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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Friday, March 29, 2024

Inside Pro Cycling | California dreaming: Tour of California is a comeback show for big names

    In just one day's time, scenic California will play host to the biggest cycling race held in the United States: the Amgen Tour of California (AToC).
    In its fourth year, the nine-day AToC is shaping up to be more hotly contested than ever before. One of the biggest races of the early season, the AToC will have special meaning in 2009 as it helps kick off a year already marked by big comebacks. In addition to pre-race favorites like Team Astana's two-time defending champion Levi Leipheimer (USA) and 2008 Tour de France champion Carlos Sastre (Spain) of Cervélo TestTeam, four other important contenders will be looking to get their seasons started with a bang.
    American Tom Danielson of Garmin-Slipstream once showed the potential to develop into Lance Armstrong's successor. In 2005, Danielson won the now-defunct Tour de Georgia and took seventh in the Vuelta a Espana. The next year, he took second and sixth in those same races, respectively, as well as eighth in the AToC. Since then, however, Danielson has been plagued by nagging injuries and various illnesses that have left both him and his fans disappointed. After regaining his health and confidence by adding more races to his schedule last season, Danielson looks poised to crack the top ranks of the sport once again, and the AToC will be his first test in 2009.
    Also on the start list is Italian Ivan Basso of team Liquigas, who returned to competition late last year after a two-year suspension for doping. Having won the Giro d'Italia in 2006 and stood on all but the top step of the podium at the Tour de France, Basso is one of the foremost stage racers in the world and one of the most threatening riders on any challenging mountain stage. Like Danielson, Basso did race last season, but only in the closing months of 2008, and the 2009 AToC could be his opportunity to make a new and cleaner name for himself.
    American Floyd Landis is also on his way back. Landis won the 2006 Tour de France, but after a failed doping control for synthetic testosterone, he lost his title and was suspended for two years. Although Landis never admitted to cheating and has, in fact, fought to overturn the ruling against him for the duration of his suspension, he has been out of the sport until now. Winner of the inaugural edition of the AToC in 2006, Landis is no stranger to the roads that he will be covering over the next week. And if there is anyone that has something to prove in the peloton this year, it is Landis.
    Finally, there is, of course, Armstrong. While he already suited up this year at the Tour Down Under, Armstrong hasn't yet had a chance to show just how good he still is. The real question, though, will be whether or not he is competing to win, as the possibility that he is only there to support teammate Leipheimer is very likely. Although Armstrong does not have the advantage of having competed in the AToC before, his résumé simply speaks for itself, and when Lance wants to win, he usually does.
    The simultaneous return of all four of these accomplished racers to the professional scene guarantees that the 2009 AToC will be one of the most exciting yet. The list of favorites for the overall classification goes on, however, and includes team Saxobank's Frank and Andy Schleck (Luxembourg); Columbia-Highroad's George Hincapie (USA), Michael Rogers (Australia) and Kim Kirchen (Luxembourg); Garmin-Slipstream's Christian Vande Velde and David Zabriskie (USA); and Rock Racing's Tyler Hamilton, the American professional road race champion.
    Clearly, the start list for the tour is incredibly deep, and the competition would be fierce regardless of the course. But the race organizers did not want to be left out of the excitement, so they have put together what promises to be a grueling race that should not disappoint.
    As usual, the AToC will open with a prologue, a short individual time trial that will determine who wears the leader's yellow jersey on the following day's Stage 1. Unlike previous years, however, this year's prologue will not be a climb but rather a pancake-flat 2.4-mile course that should result in absolutely blistering speeds. Look for time trial specialists like Saxobank's Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland), Bissell Pro Cycling's Tom Zirbel (USA) and American professional time trial champion Zabriskie to really light up the pavement on the opening day tomorrow.
    As for the rest of the course, the word on everyone's lips is "climbing." With the exception of the time trial on Stage 6, every single stage features some amount of climbing that could shatter the peloton and determine the final outcome. Although the course has changed markedly from previous years, it still includes many of the climbs for which the race is famous, like Stage 3's 1,930-foot Sierra Road climb. Any given day could prove to be the most crucial.
    But if climb after climb after climb is not enough to shake up the overall classification, Stage 6's Solvang individual time trial (ITT) should do the trick. The 15-mile course is similar to previous years, and if those editions are any indicator, this year's ITT will not be overlooked by the main contenders. Last year, Leipheimer entered the ITT with just a 13-second lead over Cancellara, but with a convincing win, he extended his overall lead to 49 seconds and held it all the way to the finish.
    Even the final day could factor into the overall outcome. With the 11.7 miles and 21 switchbacks of the 4,200-foot Palomar Mountain standing between them and the finish line, none of the yellow-jersey hopefuls will be able to rest until they finally cross the line in Escondido. And that's not to mention the three other climbs on the menu for Stage 8. Going up?