Rohan Dennis (BMC) lived up to his status as the overwhelming favourite for the Tour of California time trial by riding to a dominant victory on the 20.3km power course on the sixth stage of the race. Making the difference in the headwind in the second part, the Australian beat Andrew Talansky (Cannondale) bu 17 seconds while Taylor Phinney (BMC) was three seconds further adrift in third. Julian Alahilippe (Etixx-QuickStep) did one of the best time trials of his life to finish 8th and so retained the overall lead.

 

We have gathered several reactions.

 

Rohan Dennis: This is one of the best time trials I have ever done

In a show of skill and experience, Rohan Dennis took victory in today’s individual time trial at the Amgen Tour of California an impressive 17 seconds ahead of the next placed rider, Andrew Talansky (Cannondale).

 

After his winning performance, the Australian national time trial champion now moves into second on the General Classification, 16 seconds behind Etixx-Quick-Step’s Julian Alaphilippe, who was able to hold to his race lead over the 20.3km course around Folsom.

 

There was further podium success for BMC Racing Team as Taylor Phinney, the early leader of the stage, finished third, 20 seconds behind teammate Dennis.

 

Brent Bookwalter was also in the mix today, finishing fifth and moving up to third on the General Classification, 38 seconds behind Alaphillppe. Following the stage, we spoke to Dennis about his time trial victory and this is what he had to say.

 

“I was fairly confident as I crossed the line that I had set the quickest time for the rest of the race,” Dennis said. “I was in a fair bit of pain, the main thing I remember was that I had that taste of metallic in my mouth for the last four or five kilometers from the lactate so it was could to get a drink and wash that out.

 

“The wind was definitely getting stronger and stronger throughout the day which actually played into our favour a little bit with Alaphilippe because he is a smaller rider and would have been blown around a little bit more but in the end it didn’t make too much of a difference with the stage win, that was my goal for the day as well as trying to take time out. So, it was still a good day, even if we didn’t get the yellow jersey.

 

"I was little bit worried about halfway. Van den Broeck was 27 seconds up on Taylor, and the car was saying I was 21. I was confused. [BMC director Valerio Piva] is Italian, and I thought maybe that was the end time, that Van den Broeck was up. I got confused and then he said that he blew the whole way home and Taylor was still the fastest time and Talansky was 20 seconds up. Really, the last 5k I felt like I was tasting metal in my mouth. I was just lactic the whole way. I didn't really know until the last couple hundred metres that I'd actually got the fastest time at that point.

 

“I think that today was probably one of the best time trials that I have done so I am happy with that, really happy from the power profile. It was also a good indication that after six days that everything I have done leading up to now has working and I am on the right track especially after not a whole lot of racing. I am in a good place mentally with my form and I was pretty happy to come away with that win.

 

“I was optimistic. Alaphilippe ripped out a very, very good ride… 16 seconds – it’s not over, but it’s not going to be easy to bring back, that’s for sure…Tomorrow’s supposed to be a really tough stage…It’s been a pretty hard Tour as it is, and this Tour has gotten harder and harder every time I’ve done it.

 

“Tomorrow is going to be a difficult one I think. A lot people have been saying watch out for Stage 7 as Santa Rosa is super hilly, it’s going to be possible the hardest stage. I struggle to believe that in some way as every day has been hard and a few days have been super hard so it may just completely explode the peloton and that could actually open up possible chances total that yellow jersey.”

 

Sport director, Jackson Stewart said: “We’re pleased and not pleased after today. I mean we are very happy to win obviously but we really thought that we could bring the time a little bit closer than we did. We thought, in the best case scenario that we could ride into the jersey today and we got within 16 seconds of it. It’s hard to separate a GC goal with a stage win but, to win a stage is great for Rohan and great for us.

 

Taylor Phinney happy with third in California time trial.

"I was proud of my ride," Phinney said. "I definitely suffered out there. I really gave it everything that I had – all of those clichés.

 

"Jens [Voigt] brought me a beer when I was on the hot seat, and that made it a little more enjoyable.  I was just chilling. It was an interesting course to watch, because a lot of guys went a lot faster to the halfway point but then died on the way back. I was really hoping that that was going to happen to Andrew, but it didn't. When I saw him afterwards it looked like he had seen some dark times out there on the road, so I respected him for that."

 

Talansky: To be up there with Dennis and Phinney  on this course is great

In his final ride as U.S. national time trial champ, Andrew Talansky rode to second place in Folsom on stage six of the Amgen Tour of California. With the stage result came a jump up to fourth on the general classification ahead of the final weekend of racing.

