Stage 21 - July 26th
Montereau-Fault-Yonne—Paris Champs-Élysées (164km)

Stage 21 Results • Final Results • Live Replay
  1. Alberto Contador (Astana) at 85:48:35
  2. Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) at 04:11
  3. Lance Armstrong (Astana) at 05:24
  4. Bradley Wiggins (Garmin - Slipstream) at 06:01
  5. Frank Schleck (Saxo Bank) at 06:04
  6. Andréas Klöden (Astana) at 06:42
  7. Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) at 07:35
  8. Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Slipstream) at 12:04
  9. Roman Kreuziger (Liquigas) at 14:16
  10. Christophe Le Mevel (Francaise Des Jeux) at 14:25
Home » Top Stories » Road » Amgen Tour of California

2009 ATOC stage 6, Live Coverage archive

Published: Feb. 21, 2009
  • 11:39 AM: Good day and welcome

    to VeloNews.com's Live Coverage of the sixth stage of the Amgen Tour of California, a 15-mile (24 kilometers in the more advanced parts of the world) individual time trial around one of our favorite communities in California, the Danish-themed village of Solvang.

    Today's route is familiar to riders who've taken on the Tour of California before. It's an ideal test against the clock with varying terrain that includes significant stretches of flat and gradually rising roads and is punctuated by the quick steep climb up to the top of Ballard Canyon, before a generally downhill charge to the line over the final six miles.

    Current conditions are quite good for a time trial, although there may be winds to contend with.

    Today's forecast calls for a high of 68 degrees (f), with mostly sunny skies with variable high clouds. There is no wind to speak of now, but the forecast calls for winds from the northwest winds around 15 mph, which are expected to peak late in the afternoon.

  • 11:43 AM: Questions? Comments? Complaints?

    If you have a comment, a question or complaint, hit the "contact our editors" button below the live update window.

    If you need a quick response, go ahead and drop a direct line to the Live Update Guy at Charles@Pelkey.com.

  • 11:47 AM: A big thank you

    to Steve Frothingham for covering Live Updates in yesterday's stage. From reading your mail and comments, it's clear the Live Update Dude (LUD) did a terrific job. Unfortunately, today you're stuck with the old version, the Live Update Guy (LUG).

    Don't forget, by the way, to hit the "Enter to Win" button atop the window to your right. Hey, almost all of us could use a new bike, eh?

  • 11:51 AM: Starting order

    There are 108 riders remaining in this year's Tour of California, with riders beginning to ride today's stage starting at noon in Solvang.

    As always, the order is based on riders' position in the General Classifaction, with the last placed rider beginning first - Francesco Chicchi of Liquigas has that honor today - and the race leader being the last rider out of the starting house.

    If you want a complete schedule of the starting order, you can wander over to www.velonews.com/article/88320 for a look.

  • 11:58 AM: Reader comment

    Rob N. writes

    Just what is your problem with the good ol' U.S. of A? What do you mean "more advanced" parts of the world, just because we use miles, feet and inches?


    Sorry Rob, no slight intended. I just like consistency and metric just seems a little more logical than a measuring system based on the forearm of a guy who someone happened to know at one time in a certain place, once.

  • 12:01 PM: And he's off!

    Francesco Chicchi of Liquigas is on his way. The crowds are freakin' huge in Solvang. It's a terrific turnout, not only because the weather is nice, but that certainly can't hurt.

  • 12:03 PM: Chicchi

    is on a regular road bike, perhaps because the Liquigas team is reserving a limited number of TT rigs for team leaders like Basso, rather than the early starters - who are quite obviously down on GC.

    We now have three riders out on course and we will be seeing early times in a little more than half-an-hour.

  • 12:05 PM: Karl Menzies (OUCH)

    is out on the course.

  • 12:08 PM: Rodriguez

    is looking for help from his team car... if there is one out there.

    He's on a full-on TT rig and not having a good ride.

  • 12:11 PM: Carlos Sastre

    is out on course. He's wayyyyy down on GC, but the defending Tour de France champion has really improved as a time trialist.

