For the second day in a row at the Amgen Tour, the blue and white of Garmin-Barracuda came to the front of the race Tuesday and showed, if only for a few kilometers, that it’s perhaps the strongest team in California.

“I think it’s pretty incredible, really,” said Andrew Talansky, one of Garmin’s two GC threats. “We have a really young team at this race, but it’s clearly a very strong team, and everyone is super motivated and it’s good.”

During Monday’s technical descent off the back of Bonny Doon, Garmin went to the front of the peloton and pressed the pace. Director sportif Jonathan Vaughters said it was to keep the team clear from danger, but it showed top organization and ability from the UCI’s no. 11 ranked team.

On Tuesday, the same day its Ryder Hesjedal lost his maglia rosa in Italy, Garmin revealed a bit more of its depth, when the team went to the head of the peloton before the day’s final climb, Patterson Pass, and split the race in a crosswind. Only a sharp turn into a headwind before the climb could take the bite out of the effort from Tom Danielson’s troops, and four groups on the road again became one.

“The team’s riding really well,” Danielson said. “They’re just super strong, and we haven’t really used the whole team yet. Just watching those guys ride strong is really nice. We’ve got to be aggressive. We’ve got one of the best teams in the race. I just felt like the moment was right before the climb with the crosswind so we tried something, and I think it worked. We got rid of a lot of the sprinters.”

This iteration of the Amgen Tour is waiting for a general classification shakedown, which will commence Thursday in Bakersfield with the individual time trial and crescendo on Saturday above Los Angeles, atop the Baldy climb that hits gradients of 15 percent in places. Until then, it’s been wait-and-see for the GC, though Garmin’s begun to show a bit of its hand.

The team’s sprinter, Heinrich Haussler, has finished second on every stage to Peter Sagan and now sits second on the general classification. The team is poised with GC contenders Talansky and Danielson, and has shown its able to control the front of the race.

Talansky said the efforts Tuesday served as fuel for the Garmin fire. “Things like that really motivate the guys and show everyone in the race we’re a strong team. We can take control when we need to so if, or when we have the jersey, we’ll be able to do that.”

Danielson said that it may seem like a waiting game outside the peloton, but the race is bearing down with each mile. “Every day is difficult and challenging. Although it ends in a sprint and it seems like we just all ride together to the line, it’s not at all. Anyone could lose a race on any one of these days. Like today, we attacked in a crosswind,” he said. “It could have ended some guy’s race right there.”

While Liquigas-Cannondale’s Peter Sagan has won the first three stages and earned himself a total of 30 seconds in time bonuses, the early stages of the fight for GC supremacy have begun to take shape within the peloton.

Though he’s coming off a broken leg, three-time winner Levi Leipheimer (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) has proven himself able to race within the front group.

Garmin-Barracuda has been aggressive, massing at the front during the latter parts of stages 2 and 3, both to set up Heinrich Haussler and to protect GC leaders Tom Danielson and Andrew Talansky — and possibly set up a few days in the golden leader’s jersey for TT specialist Dave Zabriskie.

BMC Racing’s GC leader Tejay van Garderen has looked strong, though he suffered a blow when he lost teammates Steve Morabito and Stephen Cummings, who were unable to start Tuesday due to injuries sustained in Santa Cruz during the final 5km of stage 2.

Horner’s team also suffered a blow in that crash when national road champion Matthew Busche, who was instrumental to Horner’s performance on Baldy in 2011, went down. However, Busche told VeloNews after Tuesday’s stage that he expects to be able to ride at full strength following Thursday’s time trial.

“I’m feeling OK,” Busche said. “I took a chainring to the shoulder, and I put some Steri-Strips on that. Something landed on my leg, maybe a top tube, and it’s sore and bruised, but I’m doing OK. Mount Baldy is several days out. I should be healed up by then.”

The tactical battle between RadioShack and Omega Pharma, which flared up early on stage 1 when Leipheimer told Horner that his team would not contribute to the pace-making, appeared to subside Tuesday after Omega Pharma lined up at the front for its sprinter Tom Boonen, who finished third in Livermore behind Sagan and Haussler.

“Today was the first day Omega took some responsibility,” Busche said. “It was good to see them doing some work.”

Prior to stage 3, RadioShack was doing everything in its power to avoid riding in the defense of a race lead it does not yet have.

“It’s like everyone is playing poker, except us,” said Jens Voigt. “Everyone is holding his cards, and ours are all on the table — there’s no bluffing. We have American sponsors and they want us to be good here. We have the defending champion, so we have to straighten up our backs, and we have to carry that burden. We knew coming here with Chris as defending champion there was going to be a lot of responsibility. That’s just how racing goes.”

Horner said he has been pleased with his team, as well as the work that Liquigas and Garmin had done to control the race.

“I like the way Garmin is racing,” Horner said. “It seems like they are racing for Zabriskie to take the jersey, as well as for Talansky or Danielson for GC. I think Zabriskie has a great shot to take the jersey for a day, or maybe two days. He’s a fabulous rider, a big gun in the peloton. Garmin is doing a really good job.”

As for the impending GC battle that begins in earnest on Friday, Horner is sticking to his pre-race predictions, some of which have already proven true — that Sagan would win most, if not all, of the stages other than the time trial and Mount Baldy, where the overall will be decided.

