Cycling: Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) has won the final stage of the Tour of California. At the end of the flat stage around the capital city of Sacramento, the Brit sprinted ahead of Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) and Alexander Kristoff (Katusha). Julian Alaphilippe maintained his lead in the general classification and is the youngest winner in the history of the Tour. John Degenkolb (Giant-Alpecin) confirmed his improving shape and secured fifth place in a chaotic sprint.
The flat final stage unsurprisingly began with an early breakaway breaking away from the field. Seven riders tore through the gap and held their lead into the final lap of the final circuit in Sacramento before the field caught them. Despite the rather moderate pace over long stretches, smaller and larger falls occurred again and again, which were mainly due to the partially desolate roads riddled with potholes. This also led to countless defects, including the eventual winner Mark Cavendish or the podium candidate Brent Bookwalter (BMC).
Eventually the stage came to its expected conclusion and in the bunch sprint it was Mark Cavendish who clinched his first victory of this year's Tour of California. After the Brit seemed trapped at the beginning, the gap opened up at the last moment and the veteran used it to push past Alexander Kristoff and Peter Sagan to the front. Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx – Quick-Step) was protected by his teammates over the entire distance and confidently brought his lead in the overall classification to the finish. The 23-year-old Frenchman has thus made history as the youngest winner of the tour.
John Degenkolb showed a very good performance again after his long injury break and over the entire tour with an increasing form curve. The 27-year-old started the sprint very well and although he ended up finishing fifth, his performance for the Grand Boucle in six weeks should give us great confidence.
Final Result Tour of California Stage #8
| PLATZ | Driver | Country | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark Cavendish | GBR | Dimension Data | 03:01:12 |
| 2 | Peter Sagan | SVK | Tinkoff | |
| 3 | alexander kristoff | NOR | Katusha | |
| 4 | Danny van Poppel | NED | TeamSky | |
| 5 | John Degenkolb | GER | Team Giant Alpecin | |
| 6 | Niccolo Boniface | ITA | Trek-Segafredo | |
| 7 | Jean Pierre Drucker | LUX | BMC | |
| 8 | Maximilian Richeze | ARG | Etixx - Quick Step | |
| 9 | Dylan Groenewegen | NED | Team LottoNL-Jumbo | |
| 10 | Travis McCabe | USA | Holowesko Citadel Racing Team |
Appreciation Tour of California
| PLATZ | Driver | Country | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Julian Alaphilippe | FRA | Etixx - Quick Step | 24:26:46 |
| 2. | Rohan Dennis | AUS | BMC | 00:00:21 |
| 3. | Brent Bookwalter | USA | BMC | 00:00:43 |
| 4. | Andrew Talansky | USA | Cannondale | 00:00:52 |
| 5. | Lawson Craddock | USA | Cannondale | 00:01:22 |
| 6. | Samuel Sanchez | ESP | BMC | |
| 7. | George Bennett | NZl | Team LottoNL-Jumbo | 00:01:50 |
| 8. | Jurgen van den Broeck | NED | Katusha | 00:01:53 |
| 9. | Neilson Powless | USA | Axeon Hagens Berman | 00:01:57 |
| 10. | Laurens ten Dam | NED | Team Giant Alpecin | 00:02:13 |