On Tap at AToC: Stage 7 – A break at the Rose Bowl?
- By John Wilcockson
- Published Feb. 21, 2009
- Updated Aug. 4, 2010 at 4:48 PM EDT
With just two days left in the nine-day Amgen Tour of California, only six of the 17 teams have won a stage. That means that 11 others are still eager to taste victory, especially those teams that have major American sponsors. Top of this list of teams is Rabobank, followed by Liquigas and Quick Step.
Although Rabobank is based in the Netherlands, it’s a worldwide corporation that has a presence in California as a community bank, even with a branch in Solvang, where Friday’s time trial was held. It is also a founding partner of the California race, and is sponsoring the Best Young Rider jersey — that just happens be the property of its team leader Robert Gesink this week.
What’s more, Giant bicycles is one of Rabobank’s newest sponsors, and the Dutch team is the only non-American formation that has a custom-painted bus at the Tour of California. Astana, for instance, has a rented bus with Astana stickers affixed.
Using the highly scientific method of arguing over drinks, the VeloNews editorial team assembled the following predictions for the stage podium:
1. Peter Weening (Rabobank). WHY: He’s on one of the teams that most wants a stage win; he’s a former Tour de France stage winner; he was in a long break a couple days ago, but came up short; and he’s on good form.
2. Carlos Barredo (Quick Step). WHY: As with Weening, this Spanish workhorse has been aggressive this week, and he almost pulled off the stage win at Santa Cruz — but was overhauled by an express named Leipheimer.
3. Brian Vandborg (Liquigas). WHY: This is the team’s last chance to get in a breakaway, because none of the Liquigas riders is likely to survive Palomar Mountain on Sunday.
The VeloNews team correctly picked Levi Leipheimer to win stage 6 in Solvang ahead of Dave Zabriskie in second. Our celebrity stage podium picker of the day Sean Petty, the Chief Operating Officer of USA Cycling, also named Leipheimer but in second place; so the day’s score* was: VeloNews 6, Petty 1.
*Using our tried-and-true scoring system from the Tour de France, where you get 1 point for the right name in the wrong podium spot, and 3 points for the right name in the right spot.