“If my legs are good now, they are gonna be good on Baldy,” Horner said. “I’m gonna lose some time after the time trial and will probably be sitting in sixth, or eighth, or 10th. And the guys sitting in the top five are gonna have to do something at the beginning of Baldy, and at some point in time I’m gonna have to make up 30 to 50 seconds.”

Asked who he sees as the top GC favorites after three days of racing, Horner said it’s still tough to say.

“No one knows for sure but Talansky will throw in a good time trial,” he said. “He’s shown he’s a GC contender, but I’m not certain how he will go on Baldy, I’ve never seen him on a climb that steep with the best in the world. He’ll be extra motivated coming from [second overall at the Tour de Romandie]. Danielson looks really smooth, he’s in all same spots that I am. Levi looked better today than the first two stages, I’m not going to write him off, and the time trial will be ideal for him. Maybe [Rabobank’s Laurens Ten Dam] comes through — he’s like me, not the best in the time trial, he might go top 10, and then he’ll need to make up time on Baldy. And who knows, maybe Sagan surprises us all in the time trial, but I think his days are numbered past the time trial.”

So far, Horner’s prediction that Sagan would win “four or five” stages is proving dead-on. How his GC predictions will roll out, and what that will mean for his RadioShack team, remains to be seen.

The British speedster spent Tuesday night at the team hotel, as he did Sunday, plotting how to win his third stage of this Giro d’Italia and his career 10th. His rivals and their teams spent the night mostly at a loss on how to topple King Cavendish.

Matthew Goss (Orica-GreenEDGE) succeeded in the Giro’s third leg to Horsens, Denmark, but that was not a head-to-head as Cavendish crashed. Before the incident, Cavendish was gaining on Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Barracuda) and seemed to have the momentum to carry through.

“To be fair, we tried for our first two years to beat Mark Cavendish, and we didn’t manage it. So, I’m not the right guy to ask,” Sky’s team manager, David Brailsford told VeloNews.

Brailsford helped Cavendish come through the British Academy and saw him turn pro with T-Mobile, which later became Highroad and HTC. Over the winter, he signed GB’s hottest cycling commodity to race for Sky.

“Physically, he’s the fastest guy. Psychologically, he’s strong. You put his back against the wall and he comes out fighting. He’s got a winning mentality,” Brailsford continued. “The bottom line is that physically, you have to get someone in the right position who’s faster, but I don’t think there’s anybody who is faster.”

Farrar got the jump on Cavendish last year when the Tour de France travelled to Redon. His rival, to be fair, was caught behind. Cavendish said at the time, he was busy “fighting with [José] Rojas [and] Kamikaze, [Romain] Feillu.” Farrar explained that the others, like Francisco Ventoso (Movistar) on Monday, are able to take advantage of certain situations.

“It’s not easy, but a couple of guys do it every year,” Farrar told VeloNews last week.

“He’s not a robot, he does make mistakes on a handful of occasions; there are guys out there who are fast enough to beat him when he does. … You need legs and luck.”

Orica says the best way is to go early, as it tried to do on Monday with Daryl Impey leading Goss. The final-corner crash, though, prevented a fair match.

“We can count the times on one hand that he has had to come over other riders. In all his sprints, he is the first guy when he starts the sprint. There are only a couple of sprints he has ever done where he has been passed,” Orica’s sports director, Matt White told the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper. ”So for us to beat Cavendish, we have to deliver Gossy in front of Mark. That’s the best way, and only way really, to beat him.”

Garmin’s DS, Allan Peiper looked at the bright side. He told VeloNews, “If you get beaten by Cav, it’s no shame. He’s won so many races, it’s not like you’ve been beaten by some upstart, you’ve been beaten by a guy who’s won 20 stages in the Tour de France.”

On Wednesday, the world champ will try to make it an even 30 between the Giro and the Tour. Can anyone stop him?

For a team like Bissell Pro Cycling, a UCI Continental squad, the Amgen Tour is the single most important invitation of the year. The exposure is huge for a small team hungry for exposure. Also huge? The odds against the team winning a stage or classification. In fact, only one U.S.-based Continental rider has won a stage in a major U.S. race since 2009.

What’s a small team to do, then?

Attack.

“Our goal is winning the team National Racing Calendar, winning NRC races on a consistent basis. And we’ve done that,” said Omer Kem, the Bissell team director. “But when we come to the [Amgen] Tour of California, I change the mindset completely of the team. We race every day like it’s a one-day race. We’re going to race hard every day. And I’m going to always have guys who are in contention for that win. And if lightning strikes, we’ll take it.”

Jeremy Vennell, who has gone on the attack each of the last two days, is a prime example. Vennell was out all day on Monday in a break that the main field gobbled up late in the stage. He jumped into another move on Tuesday, staying away until 23.5km from the finish in Livermore.

Bissell’s Ben Jacques-Maynes rode the break on stage 1 and has gotten into at least one move in every edition of the Amgen Tour, perhaps making him the most aggressive rider in the history of the race.

“I was very lucky I had good legs,” Vennell said after Tuesday’s stage. “Bissell’s plan was to be in the break today.”

It’s actually Bissell’s plan to be in the break every day.

“I want the team to go out there and have the Bissell name shown every step of the way. And that’s why we get these invitations,” Kem said. “We’re the underdog, and we go out and race hard and see if we can make it happen.”

It does go deeper than one day at the front. The breakaways ripple through decisions race directors make months from now. As Kem put it, “In this industry, this sport, you can’t let them forget about you.”