    Rodriguez is clearly having trouble. He is riding on a flat tire and he has no support from a team car. The team must have just a few of those Caddy SUVs. Rodriguez is trying to ride on the flat and may be hoping not to get nailed by the time cut.

  • 12:14 PM: Tyler Hamilton

    is on the road.

    Rodriguez is getting passed by riders now, struggling to maintain speed on a totally flat tire.

  • 12:17 PM: First time check

    Chicchi has reached the first time check - at five miles - in 11:24.560.

    Meanwhile, Hamilton has also had a mechanical... his chain is jammed.

    And Freddy is getting some help from Mavic.

    A bad day for Rock Racing, so far.

  • 12:19 PM: In these days of unemployment

    you might consider a career as a mechanic for Rock Racing. With one rider's tire flatting within a few hundred meters of the start and another's rear derailleur dropping the chain off the cogset, there may be an opening. Get your resumes ready folks.

  • 12:22 PM: Marco Velo

    The Quick Step rider with the peloton's best name (according to our own internal polling) is out on the course. We'll try to follow his progress ... making it something we like to call (Marco) Velo news.

  • 12:24 PM: Reader Comment

    Hey, just because the yard is based on the body measurements of King Henry I who died in 1135 a.d. doesn't mean it's out of date!
    John Hodge
    Grand Junction, Colorado

    Good point, John. Maybe we should wait until 2135 to declare the system to be out of date.

  • 12:26 PM: Rodriguez and Hamilton

    are both progressing nicely, after losing time with their mechanical issues. Keep those in mind when you see both riders' times in the results tonight. They won't be good, but there is a good reason for that.

  • 12:28 PM: Menzies

    has set a good time at the ten-mile mark, covering it in 21:03.380. That shouldn't come as a surprise, since he's a strong rider in his own right.

  • 12:34 PM: Starting order question

    One of our readers, Tyler Gehrs, pointed out that the starting order is not entirely consistent with a reversal in GC order:

    The GC is:

    1. Levi Leipheimer Astana in 23:41:20

    2. Michael Rogers Team Columbia-High Road in 23:41:44 at 00:00:24

    3. David Zabriskie Garmin-Slipstream in 23:41:48 at 00:00:28

    4. Lance Armstrong Astana in 23:41:50 at 00:00:30

    But the starting order is:

    105. David Zabriskie Garmin-Slipstream 01:51 p.m.

    106. Lance Armstrong Astana 01:53 p.m.

    107. Michael Rogers Team Columbia-High Road 01:55 p.m.

    108. Levi Leipheimer Astana 01:57 p.m.

    How come DZ and Lance are switched? I have been speculating it is because

    of all of the Astana riders at the top (is it because they do not want

    Christopher Horner and Lance going back to back?). I was hoping you could

    explain this to me.



    You are exactly right, Tyler. The rules do not permit teammates to start in sequence, a rule designed to prevent collusion.

  • 12:38 PM: Finishing times

    We are getting finishing times now and our man in the Hot Seat is VeloNews contributor Michael Barry, who has turned in a solid time of 33:47.466. He has more than 1:20 on second-placed Anthony Colby (Colavita)

  • 12:49 PM: New best time

    Christophe Riblon (Ag2r) has set a new best time: 32:22.

    Stef Clement (Rabobank) has blazed through the time check at 19:43.

  • 12:54 PM: Velo News

    Marco Velo comes in with a time of 33:37, good enough for fifth place.

  • 01:10 PM: Svein Tuft

    is out on the road. He's aiming for the new best time now set by Stef Clement, a 31:23.19

    Floyd Landis is now on the road.

  • 01:10 PM: The forecast winds

    are not picking up, so times should be rather quick today.

  • 01:16 PM: Clement's time still holding

    The 31:23 he rode is still holding.

    Clement still has the best time at the time check - at the 8.7-mile mark at the top of the Ballard Canyon climb - having covered that distance in 19:43.

