It was a photo finish in Santa Cruz for stage three of the Amgen Tour of California as United States’ David Zabriskie nosed ahead of Australia’s Michael Rogers by mere inches to claim the stage win. Defending TOC champ, Santa Rosa’s Levi Leipheimer came in third, while local favorite Ben Jacques-Maynes of Watsonville finished 38th and cycling legend Lance Armstrong placed 14th among the 58 cyclists who completed the 113-mile race from San Francisco to Santa Cruz.
Thousands of cycling fans lined Beach Street in the shadows of the Beach Boardwalk rollercoasters to root on their favorite racers and enjoy the festive atmosphere. A tent metropolis was set up near the corner of Beach and Cliff Streets where bicycle makers, sports equipment companies and, of course, beer and food vendors, peddled their wares.
“What a day!” exclaimed Andy Mendez, a cycling fan from Redwood City who said he came to root on Leipheimer and to check out Santa Cruz. “It’s gorgeous out here and this finish line party is the best I’ve seen in a while. Go Levi!”
After the race, Zabriskie said that stage three – the only coastal section of the eight-stage tour – was his “favorite race on the calendar.” He also said he was excited to hoist the custom surfboard trophy, which was made by local surfboard maker Doug Haut and presented to him by Mayor Mike Rotkin.
“Coming into Santa Cruz was beautiful. The sun came out, amazing crowds,” he said at the post-event press conference. “Plus old Dave got a surfboard.”
Besides Rotkin, other city officials like Vice Mayor Ryan Coonerty and Councilmembers Lynn Robinson and Cynthia Mathews were on hand to don their most welcoming faces to the crowds of tourists, many of whom, like Mendez, were in town for the first time. Mathews said things couldn’t have gone any smoother.
“It started with great weather and just went so well all day,” said the beaming councilmember before showing off a sneak peak of the surfboard trophy. “We’ve had such great support from the community too, so many people volunteered their time to help make this happen.”
Next up, the racers will ride 121 miles from San Jose to Modesto, followed by three other stages before the final race on Sunday, a circuit track through Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village and Agoura Hills northwest of Los Angeles.
Check out this video of the exciting finish. Photos and videos by Curtis Cartier.
A photo slideshow of some of the action.
And here’s a narrated video of some of the cycle mayhem near the finish line.
For complete coverage of the Tour of California check http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com