There is a certain romance with the Sisyphean endeavor of trying to shape a race through the breakaway against bigger teams, talents and budgets. It seldom works, but that never stops smaller teams from throwing stones. Appropriately, former Bissell rider Jay Thomson went into the move on the first day of the USA Pro Challenge last August, just days after Kem and company learned that Bissell would be renewing its backing of the team.

“There was a moment there where maybe I thought we’d stay away,” Vennell said of his move on Tuesday — something nearly every rider in every breakaway says.

“That’s what keeps you going. It’s only a small, small dream, but you try and hold onto it.”

Has it ever succeeded for him? “Not yet. Not in this race. But one day, it will.”

Asked to rate his 2012 season thus far — a season that includes a fourth-place finish at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad to highlight an otherwise disappointing spring classics campaign — the Garmin-Barracuda rider summarized it succinctly, saying, “it’s been shit, really.”

It was a stark admission from a rider who has struggled to return to the form he enjoyed in 2009, the year Haussler finished second at Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders, and won a mountain stage of the Tour de France, soloing across the finish line in the rain and in tears, four minutes ahead of his breakaway companions.

A heavy crash with Mark Cavendish at the 2010 Tour of Switzerland ended his Tour ambitions that year (as well as Tom Boonen’s), and Haussler spent the remainder of the season recovering from knee surgery. It was an excuse the Australian was able to fall back on during the 2011 season, but he admits it’s not something he can use to justify his lack of results this year.

After his Garmin team drilled the pace down Jamison Creek Road on stage 2 Haussler finished the bunch sprint in second, as he did on stage 1. He scored another runner-up result on Tuesday after appearing to have the stage win in Livermore within his reach. After three stages the Aussie sits second overall at the Amgen Tour of California, but he realizes that registering wins is what matters most.

“All through the classics I was there, but I wasn’t there.” Haussler told VeloNews. “I couldn’t go with the big guns, and that’s pretty disappointing for me. The years before I had an excuse: I was injured. I didn’t have the preparation or the training. But this year I did, so I’m not happy with the way things went. I can understand why people are asking, ‘Why was he so good in 2009 and not now?’ I’m also frustrated. After the classics I was sitting home, lying in bed, and there’s just questions, ‘why isn’t it working?’ Now I’m really focused on the second part of the season.”

However, what that second part of the season will include is very much uncertain. A disappointing classics season forced Haussler to shift his focus away from the Olympics, but with Garmin likely to focus on both GC and sprints at the Tour, he doesn’t see a role for himself on that squad.

“At beginning of season, the Olympics were the big goal,” he said. “But obviously the Australians are so good at the moment, with results popping up everywhere, and I’ve had no results, so unless I pull something out of my ass here [in California], two stage wins, or a stage here and a stage at the Tour of Switzerland, I’m not really in contention to put up my hand and say, ‘Look guys, I want to ride.’ There are other guys who are stronger. It’s a five-man [Olympic] team and two of those guys are going to be time trialists, so there are only really three spots for proper road riders.

“My chances don’t look so good at the moment, and that’s why I said I want to do the Tour; if I’m not going to make the Olympic team, I don’t want to sit around all season and do nothing,” he continued. “But even to make the Tour de France team with Garmin is going to be tough, I don’t really fit in there, either. It’s a bit of a pain in the ass at the moment. They are going more for GC. I’d like to go for attacks; if I went to the Tour I’d like to do my own thing, not ride every day at the front.”

If he doesn’t ride the Tour, Haussler said he would race the Tour of Poland. Beyond that, riding the Vuelta a España is also an option, though Haussler said he’s not excited about racing in the baking heat of the Spanish sun, particularly if he’s not using the Spanish tour to prepare for the Australian world championships squad, which he is unsure of making.

Haussler’s contract with Garmin is up at the end of 2012, and though he admits he’s not sure how his skill set fits into the team’s structure — particularly as Belgians Johan Vansummeren and Sep Vanmarcke have stepped up as its classics stars — he said he’s happy with team management.

“It’s still a long way until the end of the season,” he said. “I haven’t made any decisions, my manager’s speaking with teams but it’s not like I’m not happy. I like the team. They’ve been looking after me even though I haven’t been bringing the results that I should be. But I’m confident that I’ll get back to that level.”

Asked if he is still enjoying racing a full three years after his best season, the 28-year-old hedged his answer.

“The classics weren’t that enjoyable this year, like they used to be,” he said. “After Wevelgem and Harelbeke I was just empty. The team was in Ghent for three or four weeks, and after Harelbeke I said, ‘Look, I need to freshen up. I need to go home.’ So I just went home, only trained once or twice up until Flanders, and I felt something coming back. I could actually attack a bit, and get up to the front in the important stages of the race. I’m excited to come back again. It’s been a bad two years now, but you can’t always have good years. I’m not really that worried anymore. I know I’ve got good form. It’s definitely coming.”

Unfortunately for Haussler and Garmin, Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) knows he has good form as well, and has put a road block in front of the Aussie for three days in a row. Haussler will have one more chance Wednesday, when the bunch takes in the 210km stage to Clovis.