 

Post-race Talansky said: "I got out there and in the first few minutes I knew I was on a good ride. Within five minutes, I decided I was all in. I had always wanted a good ride, but at that point, I decided I was not looking at power, not looking at anything, just leaving everything I had out there.

 

"I did that. I couldn’t have gone any faster. I didn’t know what to expect. The result exceeded my expectations. To be between Rohan Dennis and Taylor Phinney on a course like that is pretty good. There are two exceptional world class time triallists. The course was great for both them, so it was a pleasure to be on the podium with them.

 

"I race my best time trials by feel. I don't like to hear time splits. I don't really like anything. They told me I had the best time at the turnaround, and that was obviously motivating. I'm pretty pleased with the ride. I obviously went pretty hard on the way out and suffered and paid for it on the way back. But I think it worked out pretty well.

 

"Coming into the week I just said I wanted to improve, you know, come out of the week stronger than I came in.

 

"I've been feeling pretty good the last few days, and today I was pretty pleased with the ride. If you look back the past couple of years, I always put in good time trials. I've had a little run of time where I haven't been up there in TTs, so it's nice to be back up there between these two giants of people – Taylor more so than Rohan."

 

Danish neo-pro beats the world champion in California time trial

Team Giant-Alpecin’s 21 year-old Danish talent Søren Kragh Andersen has only raced two individual time trials this season, most recently on the final stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico, where he finished 20th but he was much higher up the order after today’s 20.3km effort. The Dane finished fourth. Laurens ten Dam started the day in fifth on GC but lost 1’20” to the stage winner, dropping three places to eighth overall going into the final two stages.

 

From the team hotel, coach Aike Visbeek said: “We prepared this TT carefully we had a good plan, both Soren and Laurens did impressive TTs. Unfortunatly he lost a couple of spots in GC but he did good damage control. The race is not over, there are two tricky days to come and Laurens gets better every day. Soren was impressive, he was very focused and did a technically good TT.”

 

Tean Dam added: “I am very happy with my TT but a bit dissapointed with losing some spots in GC. It was my best TT in five years and just my second of this year, but I felt still good on the bike.”

 

Kragh also said: “I am happy with my result – I was hoping for a top five and I succeeded in this goal. I was able to stick to the plan we made up front but it was very windy and that made it extra difficult. On the fast part I lost a little time because I need to be stronger to push the really big gears.

 

"It was a pretty hard course. A lot of wind, but it was a nice distance and OK time trial for me.
 

"I don't think I will try to specialize in this. Let's see what the future brings. So far so good, I'm still learning a lot and that's my goal right now."

 

Still no rainbow win for Kiryienka after sixth place in California

Vasil Kiryienka produced an impressive time trial performance to take sixth place on the sixth stage of the Tour of California.

 

Kiryienka -  who was a late addition to the Team Sky lineup - clocked an average speed of 48.7km/h (30.3m/h) as he powered around the 20.3km course in a time of 25 minutes flat.

 

That proved just 44 seconds down on Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing), who took his victory with a 17-second cushion over Andrew Talansky (Cannondale).

 

Kiryienka had posted the fastest time at both the 13.2km checkpoint and finish line, but his spell in the hot seat lasted 13 minutes as Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing) knocked him off top spot, and the lead would change hands just two more times before Dennis emerged triumphant.

 

Elsewhere, Gianni Moscon was the second-fastest Team Sky rider home in 17th position, with Danny van Poppel 32nd, Andy Fenn 56th, Lars Petter Nordhaug 60th and Xabier Zandio 62nd.

 

When TeamSky.com caught up with Sport Director Gabriel Rasch on the way to the team hotel he revealed it had been a blustery day on the road and was content with the way events had played out.

 

He said: "Kiry's a real perfectionist so he was a bit disappointed not to have finished higher, but he still did a good ride.

 

"He suffered a heavy fall on Tuesday and that definitely played its part, and you also have to remember he flew out here just two days before the race started.

 

"As for the weather, it was really windy out there and Danny and Lars Petter almost got blown off the their bikes during their runs. It was fortunate that the rain held off before the end though and we'll be good to go again tomorrow.

 

"That's a lumpy day before a flat run to the finish and it could be one for the breakaway. We'll try and get someone in that and then work for Danny if there is a sprint finish." 