  • 01:17 PM: Tom Zirbel

    One of this country's talented time trialists is on route.

  • 01:22 PM: Christian Vande Velde

    is on route. Now here is a rider who may be a contender for the stage win.

  • 01:24 PM: A cross rider

    Tim Johnson (OUCH) has turned in a solid 32:43.

  • 01:25 PM: Tom Boonen

    has turned in a respectable time, the 20th best so far.

  • 01:27 PM: Stuart O'Grady

    has turned in the third-best time at the 8.7-mile time check, 33 seconds behind Stef Clement's 19:43.

  • 01:31 PM: McCartney

    Jason McCartney (Saxo Bank) has turned a solid time and he beats Clement's time by 2 seconds.

  • 01:33 PM: New top three

    1. Jason McCartney (Saxo Bank), 31:21

    2. Stef Clement, Rabobank, 31:23

    3. Rory Sutherland (OUCH), at 32:05

  • 01:34 PM: Tom Danielson

    is about to start. We'll keep track of him, too.

  • 01:36 PM: Tuft

    Svein Tuft has finished with what currently qualifies as the third best time of the day. Not a bad performance for the world's silver medalist.

  • 01:36 PM: Jens!

    Saxo Bank's Jens Voigt is on the road. He's a tough time trialist and not a guy to be ignored.

  • 01:38 PM: Landis

    at the time check, Landis was already more than a minute off of the top time.

  • 01:39 PM: O'Grady

    Who was third best at the time check has held that spot and has finished with a time just 34 seconds off of Jason McCartney's time.

  • 01:41 PM: Robert Gesink is on the road

    and it looks like Ivan Basso may have missed his start.

    Meanwhile out on the course, Gustav Larsson has set a new standard at the 8.7-mile time check, bettering Clement's time by 10 seconds.

  • 01:45 PM: Landis

    finishes with the 23rd best time so far, about 2:00 down from McCartney's time.

  • 01:45 PM: Hincapie

    hits the time check 11 seconds off of Larsson's time.

  • 01:46 PM: Who will follow whom?

    VeloNews' Neal Rogers just stopped by the Astana van, where Horner and Armstrong are warming up. He spoke with Johan Bruyneel, who said that he would be following Armstrong in the TT, while Ekimov would follow Leipheimer. Bruyneel said that Eki and Levi have a good rapport and certainly, Armstrong is pretty tight with Bruyneel.

  • 01:47 PM: Vande Velde

    has hit the 8.7-mile time check 35 seconds off of Larsson's pace.

    Remember, we're getting Power data from Larsson throughout this Tour.

  • 01:49 PM: Tom Zirbel

    Finishes with a 31:19 and is now the new stage leader.

    Very nice. He's been in the Solvang hot seat before, folks. Will he last?

  • 01:52 PM: A new leader

    Zirbel's time in the hot seat was short-lived, as Gustav Larsson hits the line in 30:57, 21 seconds faster than Zirbel's time.

  • 01:54 PM: New top three

    1. Gustav Larsson (Saxo Bank), 30:57

    2. Tom Zirbel (Bissell), at 0:21

    3. Jason McCartney (Saxo), at 0:24

  • 01:55 PM: Hincapie

    finishes with a 31:16, 19 seconds off of Larsson's time and two seconds better than Zirbel.

  • 01:59 PM: Ivan Basso

    from Ivan Basso's Twitter: I cant continue the ToC, I hit my knee on the handlebar, tried to warm up for the tt, but too much pain. I'm sad but I need to stop."

  • 02:01 PM: Armstrong

    is now on the road.

    Man these crowds are huge.

  • 02:04 PM: With Zabriskie

    on the road, we will be able to compare the two on the road.

  • 02:04 PM: Michael Rogers

    is on the road. He's a heavy hitter, a former world time time trial champion and not to be counted out.

  • 02:07 PM: Leipheimer

    is now on the road.

    Everyone is on the road. Now we know how this stage - and this Tour - shake out.

  • 02:08 PM: Lordy

    these crowds are huge.