Stage results

• 1. Peter SAGAN , Liquigas-Cannondale in 4:50:49
• 2. Heinrich HAUSSLER , Garmin-Barracuda at s.t.
• 3. Tom BOONEN , Omega Pharma-Quick Step at s.t.
• 4. Alexander CANDELARIO , Optum at s.t.
• 5. Lloyd MONDORY , Ag2r La Mondiale at s.t.
• 6. Fred RODRIGUEZ , Exergy at s.t.
• 7. Hugo HOULE , Spidertech-C10 at s.t.
• 8. Koen DE KORT , Argos-Shimano at s.t.
• 9. Michael MATTHEWS , Rabobank at s.t.
• 10. Wesley SULZBERGER , Orica-GreenEdge at s.t.
• 11. Roger KLUGE , Argos-Shimano at s.t.
• 12. Frank Kevin PIPP , Bissell at s.t.
• 13. Jasper STUYVEN , Bontrager-Livestrong at s.t.
• 14. Grégory RAST , RadioShack-Nissan at s.t.
• 15. Greg VAN AVERMAET , BMC Racing at s.t.
• 16. Luke DURBRIDGE , Orica-GreenEdge at s.t.
• 17. Gavin MANNION , Bontrager-Livestrong at s.t.
• 18. Gerald CIOLEK , Omega Pharma-Quick Step at s.t.
• 19. Peter VELITS , Omega Pharma-Quick Step at s.t.
• 20. Luis Leon SANCHEZ GIL , Rabobank at s.t.
• 21. Marc DE MAAR , UnitedHealthcare at s.t.
• 22. Yukihiro DOI , Argos-Shimano at s.t.
• 23. Tiago MACHADO , RadioShack-Nissan at s.t.
• 24. Lawson CRADDOCK , Bontrager-Livestrong at s.t.
• 25. Darwin ATAPUMA HURTADO , Colombia-Coldeportes at s.t.
• 26. Tejay VAN GARDEREN , BMC Racing at s.t.
• 27. Christopher HORNER , RadioShack-Nissan at s.t.
• 28. George HINCAPIE , BMC Racing at s.t.
• 29. Stijn VANDENBERGH , Omega Pharma-Quick Step at s.t.
• 30. Christopher BALDWIN , Bissell at s.t.
• 31. Brent BOOKWALTER , BMC Racing at s.t.
• 32. Markel IRIZAR ARANBURU , RadioShack-Nissan at s.t.
• 33. Tom DUMOULIN , Argos-Shimano at s.t.
• 34. Andrew TALANSKY , Garmin-Barracuda at s.t.
• 35. Daniel OSS , Liquigas-Cannondale at s.t.
• 36. Yannick EIJSSEN , BMC Racing at s.t.
• 37. Thomas DANIELSON , Garmin-Barracuda at s.t.
• 38. Ben JACQUES-MAYNES , Bissell at s.t.
• 39. Victor Hugo PENA GRISALES , Colombia-Coldeportes at s.t.
• 40. Dries DEVENYNS , Omega Pharma-Quick Step at s.t.
• 41. Laurens TEN DAM , Rabobank at s.t.
• 42. Brian VANDBORG , Spidertech-C10 at s.t.
• 43. Rory SUTHERLAND , UnitedHealthcare at s.t.
• 44. George BENNETT , RadioShack-Nissan at s.t.
• 45. Cameron MEYER , Orica-GreenEdge at s.t.
• 46. Levi LEIPHEIMER , Omega Pharma-Quick Step at s.t.
• 47. Nicolas ROCHE , Ag2r La Mondiale at s.t.
• 48. Mikael CHEREL , Ag2r La Mondiale at s.t.
• 49. David ZABRISKIE , Garmin-Barracuda at s.t.
• 50. Wilco KELDERMAN , Rabobank at s.t.
• 51. Joshua ATKINS , Bontrager-Livestrong at s.t.
• 52. Robert GESINK , Rabobank at s.t.
• 53. Bram TANKINK , Rabobank at s.t.
• 54. Matthew BUSCHE , RadioShack-Nissan at s.t.
• 55. Morgan SCHMITT , Exergy at s.t.
• 56. Raymond KUNZLI , Spidertech-C10 at s.t.
• 57. Paul MARTENS , Rabobank at s.t.
• 58. Sylvain GEORGES , Ag2r La Mondiale at s.t.
• 59. Fabio Andres DUARTE AREVALO , Colombia-Coldeportes at s.t.
• 60. Joe DOMBROSKI , Bontrager-Livestrong at s.t.
• 61. Maxime BOUET , Ag2r La Mondiale at s.t.
• 62. Alex HOWES , Garmin-Barracuda at s.t.
• 63. Vincenzo NIBALI , Liquigas-Cannondale at s.t.
• 64. Jeffry LOUDER , UnitedHealthcare at s.t.
• 65. Philip DEIGNAN , UnitedHealthcare at s.t.
• 66. Tom ZIRBEL , Optum at s.t.
• 67. Romain BARDET , Ag2r La Mondiale at s.t.
• 68. Thomas PETERSON , Garmin-Barracuda at s.t.
• 69. Pieter WEENING , Orica-GreenEdge at s.t.
• 70. Andrew BAJADALI , Optum at s.t.
• 71. Thimothy ROE , BMC Racing at s.t.
• 72. Jens VOIGT , RadioShack-Nissan at s.t.
• 73. Andrès Miguel DIAZ CORRALES , Exergy at s.t.
• 74. Matt COOKE , Exergy at s.t.
• 75. Ian BOSWELL , Bontrager-Livestrong at s.t.
• 76. Lucas EUSER , Spidertech-C10 at s.t.
• 77. Michael RODRIGUEZ GALINDO , Colombia-Coldeportes at s.t.
• 78. Alessandro VANOTTI , Liquigas-Cannondale at s.t.
• 79. Maarten TJALLINGII , Rabobank at s.t.
• 80. Michael CREED , Optum at s.t.
• 81. Timothy DUGGAN , Liquigas-Cannondale at s.t.
• 82. Nathan BROWN , Bontrager-Livestrong at s.t.
• 83. Thomas DAMUSEAU , Argos-Shimano at s.t.
• 84. Alexandre GENIEZ , Argos-Shimano at s.t.
• 85. Rinaldo NOCENTINI , Ag2r La Mondiale +54
• 86. Robbie MCEWEN , Orica-GreenEdge +2:31
• 87. Ryan EASTMAN , Bontrager-Livestrong +2:31
• 88. David BOILY , Spidertech-C10 +5:43
• 89. Edward KING , Liquigas-Cannondale +5:43
• 90. Benjamin KING , RadioShack-Nissan +5:43
• 91. Carlos Julian QUINTERO , Colombia-Coldeportes +5:43
• 92. Guillaume BOIVIN , Spidertech-C10 +5:43
• 93. Kristijan KOREN , Liquigas-Cannondale +7:45
• 94. Carter JONES , Bissell +7:45
• 95. Bert GRABSCH , Omega Pharma-Quick Step +7:45
• 96. Bradley WHITE , UnitedHealthcare +7:45
• 97. Scott ZWIZANSKI , Optum +7:45
• 98. Sebastian SALAS , Optum +7:45
• 99. Ryan ANDERSON , Spidertech-C10 +7:45
• 100. Travis MEYER , Orica-GreenEdge +7:45
• 101. Wilson Alexander MARENTES TORRES , Colombia-Coldeportes +7:45
• 102. Javier GONZALEZ BARRERA , Colombia-Coldeportes +7:45
• 103. Leigh HOWARD , Orica-GreenEdge +10:43
• 104. Tom STAMSNIJDER , Argos-Shimano +10:43
• 105. Jeremy VENNELL , Bissell +10:43
• 106. Jason MCCARTNEY , UnitedHealthcare +12:06
• 107. Jonathan CLARKE , UnitedHealthcare +12:06
• 108. Juan Pablo SUAREZ SUAREZ , Colombia-Coldeportes +12:06
• 109. Marcel KITTEL , Argos-Shimano +12:06
• 110. Serghei TVETCOV , Exergy +12:06
• 111. Mauro DA DALTO , Liquigas-Cannondale +12:06
• 112. Nathan HAAS , Garmin-Barracuda +12:06
• 113. Ken HANSON , Optum +12:06
• 114. Matthew WILSON , Orica-GreenEdge +12:06
• 115. Jacob RATHE , Garmin-Barracuda +12:06
• 116. Michael FRIEDMAN , Optum +12:06
• 117. Christopher JONES , UnitedHealthcare +12:06
• 118. Sam JOHNSON , Exergy +12:06
• 119. Carlos Eduardo ALZATE ESCOBAR , Exergy +12:06
• 120. Frantisek RABON , Omega Pharma-Quick Step +12:06
• 121. Jonathan Patrick MC CARTY , Spidertech-C10 +12:06
• 122. Logan LOADER , Exergy +12:06
• 123. Christophe RIBLON , Ag2r La Mondiale +12:06

