?

I believe we can get that done

 

[Michielveedeebee]

Cav will win it now; he'll be in superform thanks to the british championships he won last week

 

[jobiwan]

Stage 2 Report

July 1st, Stage 2: Rochester - Niagara Falls, 149.10 kms

Boonen Wins at the Falls

Cavendish Loses Out in Opening Sprint, Wiggins Keeps Lead

Right next to the beautiful Niagara Falls, Tom Boonen narrowly edged out Mark Cavendish to win the 2nd stage of the Tour of America. Boonen stunned the field by going for a long sprint with 350 meters to go and was looking to ease to victory, when Cavendish sprang out of the pack with 125 meters left. Boonen mustered every ounce of energy left in him to hold on by half a wheel. Jose Joaquin Rojas finished in a rather distant third place.

Cavendish was furious after the race, "I had Bennati, Rojas, and Farrar all in front of me like a blockade you know, and I had to wait till Rojas went to get through. I think I would have won, but it seems everyone is conspiring against me. There are more stages left for me, though. I'll get my win."

The stage was rather uneventful. After a moment of silence for Rouetheday's friend who passed away in Rochester, a six man break went up the road after 3 kilometers. Paolo Longo Borghini (LIQ), Sebastian Hinault (AGR), Lieuwe Westra (VAC), Christian Meier (UHC), Maarten Tjallingii (RAB), and Tony Gallopin (COF) comprised today's break, and took the first six places at the intermediate sprint midway through the race. Gallopin was the last survivor caught with 22 kilometers to go.

Bradley Wiggins had a fairly easy day in the Yellow Jersey, with Team Sky setting the pace up until the intermediate sprint point, where HTC-Highroad took over for Mark Cavendish. Cavendish easily took the sprint for 7th, and it looked like he would take the finish and the green jersey as well. However, Boonen took first place and the green jersey by a single point heading into Stage 3.

Top 15 of Stage 2 and Points Earned at Finish

1. Tom Boonen - 45 pts
2. Mark Cavendish - 35
3. Jose Joaquin Rojas - 30
4. Tyler Farrar - 26
5. Daniele Bennati -22
6. Denis Galimzyanov - 20
7. Oscar Friere - 18
8. Allan Davis - 16
9. Edvald Boasson Hagen - 14
10. Juan Jose Haedo -12
11. Thor Hushovd - 10
12. Fabian Cancellara - 8
13. Robbie McEwen - 6
14. Daniel Oss - 4
15. Mark Renshaw -2

Intermediate Sprint:

1. Paolo Longo Borghini - 20 pts
2. Sebastian Hinault - 17
3. Lieuwe Westra - 15
4. Christian Meier - 13
5. Maarten Tjallingii - 11
6. Tony Gallopin - 10
7. Mark Cavendish - 9
8. Tyler Farrar - 8
9. Mark Renshaw - 7
10. Robbie McEwen - 6
11. Fabian Cancellara - 5
12. Ben Swift - 4
13. Matt Goss - 3
14. Francisco Ventoso - 2
15. Edvald Boasson Hagen - 1

Most Aggressive Rider:

Tony Gallopin

Points Standings in a Later Post
No Big Changes in GC, Wiggins in Yellow Again

 

[jobiwan]

Standings After Stage 2

Overall GC:

1. Bradley Wiggins
2. Fabian Cancellara +2”
3. Dave Zabriskie +10”
4. Tony Martin +20”
5. Adriano Malori +29”
6. Denis Menchov +33”
7. Cadel Evans +37”
8. Andreas Kloden +42”
9. Alexander Vinokourov +45”
10. Gustav Larrson +46”
11. Alberto Contador +46”
12. Edvald Boasson Hagen +50”
13. Samuel Sanchez +54”
14. Janez Brajkovic +59”
15. Geraint Thomas +1’03

17. Robert Gesink +1’08
20. Levi Leipheimer +1’20”
21. Vincenzo Nibali +1'22"
22. Jurgen Van den Broeck +1’23
23. Tejay Van Garderen +1’25
26. Christian Vande Velde +1’32”
27. Tom Danielson +1’35”
28. Alejandro Valverde +1’40”
32. Jose Rujano +1'54"
40. Ivan Basso +2’15”
46. Andy Schleck +2’35”
49. Igor Anton +2’49”
55. Frank Schleck +3’09”
153. Joaquim Rodriguez +5’35

Top 15 Points Classification:

1. Tom Boonen 45 pts
2. Mark Cavendish 44
3. Tyler Farrar 34
4. Fabian Cancellara 30
5. Jose Joaquin Rojas 30
6. Daniele Bennati 22
7. Bradley Wiggins 20
8. Denis Galimzyanov 20
9. Paolo Longo Borghini 20
10. Edvald Boasson Hagen 19
11. Oscar Friere 18
12. Sebastian Hinault 17
13. Allan Davis 16
14. Dave Zabriskie 15
15. Lieuwe Westra 15

KOM

1. Dave Zabriskie 1 pt

Young Riders:

1. Adriano Malori
2. Edvald Boasson Hagen +21"
3. Geraint Thomas +34"

Team GC:

I'm not going to even attempt to keep up with the Team GC!!
But I'll guess and say Sky has it right now!!

 

[Eric8-A]

So far so good. I'm getting into this race like any other. I think it has my interest more than Polnad, Burgos, and Denmark

 

[jobiwan]

Stage 3 Preview

The Tour of America continues its maiden voyage on Stage 3, another opportunity for the sprinters.

After a visit to Lake Ontario in Stage 2, the Tour visits another one of the Great Lakes - Lake Erie, to be precise. Stage 3 starts from the bad-luck sports town of Cleveland, Ohio, home of the Browns, Indians, and former home of NBA star Lebron James. After the start in Cleveland, the riders head 200 kms southeast towards the outskirts of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The riders will have a relatively easy day, but will line up for the sprint finish via the Monaca-Rochester Bridge in the Pittsburgh area. The riders enter from the Monaca side, and the finish line is on the other side of the bridge. Should the wind be high, the sprint could be more complicated then normal.

Another obstacle the sprinters might face is the last 10 kilometers.There are a few bumps inside the final kms, and should a strong enough rider leap out of the pack, there could be a surprise winner!

Mark Cavendish narrowly missed out on victory in Stage 2. Can he record his first ToA stage win?
Can Tom Boonen repeat his Stage 2 success, or will someone new rise up from the field and take glory?

The Monaca - Rochester Bridge, the finishing straight!

 

[Eric8-A]

Sweet finish!

 

[nvpacchi]

This is great! I have to lol at a start in Hershey Park which is only 25 minutes away from my house (and the one place in the entire county I dread going after going there 50+ times in my life). But at least it finishes at Camden Yards, but too bad the O's make me dread going there too

 

[jobiwan]

This is great! I have to lol at a start in Hershey Park which is only 25 minutes away from my house (and the one place in the entire county I dread going after going there 50+ times in my life). But at least it finishes at Camden Yards, but too bad the O's make me dread going there too

Thanks! I guess Hershey Park for you is like Dollywood in Pigeon Forge for me. 4 hours away, but I've been there about 6 times in 6 years!!! School trips, family trips - all go to Dollywood!

And I'm sorry about the Orioles, Camden Yards deserves a lot better!

I'll try to get the Stage 3 Report up tonight! EDIT: Done!!

 

[jobiwan]

Stage 3 Report

July 2nd, Stage 3: Cleveland - Pittsburgh, 199.53 kms

Bennati Bests the Field!

Cavendish Beaten by Strong Winds, Wiggins Retains Yellow

It looked like Mark Cavendish was going to claim his first win in the Tour of America, but once again, events conspired against him. This time, the strong headwinds battering the riders on the finishing bridge into the Pittsburgh suburb of Rochester proved too much for the young Manx sprinter. The beneficiary of the winds was Daniele Bennati, who jumped out from behind the slowing Cavendish to take the win. 3rd went to Andre Greipel, who barely missed 2nd place to the faltering Cavendish.

Bennati said afterwards, "Cavendish lost his leadout with around 300 to go and tried to hold on. I stayed in his wheel until the last 50 meters and pounced for the stage win. I cannot be happier with this win!"

Although the strong headwind played a part in the finish, the rest of the stage was once again uneventful. The obligatory break took a little longer to develop, but once it got away it contained 8 riders. Jurgen Van De Walle (OPL), Dmitriy Fofonov (AST), Maicej Bodnar (LIQ), Markel Irizar (RSH), Addy Engels (QST), Brent Bookwalter (BMC), Matteo Bono (LAM), and Karl Menzies (UHC) made up the break of the day.