    We will be getting splits from all of these heavy hitters today. Stay tuned.

  • 02:09 PM: Armstrong

    There was some question as to whether Armstrong would be riding that once-stolen TT bike, but he's on it.

  • 02:11 PM: Top times from last year's Solvang TT

    1. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Astana, 30:46

    2. David Millar (GB), Slipstream-Chipotle, 0:29

    3. Christian Vande Velde (USA), Slipstream-Chipotle, 0:45

    4. Gustav Larsson (Swe), CSC, 0:58

    5. Fabian Cancellara (Swi), CSC, 1:05

    6. David Zabriskie (USA), Slipstream-Chipotle, 1:15

    7. Janez Brajkovic (SLO), Astana, 1:19

    8. Tom Zirbel (USA), Bissell Pro Cycling, 1:24

    9. Benjamin (USA), Bissell Pro Cycling, 1:25

    10. Kim Kirchen (Lux), Team High Road, 1:29

  • 02:15 PM: Top three at the finish

    1. Gustav Larsson (Saxo), 30:57

    2. Jens Voigt (Saxo), at 0:13

    3. George Hincapie (Columbia), at 0:19

  • 02:16 PM: Rubiera

    comes in with a 32:50, nearly two minutes off of the top time

  • 02:18 PM: Zabriskie

    sets a new top time at the time check. He turned in a 19:19, thirteen seconds faster than Larssen's.

  • 02:20 PM: Armstrong

    will be up to the time check next. Let's see how he does.

  • 02:21 PM: Armstrong

    hits the time check at 20:10, 51 seconds off of Zabriskie's time.

    Not a bad time for a recent retiree.

  • 02:22 PM: Rogers is next

    to the intermediate time... HOLY MOLY!!!!

    17:11?!?!? Two minutes faster after 8.7 miles?

    We need to check that one.

  • 02:23 PM: Lovkvist

    finishes in 31:31, seventh best of the day.

  • 02:24 PM: We're certain

    that the Rogers time is in error.

    It just made no sense.

  • 02:27 PM: Leipheimer

    is heading to the time check. And he does a 19:16... 2.4 seconds faster than Zabriskie's

    The corrected Rogers' time puts him 26 seconds off of Leipheimer's time.

  • 02:28 PM: Rogers

    For some reason, Rogers timing equipment has been goofy all day. Technology is cool ... when it works.

  • 02:29 PM: So,

    Leipheimer has the best split time, by 2.4 seconds, over Zabriskie.

    Zabriskie has finished with a time of 30:48 and he is the new stage leader.

  • 02:29 PM: Armstrong will be in next

    Zabriskie just finished with a time 8 seconds faster than Larsson's.

  • 02:31 PM: New top three

    Zabriskie, 30:48

    Larsson, at 0:08

    Voigt, at 0:21

  • 02:32 PM: Armstrong still on the course

    and he's already 30 seconds off of Zabriskie's time.

  • 02:33 PM: Armstrong

    finishes with a time of 31:56, 12th best of the day.

    Next up is Rogers.

  • 02:35 PM: Rogers

    comes in with a time of 31:02, third best of the day.

    Only Levi Leipheimer is out on the road.

  • 02:37 PM: One KM to go

    29:47

  • 02:39 PM: Leipheimer

    is heading to the finish and he turns in a time of 30:40!

    He wins it by eight seconds and betting his own time from last year by seven seconds.

    He's now chatting with John Wilcockson and looks relaxed.

  • 02:41 PM: Top three for the day

    1. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Astana, 30:40

    2. David Zabriskie (USA), Garmin-Slipstream, at 0:08

    3. Gustav Larsson (Swe), Saxo Bank, at 0:17

    The crowd in Solvang is swarming to the podium.

  • 02:44 PM: Well, Mr. Leipheimer

    has this course wired. He's won the Solvang TT three years running and both times before, he's used the time trial to solidify his hold on GC.

    Nice ride.

    Thanks for turning in today. We'll be here again tomorrow for Stage 7.