“It’s also a surprise for me (to win 3 days in a row),” said Sagan. “I want to say thank you to my team because they did very good work today.

“This race is very hard for me. The long climbs and the time trial are not so good for me. I’ll try very hard to stay in the jersey for another day. But I don’t think I’ll keep it after the time trial.”

The day’s long breakaway escaped early on in the 185.5km stage, headed for the first KOM at Calaveras Road. Sebastian Salas (Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies) led the four-man group over the climb, ahead of Pat McCarty (Spidertech-C10), Jeremy Vennell (Bissell) and Wilson Marentes (Colombia-Coldeportes). The Optum rider was out for the climbers’ jersey on the day and also took top points at Mount Diablo, 87km into the stage.

“From the beginning of the race, one of our team goals was to win the KOM jersey,” said Salas. “I’m glad to have it.”

Marentes earned some honors of his own, as the most courageous rider for the day. “Muy contento,” he said about the honor. “It’s an important jersey in any race, but especially in California.”

Salas lost contact with the group on the descent, but soon caught back on. It wouldn’t last long, however, as Vennell attacked the group, drawing out Marentes, and the pair set out toward Patterson Pass together.

Garmin took over on the point of the bunch when a solid crosswind kicked up approaching the base of the climb. The move split the peloton and caught sprinters Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano) and Robbie McEwen (Orica-GreenEdge) out. The race quickly broke into four groups, but just as quickly, most of the riders caught unawares were able to catch on.

The acceleration doomed Vennell and Marentes, by then the only survivors from the break, and they were soon neutralized. “Tired. Today was a hard day,” admitted Vennell. “I went in the first kilometer. The start was so difficult. With a climb in the first 10 miles, it was a rough start.”

Fabio Duarte (Colombia) and Nicolas Roche (Ag2r La Mondiale) jumped away low down on the climb and took a quick 20-second advantage. The tandem worked hard to maintain their advantage, but carried less than half-a-minute over the summit of the third-category Patterson Pass, 15km from the finish. Behind them, Liquigas and Omega Pharma led the peloton in pursuit.