They were not caught as early, however. Fofonov, Bookwalter, and Menzies attacked and were only caught in the last 5 kilometers, as the peloton, being wary of the possible headwinds in the finish, looked to conserve energy. Knowing this, Philippe Gilbert launched an attack 4 kilometers from the finish, but was caught with 1.5 kilometers left. Remarkably, he was able to still finish 10th.

Once again, Bradley Wiggins comfortably kept his yellow jersey. "We were worried that Cancellara might try to take a podium finish in the tough finish for the bonus seconds, but fortunately for us he saved his energy today." Wiggins has a 2 second lead over Cancellara that should last until the Stage 5 TTT barring any unforeseen changes.

If Mark Cavendish was feeling upset over another 2nd place, he can take comfort in pulling on the Green Jersey. His 2nd place in the final dash, coupled with besting the pack for 9th in the intermediate sprint, leapfrogged him over Tom Boonen, who could only manage a 6th place finish in the final sprint.

Top 15 of Stage 3 and Points Earned at Finish:

1. Daniele Bennati 45 pts
2. Mark Cavendish 35
3. Andre Greipel 30
4. Allan Davis 26
5. Alessandro Petacchi 22
6. Tom Boonen 20
7. Jose Joaquin Rojas 18
8. Peter Sagan 16
9. Thor Hushovd 14
10. Phillipe Gilbert 12
11. Cadel Evans 10
12. Robbie McEwen 8
13. Romain Feillu 6
14. Alejandro Valverde 4
15. Robert Forster 2

Top 15 Intermediate Sprint:

1. Jurgen Van De Walle 20 pts
2. Dmitriy Fofonov 17
3. Maicej Bodnar 15
4. Markel Irizar 13
5. Addy Engels 11
6. Brent Bookwalter 10
7. Matteo Bono 9
8. Karl Menzies 8
9. Mark Cavendish 7
10. Matt Goss 6
11. Tyler Farrar 5
12. Alessandro Petacchi 4
13. Philippe Gilbert 3
14. Tom Boonen 2
15. Tony Martin 1

Most Aggressive Rider:

Brent Bookwalter

Points Standings in a Later Post, Cav's in Green
No GC Changes, Wiggins in Yellow

 

[Rouetheday]

Jobiwan, I'm a bit bummed about the finish in Pittsburgh. In your intro you stated you wanted to pay tribute to some of America's past great races. I would have loved to have seen the route climb Mt. Washington which featured in the old Thrift Drug Classic. Roughly one kilometre at an average 15% gradient, IIRC, and it's "See ya at the hotel, Cav!" Oh well, maybe next year...

 

[jobiwan]

Standings After Stage 3

Overall GC:

1. Bradley Wiggins
2. Fabian Cancellara +2”
3. Dave Zabriskie +10”
4. Tony Martin +20”
5. Adriano Malori +29”
6. Denis Menchov +33”
7. Cadel Evans +37”
8. Andreas Kloden +42”
9. Alexander Vinokourov +45”
10. Gustav Larrson +46”
11. Alberto Contador +46”
12. Edvald Boasson Hagen +50”
13. Samuel Sanchez +54”
14. Janez Brajkovic +59”
15. Geraint Thomas +1’03

17. Robert Gesink +1’08
20. Levi Leipheimer +1’20”
21. Vincenzo Nibali +1'22"
22. Jurgen Van den Broeck +1’23
23. Tejay Van Garderen +1’25
26. Christian Vande Velde +1’32”
27. Tom Danielson +1’35”
28. Alejandro Valverde +1’40”
32. Jose Rujano +1'54"
40. Ivan Basso +2’15”
46. Andy Schleck +2’35”
49. Igor Anton +2’49”
55. Frank Schleck +3’09”
153. Joaquim Rodriguez +5’35

Top 15 Points Classification:

1. Mark Cavendish 86 pts
2. Daniele Bennati 67
3. Tom Boonen 67
4. Jose Joaquin Rojas 48
5. Allan Davis 42
6. Tyler Farrar 39
7. Fabian Cancellara 30
8. Andre Greipel 30
9. Alessandro Petacchi 26
10. Thor Hushovd 24
11. Bradley Wiggins 20
12. Denis Galimzyanov 20
13. Paolo Longo Borghini 20
14. Jurgen Van De Walle 20
15. Edvald Boasson Hagen 19

KOM:

1. Dave Zabriskie 1 pt

Young Riders:

1. Adriano Malori
2. Edvald Boasson Hagen +21"
3. Geraint Thomas +34"