 

Julian Alaphilippe pleased to defend jersey: The course didn’t suit me

Starting the day in the yellow jersey he was wearing since smashing the opposition on Gibraltar Road on stage 3, Julian Alaphilippe was the last to roll down the ramp for the 20.3-km individual time trial which was expected to play a major role at this year's Tour of California. Motivated and focused to keep his first place in the general classification, the 23-year-old gave it his all on the flat roads in and out of Folsom, and showed that he's in for a big result long before the finish, at the intermediate check point, where he was just 22 seconds down on Rohan Dennis (BMC), who passed through there earlier, setting the fastest time.

 

In the second part of the stage, Alaphilippe continued to scorch the parcours and fight hard in order to not concede too much to the specialists of this discipline, who were all within a minute of him in the overall standings. Rising out of the saddle from time to time and pushing a high cadence, Alaphilippe rolled over the line in 25:01, which was enough for an impressive eight place, just 45 seconds off the same Dennis, who won the stage ahead of Andrew Talansky (Cannondale) and Taylor Phinney (BMC).

 

Having kept the yellow jersey at the end of the day, Alaphilippe will line up for Saturday's stage (Santa Rosa – Santa Rosa, 175.5 kilometers) with a 16-second margin over Rohan Dennis and more than half a minute on the Australian's teammate, Brent Bookwalter. Although the gaps aren't big and the stage will include some difficult climbs, the Tour of California leader looks towards the penultimate day with confidence, especially after his strong showing in the ITT.

 

"Today it was very important to do a good job. The course didn't suit me, as it had big flat roads and some heavy wind, but I really wanted to put in a big effort so I could defend my yellow jersey. It wasn't easy, but I rode full gas those 20 kilometers and now I'm still first in the rankings, which is great. Concerning tomorrow, I am optimistic, because we have a solid team here, ready to fight and help me retain the jersey", said Alaphilippe, who is just two days away from becoming the youngest winner in the history of the race.

 

Jurgen Van den Broeck shows signs of form with solid time trial in California

After five stages of racing it was time for the individual time trial on Friday in the 11th Amgen Tour of California. The 20,3km effort against the clock was held in Folsom with an out-and-back course along Folsom Lake. Ready for the challenge and racing well against the clock for Team KATUSHA was Jurgen Van den Broeck who placed ninth on the stage and holds 10th on the general classification with two stages remaining to race.

 

”I wasn’t quite sure what to expect here. I always hope for more. I see in the results there are many very strong time trialists here so I just have to feel good that my condition continues to improve step-by-step. I am stronger every day and for me this is a good thing,” said Jurgen Van den Broeck.

 

Van den Broeck put in the best time of the day at the 10,2km turn around, posting up a 12:15 at the midway point. But he lost some advantage on the way back, finishing 9th on the day at +0:49 to the winning time of 24:16 put up by Rohan Dennis. Second place went to Andrew Talansky (Cannondale) at +0:17 and the third spot on the podium went to Taylor Phinney (BMC) at +0:20.

 

”From the start Jurgen was fighting for a result. He made a very nice race. With his good result we saw his potential and he’s top ten on the classification. Every day has been better for him, showing us he is getting strong every day. He had the best time at the turn-around but it’s hard to say if he went out too fast when the winds are like this and he was going so deep for results,” said team director Torsten Schmidt.

 

Etixx-QuickStep’s Julian Alaphilippe held on to the race lead, now ahead of BMC teammates Rohan Dennis by 16-seconds and 38-seconds ahead of Brent Bookwalter.

 

”This course was very nice. I remember being here on a training ride last year. It’s a very beautiful place and I was excited to come back here. The out-and-back courses are very nice because you have a lot of people both ways and there were so many people around here cheering today. I felt fine today, even after yesterday’s very hard stage I started well and got into a nice rhythm,” said Michael Mørkøv.

 

Looking ahead there are two stages to go, the final day a good opportunity for sprinter Alexander Kristoff. Mørkøv is part of the lead out train that brings Kristoff to position to sprint for the line.

 

”It’s a little bit difficult to say if tomorrow might also be a good day for Alex. Parts of it are a very hard climbing stage but then it does end flat so we don’t know what to expect from the guys who are riding for the GC. Sunday is a big goal for us in terms of winning with Alex – that’s where we are headed now,”  concluded Mørkøv.

 

American sensation on track for top 5 finish at the Tour of California

Neilson Powless and his status as the "SRAM best young rider"cleared another hurdle in his quest for a strong finish in his first Amgen Tour of California.

The 19-year-old was one of three riders from the Axeon Hagens Berman Cycling Team to finish in the top 25 of Saturday's individual time trial in Folsom. Powless was 10th while fellow Californian Geoffrey Curran uncorked a stunning ride to finish 12th and Tao Geoghegan Hart was 22nd.

Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing Team) won the 20.3-kilometer race against the clock. Reigning U.S. national time trial champion Andrew Talansky (Cannondale Pro Cycling Team) was 17 seconds back and another past U.S. national time trial champion who is a teammate of Dennis's - Taylor Phinney - was third, at 20 seconds.

Powless conceded 52 seconds but moved up one spot in the overall standings, to fifth, with two days of the race to go. The youngest rider in the field of 139 said he had to really concentrate to push through a gusty wind that only grew stronger as the day wore on.

"I was holding onto my bars as tightly as I could and staying as firm as possible to be ready for the gusts that were coming," Powless said. "I wanted to make sure I didn't lose it on those gusts."

"Today was going to be the real test to see if I could hold the jersey. From here, I think I will have a little more relief than I had today."

Powering his Specialized S-Works Shiv time trial bike through streets only 20 minutes from his hometown of Roseville, Powless received loud cheers and fan support all along the course. Not too many years ago, he was one of those fans cheering on riders in the Amgen Tour of California.

Curran was one of the surprises on the day. When he crossed the finish line midway through the day's line-up he was in fourth place. The Tuscan, California, resident eventually finished 12th, only nine seconds slower than Powless's time.

"I knew I had done a good ride, just based off of feel and the numbers," Curran said. "It is definitely not surprising, but definitely a little bit different than usual."

In the overall standings, Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx-Quick Step) held onto the overall lead for the third straight day. Dennis shot up to second overall and is 16 seconds back. His BMC Racing teammate, Brent Bookwalter sits third, 38 seconds back. Powless is 68 seconds off the lead and one of seven riders less than 90 seconds back of Alaphilippe.

Saturday's stage is a 175.5-km looping course that starts and finishes in Santa Rosa. Featuring six categorized climbs, Geoghegan Hart said he and several other Axeon Hagens Berman riders are familiar with the challenges it poses.

"We did this course in training camp two years ago," Geoghegan Hart said. "So myself, Logan Owen and Geoffrey have done it before. It is definitely the type of roads that are good for splitting things up - they're narrow and twisting and it will be windy at the top of the climbs. If it is raced the way that it is conducive for it, there will definitely be some splits."

In Friday's time trial, all eight riders on the Axeon Hagens Berman Cycling Team were using the new SRAM eTap Clics extension shifter buttons. They allow riders to effortlessly change gears without changing their hand position. The aerodynamic extension shifters fit in the end of any extension with an inner diameter of 19-21.5 millimeters.

 

Disappointed George Bennett: I need to improve my time trial

George Bennett was unable to hold his top three spot in the general classification of the Amgen Tour of California on Friday. Team LottoNL-Jumbo’s cyclist finished 38th in the time trial around Folsom and sunk to the ninth overall. Team-mate Alexey Vermeulen finished 16th behind winner Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing Team).

 

The 20.3-kilometre time trial around Folsom gave an important chance for the overall riders to win some time. It was a decisive stage for New Zealander George Bennett in his chase for a top three overall. Beforehand he sat third, but lost that spot with a time of 1’53” behind Dennis.

 

“George is not a time trial specialist, but he fought for what he’s worth,” Sports Director Frans Maassen said. “It wasn’t good enough to stay close to the favourites, unfortunately.”

 

“I didn’t have a good day,” Bennett added. “I wanted to do better, but in the end, I wasn’t good enough to fight for the podium. I felt really good, actually, but just struggled to put the power down on a time trial bike. There is still room for progress by riding more hours on the time trial bike.”

 

21-year-old Vermeulen was the best Team LottoNL-Jumbo rider of the day. The American finished 16th at 1’12”.

 

“I was surprised by his strong time trial,” Maassen said. “Vermeulen is still very young. He delivered a great performance.”

 

Tinkoff and Peter Sagan use California time trial as a chance to recover

The sixth stage of the Amgen Tour of California served as a day where most of the Tinkoff riders could take their foot off the gas after a succession of tough stages in the hills and helping Peter Sagan towards victory. That said, there was still the 20.3km course for the riders to tackle and by the end of the stage Sagan was the fastest Tinkoff rider home in 23rd place, 1'27" down on the stage winner.

 

 

Michael Kolar, first off, set the early benchmark but this didn’t last long with teammate Oscar Gatto going quicker and spending a short spell in the hot seat before faster riders started to roll in.

 

“It was a bit of a recovery day for the guys today, making sure they didn’t make any silly mistakes and saving some energy for the coming days,” explained Sport Director Patxi Vila. “Tomorrow we have another chance but we’re a week into the race now and the effort is starting to tell on the legs – the guys were pretty tired after yesterday's efforts. But hopefully tomorrow they can feel a bit better after an easier day and we will see in the morning what sort of a plan we make.”