With 8.4km to go, Liquigas led the bunch over the top of the escapees and the peloton fanned out over the road. Not for long, however, as an Exergy rider jumped up the left side of the road and took with him four riders, including Jens Voigt (RadioShack-Nissan).

With 5km to go and Liquigas on the front with two riders, most of the heavies were in the bunch, including Sagan, Haussler, Boonen and Michael Matthews (Rabobank). Timmy Duggan (Liquigas) drew the five-man escape in with 4km remaining and the sprint was on for Livermore.

Argos came forward and battled with Rabobank with 1.5km to go and pulled through to the front under the 1km kite. The white-clad Dutchmen lost nearly 10 wheels in the final, left-hand corner, 400 meters from the finish, however, and would not factor in the end.

An Ag2r rider carried the bunch through the bend and opened the sprint long. The final kick rolled out all over the road. Haussler launched up the left lane, and Sagan jumped to the right. They were within 100 meters when Sagan moved left again, took the front and closed the Aussie out for a third day in a row.

Race results >>

Editor’s Note: Keep your browser pointed to VeloNews.com for analysis, galleries, video interviews and more from the Amgen Tour of California.

The 29-year-old Colorado man has been quite visible taking monster turns early on in this race, stringing out the bunch for teammate Peter Sagan, who’s won the first two stages.

Liquigas-Cannondale is a threat here to win both the general classification and the points jersey. And Duggan, though you won’t see his name up high in the results in the Amgen Tour, is a big reason why.

On Sunday’s opening stage, Duggan pressed hard at the front for about 5km of the last 20, and brought the group toward Santa Rosa lean and fast, perfectly on plan for Sagan, who easily won the sprint.

His role on a strong team comes at the right time for the ski racer turned bike racer.

He started his professional career with Slipstream-Chipotle (now Garmin-Barracuda) but was a casualty of the Garmin and Cervelo merger. He and fellow American Ted King ultimately landed with Liquigas, American riders on the Cannondale-sponsored team.

Initially, Duggan wasn’t getting much race time, but after one season on the books with Liquigas, he finds himself taking monster pulls on sketchy descents and over rollers in California, lining Sagan up for wins. Earlier this spring he wore the King of the Mountains Jersey at the 2012 Tour of Catalunya for two days as well.

“The opportunity here with Liquigas has been pretty cool,” Duggan said. “I spent, literally, my whole pro career at Garmin. I was just kind of ready to do something different.”

Different is what he got. He now rides for an Italian team: the language is different; the training his different; his role is different.

“I think that’s the stuff that can put your career in a different direction,” he said. “It’s certainly great to be riding with guys like [Vincenzo] Nibali, [Ivan] Basso and Sagan. Yeah, you’re busting your ass, but those guys can win races.”

On May 28, he has a chance to race for himself, at the USA Cycling Pro National Championships in Greenville, South Carolina.

“It’s the kind of race that suits me very much,” he said. “You’ve got kind of a mixed bag of teams … It’s certainly a chaotic race, and I think that’s to my favor.”

Down the road, it’s not clear if Duggan will aim for a high finish at the Tour of Utah from August 7-12, but what is obvious is his good form this season.

Duggan has ridden in the world championships and stood on national championships podiums. He took second last year on stage 8 at the Critérium Dauphiné, and yet there’s a feeling that something bigger is on the horizon.

“Every race, I take it day by day and do my best and see what happens.”

He’s done well in the past at Utah – he took sixth overall there last year – but is also looking forward to the USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Colorado that comes just after.

“We’ll see how the form is come August,” he said. “I hope to be at a place where I can go for some things for myself out there.”

One of the Colorado stages winds through Nederland, just above Boulder, where Duggan and wife Loren just finished building their house.

“It’s going to be epic,” he said. “I think climbing at altitude is a strength of mine.”

Cycling is just part of the game with Duggan. He and a friend, Ian MacGregor, started the Just Go Harder Foundation, a non-profit that gives scholarships to kids to compete in cycling and skiing.

“It’s just kind of a little side project,” Duggan said. “If we can give a couple thousand dollars away to a kid who wouldn’t be able to participate in sports otherwise, that’s really good.”

Dear Lennard,
I own a 2006 Orbea Orca, and the aluminum seatpost insert has cracked horizontally right where it meets the top of the carbon frame. I need to remove the insert and replace it with a new one. Orbea indicates that it is bonded to the frame.

The insert is cracked horizontally right at the point where it goes into the carbon frame. The crack is approximately halfway around the circumference of the insert. I am concerned that tightening the seatpost clamp will cause it to break completely — particularly when I am riding — potentially causing loss of control. Although the seat would not go anywhere vertically, it would move side-to-side since the seat tube is no longer clamped to a bonded-in-place seat sleeve. I have a replacement insert. Can I heat the existing insert (from the inside) and break the bond (epoxy?), which will allow me to remove it?

Any suggestions on how to remove it or other alternatives to consider?  I am retired and cost is a concern.
— Ed

Dear Ed,
What about just cutting the sleeve off flush and getting a seat binder clamp that slips over the top of the seat tube?

I would sure rather do that than heat the seat tube, which would be hard to control. Above a certain temperature, you will certainly damage the matrix. While I’m sure you’ll be careful, once you get it warm enough to budge the upper part but not the deeper part, the temptation will be to keep heating to free it, and it will be hard to avoid overheating the upper part of the seat tube in the process.

Of course, you could first try to yank out the sleeve without any heat. I doubt it would budge, and you could tear off the top edge. But I’m recommending cutting that off anyway…
― Lennard

Dear Lennard,
I have purchased a new pair of cycling shoes and will be mounting new cleats on them. If a rider has feet that are slightly different sizes (mine are about 1/2 size different) how should the cleats be mounted to compensate for the different locations of the balls of the feet?  The shoes are the same size, but assuming that the heel is held firmly in the heel cup, the ball of one foot will be in a different location (albeit slightly) than the ball of the other foot. If I mount the cleats so that both feet are properly positioned over the spindle of the pedal, then the heel locations and ankle locations are slightly off. Which would be the preferred compensation? Locate the balls of the feet slightly differently over the spindles so that the heels and ankles are rotating similarly, or center both feet over the spindles so that the heels/ankles are slightly out of sync?
— Augis

Dear Augis,
I passed your question on to Dr. Andy Pruitt, the guru of bike fit and 3D bike fit video analysis, and founder of the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine. He has a rule of thumb about cleat position for different sized left and right feet. He says, “You measure the distance from the heel to the first MP joint on the short foot and that is the cleat placement for both. You can then do the math for a new neutral cleat position if desired.” The First MP joint (Metacarpophalangeal joint) is the joint at the base of the big toe.

In other words, you don’t want to change the length of the lever arm from the heel to the cleat, but you can have more foot length extending forward of the cleat on one side than on the other.
― Lennard

Dear Lennard,
I have the Apex group from SRAM. I’m currently set up with the 11-32 cassette. My chain is about worn, and I would like to replace the chain and cassette. I was looking at picking up a SRAM PG-70 11-25 cassette. Will I need to change out my derailleur as well and go with a short cage, or is Apex derailleur compatible with the 11-25 cassette?
— Nathan

Dear Nathan,
I assume you mean an 11-25 SRAM PG 1070 cassette. There is no reason to switch out your derailleur for that cassette. The Apex derailleur will work just fine, with your existing chain.
― Lennard

Dear Lennard.
I am a big fan and about 10 years ago we finished side-by-side at the Birkebeiner ski race.

Anyhow, this year I got myself a pair of Shimano Ultegra tubeless wheels and Hutchinson tubeless Fusion tires. After adding a little Stan’s, soaping the bead and getting the tire on, the front blew off when I was near 90 pounds. I put it back on with less pressure.

On my third or fourth ride, the rear blew off while riding on a smooth, flat surface. I wasn’t hurt, but the “bang” sure was scary.

Have you heard of bad batches of tubeless tires?  I soaped up the bead like I would do to a mountain bike tire and it all appeared fine. Any idea what might have caused my bad luck and am I safe to try another set of tubeless tires?
— Timothy

Dear Timothy,
I have not heard of this with tubeless-specific road wheels and tires. I have found the beadlock ridge on the rim ledge to be quite effective at keeping the tire on the rim, even when riding it deflated.

That said, you can imagine that there is no instance where it is more important than with road tubeless tires to have absolute precision of the tire bead diameter and rim bead seat diameter. If the tire bead diameter is too big or the bead seat diameter of the rim is too small, there’s a very great danger of blowing the tire off of the rim. On a normal clincher setup, you have an inflated inner tube pushing outward, forcing the bead under the edge of the rim hook. With a tubeless tire, there is high pressure trying to yank the tire straight up off of the rim hooks, and there is no tube working to hold the tire beads outward under the rim hooks. So a non-stretch tire bead that is exactly sized to fit the rim is imperative (carbon fiber beads are chosen for this reason in Hutchinson road tubeless tires). I can only postulate that either the tires or the rims (or both) were out of spec.

For somebody like me who rides tubeless road tires constantly, I find this news disconcerting. But my overwhelmingly positive experience with lots of road tubeless tires leads me to think that you’re safe to try a new set of those tires. I doubt you’d have a problem. Your old ones might be worth trying a warranty claim with Hutchinson.

Last month (April), my daughter and I raced all of our local spring half-dirt road races (Boulder-Roubaix, Mead-Roubaix, and Koppenberg) on tubeless road tires (she on Hutchinson Atoms, I on Fusion 3s) without the slightest problem, including finishing Mead-Roubaix with an earring stuck straight into my front tire. In order to go straight into my tire that way, the earring must have been standing upright, post facing up, in the dirt road. The earring post wasn’t even bent; it was pushed all of the way into the tire, and the tire hadn’t lost a bit of pressure! In those races with so much dirt and gravel traversed at high speed, riders were constantly pulling over with flat tires (but we weren’t!). Maybe one of them found the mate to the earring that ended up in my tire. That would be an expensive earring on a tubular tire…
― Lennard

“My main objective is the Olympics. I don’t think I’ll do the Tour de France,” said Boonen. “I’ll race Switzerland and Poland, and then the Olympics. It’s all really short, the world championships are only three weeks after that [sic]. It will be a very busy end of the season.”

The Paris-Roubaix champ will ride the Tour of Switzerland in June and then the Tour of Poland in mid-July to prepare for the Box Hill circuit, where he will start as a favorite for gold. Boonen pointed to the compact late-season schedule this year, with the Olympics and world championships less than eight weeks apart, as the reason for his skipping the Tour. The men’s road race in London takes place July 28, less than one week after the Tour’s final stage in Paris. Most of the favorites for London have committed to riding the Tour, including Mark Cavendish (Sky) and Matt Goss (Orica-GreenEdge).