Peter Sagan started his effort resplendent in the green skinsuit of points classification leader, and headed out looking strong but still riding within himself, eventually coming across the line with a time of 25’43”, putting him in seventh fastest. However, with lots of specialists still to come a top ten finish looked slim.

 

It was one of the day's late starters who set the fastest time and held on to take the stage win, as BMC’s Rohan Dennis blazed around the course in a time of 24’16”. Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx – Quick Step) did enough to hold onto his yellow jersey of race leader, while Sagan ended the day in 23rd, as first from the Tinkoff riders.

 

Vila continued:

 

“With two wins already, a fourth and the green jersey we have to be very happy with the week so far. If you look at the job the guys have done, and their commitment to riding for Peter then it’s great – it creates a good ambiance in the team for everyone. And overall we can be pleased with how we have raced, not just from a performance point of view but all of the people behind the riders too – the spirit is great in the team here.”

 

Peter Stetina: The time trial is my perennial problem

There was no hiding in the windy, rolling 20.3-kilometer race against the clock – a power course suited to the specialists – and when the final rider crossed the line and the dust settled the overall classification looked vastly different.

 

Peter Stetina, who has shown to be one of the strongest climbers in this year's race, dropped from 2nd to 13th, while teammate Haimar Zubeldia - quickest of the team in 25th place -  fell from 10th to 12th.

 

"It was hard to judge your feeling in this time trial because the wind was changing direction all the time," explained Zubeldia. "Sometimes you felt fast, and sometimes you felt the wind and really slowed. There was nothing technical and you could always stay in the aero position and never have to brake except for a little for the corners. It was about the legs and the power. I think I did a regular TT for me. I am happy with my time."

 

Rohan Dennis (BMC), fingered as a pre-race favorite, clocked the fastest time in 24 minutes and 33 seconds. But race leader Julian Alaphilippe would not let the gold jersey go without a fight; he put in an incredible performance to hold onto the race lead by 16 seconds over Dennis. Brent Bookwalter (BMC) moved into third place.

 

Stetina said: "In a perfect world, I wanted to keep on the podium, or at least top 5. I really did not want to let everyone down and fall out of the top 10 and that is what happened. It's a disappointment; there is no other way to put it right now. 

 

"I honestly didn't even feel that bad, but I think my pacing was off and I was fighting too much when it wasn't time to. I think I need to analyze the pacing – I kept going above and below myself instead of dosing the effort; playing a game of catch-up with myself. It was definitely a sub-par performance, but I mean, I finished totally empty.

 

"The climbing is good, and the form is back on track for the Grand Tours and World Tour races, but still my perennial problem is the TT, the weak link. But you know Trek-Segafredo has a top aerodynamics team and they are pretty keen on looking at the file and helping me."

 

With a changed order in the GC, tomorrow's stage seven has opened the door to for an aggressive battle; add in Stetina's familiarity with the course, plus a hungry and determined team, and the stage is set to be a thrilling one.

 

"Tomorrow's super hard so it's not over yet," pointed out Stetina. "I know every inch of every road on tomorrow's stage; that's my annual winter training ride when I got to get a six-hour ride in. It's a tough one. It's one of those stages that is almost impossible to control. If the race is aggressive, we will look to be a part of it." 

 

Daniel Teklehaimanot moves up in GC with solid time trial in California

Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka’s Daniel Teklehaimanot finished 1.48 min down on the Australian to move up to 18th overall.

 

The African team had a rather quiet day, having only one real time trial specialist in the line-up for California. The Eritrean champion in this discipline put in a solid ride to better his position in the GC, which is led by Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx-QuickStep).

 

Daniel Teklehaimanot said:

 

”It was really windy today, so it was a tough, even though the course was not too difficult. I went full gas and was able to move up in the overall. I’m happy to see that my form is coming. Tomorrow is another stage, so we’ll see.”

 

Difficult time trial for Novo Nordisk captain in California

Team Novo Nordisk’s Javier Megias dropped two positions to 16th overall after the Tour of California Stage 6 race against the clock.

 

Megias was Team Novo Nordisk’s fastest rider, finishing 2:25 behind Dennis. Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx-Quick Step) remains the overall race leader with Megias 3:19 behind.

 

“Today was the first time I’ve worn the Catlike Rapid helmet,” Team Novo Nordisk’s David Lozano said. “They are very aero, which is always great, but they are also comfortable and really limit noise. While I know it’ll keep me safe, I hope I never need it.”