Boonen has had a love-hate relationship with the Tour de France. That relationship has edged more toward the latter in recent years, however, as the Belgian has not finished La Grande Boucle since his green jersey triumph in 2007. His season already made with four cobbled classics wins and the Flanders-Roubaix double in the spring, an Olympic or world championship win would confirm 2012 as Boonen’s best season to date — and make the Flandrian’s year one of the best in history.

Schleck (RadioShack-Nissan) is the first to say he has no idea how he will ride once the Giro d’Italia turns into the final decisive week of the race.

“It’s still too early to say. It’s on the big climbs that everyone shows their form,” Schleck told VeloNews at Tuesday’s start. “I do not want to put any limits, but I cannot make any promises either. I still do not know what to expect.”

Some four-and-a-half hours later, Schleck crossed the line in 31st, 26 seconds behind stage winner Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha), and dropped from 10th to 13th overall, now 1:25 back.

“So far, I haven’t lost any time, I am in the top 10; it is already more than I expected,” he said before the start. “Stages like today are for specialists, the guys who really have the punch. It’s important that you do not lose too much time. At end of the day, you should not stress too much about stages like this. The Giro will be decided in the final week.”

The elder of the Schleck brothers is the biggest enigma of this year’s Giro, with no one really knowing what to expect from him. He only made RadioShack’s roster days before the race start when he replaced late scratch Jakob Fuglsang.

So far through the first half of the Giro, Schleck has been able to avoid any major crashes or mishaps that may have cost him valuable time. Even the losses to Rodríguez could seem insignificant once the Giro hits the major climbs in the Dolomites in the final week.

His rivals are taking notice, including former teammate Ivan Basso, who says Schleck should not be overlooked.

“Schleck is an experienced rider. He knows how to race a three-week tour,” Basso said. “Perhaps he didn’t have the ideal preparation, but he should not be counted out.”

Schleck never expected to race this Giro, which he’s started only once, way back in 2005. Since then, the Tour de France has been his singular focus.

“I like the Giro, it’s a great race, but I have always focused on the Tour, so it was impossible for me to come back to this race,” he said. “I had a preparation that I never experienced before, so I have to take it day-by-day.”

Schleck said he would continue to fight for the Giro, at least as long as it seems like a reasonable bet. The Tour de France remains his top goal for the 2012 season.

“I have finished fifth twice, last year third, so of course the Tour is a big dream and a big goal. That does not mean that it would not be nice to win the Giro,” he said. “In a grand tour, it’s like a roller coaster. You have ups and downs. Sometimes you have a good day; sometimes you have a bad day. You are never sure about the condition, especially in my case, with the preparation for the Giro I had, I will never be sure.”

When pressed by VeloNews if he was going to ride all the way to Milan, he paused and said with a smile, “Next question, dismissed!”

Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda) trailed behind, but only just. Rodríguez moved clear by six seconds and gained 20 seconds in bonuses. The time, any time, is helpful for the little Spaniard. He aims to win the overall in two weeks in Milan, a goal many discounted at the start of the three-week tour.

Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale) and Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) stand in his way, cyclists who’ve won grand tours and have experience going the distance. Rodríguez has won week-long stage races, like the Volta a Catalunya, and one-day classics, like the Flèche Wallonne, but never a grand tour. His best finish is a fourth place in both the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España.

Rodríguez is not even sure if he can do it.

“Well, even if I lose the maglia rosa tomorrow,” said Rodríguez in a press conference, “at least I’ve had it.”

The Spaniard looked around the room, a barren space inside a convent. He scanned the journalists and the poster of the Giro d’Italia, which shows a rider in the pink jersey looking towards the distant mountains.

The Giro’s high mountains are not so distant, starting with the stage to Cervinia on Saturday. There, at 2001 meters, Rodríguez and his rivals will have an idea of whether he can survive in the lead to Milan, another eight days away. Besides a rest day, the following week includes climbs like Giau, Pampeago, Mortirolo and Stelvio.

“My goal is the podium, to fight for the race win,” Rodríguez added.

“I’ve been working on the long climbs. We have a strong team. Alberto Losada and Ángel Vicioso also trained with me on the longer climbs, with Daniel Moreno. I trust these guys will be with me, but we will have to play off of Liquigas, Lampre and Astana; they will make the difference and we have to stay with him.”

Rodríguez cut his teeth in Spanish teams ONCE, Saunier Duval and Caisse d’Epargne. He spent his time in service of the others, helping captains like Alejandro Valverde win the Vuelta. Though he won some races, it’s only been since joining the Russian Katusha squad that he’s been able to truly spread his wings.

In 2010, Rodríguez won Catalunya, placed eighth in the Tour de France and third in the Vuelta a España. As a result, he won the UCI’s WorldTour classification, making him the world no. 1 at the conclusion of the year.

“Everyone has his moment,” he said. “I’ve always felt like a good rider, always helping other riders. In my last year at Caisse, I saw that I could’ve had my moment, but I was working for my captain. When Katusha came with an offer that was the moment for me to become a leader. It was the best decision I ever took as a pro.”

Over the winter, he and the team set two goals: win a classic and the Giro d’Italia.

“We’ve met all of our objectives this year. We started wanting to win a classic, and we did it with Flèche Wallonne. The second one is to have a good GC in the Giro. It’s been going well; usually we start off with a problem in the time trials. This year, we’ve taken the jersey without much effort. For sure, I’m ready.”