A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| UCI America Tour | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dates | May 13–20, 2012 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stages | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance | 735.6 mi (1,184 km) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Winning time | 30h 42' 32" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2012 Amgen Tour of California was the seventh running of the Tour of California cycling stage race. It was held from May 13–20, and was rated as a 2.HC event on the UCI America Tour. It began in Santa Rosa and concluded in front of Los Angeles's Staples Center after eight stages. As per the Union Cycliste Internationale rules adopted in 2011, the use of race radios was prohibited, since only the events which are designated UCI World Tour events can use the devices.[1]
The event was marked by two major performances: Rabobank's Robert Gesink winning Stage 7 finishing in Mount Baldy to secure the overall classification victory[2] and Peter Sagan of Liquigas–Cannondale dominating the sprint finishes, taking 5 stage wins and the sprinter jersey.[3]
Participating teams
Sixteen teams were participating in the Tour of California, including eight UCI ProTeams, four UCI Professional Continental teams, and four UCI Continental teams. They were:[4]
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Stages
Stage 1
- May 13, 2012 — Santa Rosa to Santa Rosa, 115.9 miles (186.5 km) —
Intermediate stage[5]
Eight men escaped very early in the race and built a sizable gap with the peloton. Among them was Canadian David Boily (SpiderTech–C10), who won all four of the King of the Mountains competitions along the way, claiming the red jersey. The climbs were graded category 3 and 4, and the break held a maximum lead of eleven minutes. With 4.5 miles (7.2 km) to go in the race, the 3 remaining breakaway companions, Ben Jacques-Maynes (Bissell), Maxime Bouet (Ag2r–La Mondiale) and Jeff Louder (UnitedHealthcare) shook hands to congratulate each other for the nice effort since the bunch was 10 seconds behind them and reeled them in moments later. Almost at the same time the peloton caught the break, Peter Sagan (Liquigas–Cannondale) had a puncture. He worked his way back and avoided a crash that occurred with 2 miles (3.2 km) to go. His teammate Daniel Oss piloted him in the last few kilometers, and Sagan out sprinted his rivals.[6][7]
Stage 1 results
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General Classification after Stage 1
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Stage 2
- May 14, 2012 — San Francisco to Santa Cruz County, 117.1 miles (188.5 km) — Intermediate stage[8]
The stage included two major climbs: racers were faced with the Empire Grade difficulty (Category 1) at 123.9 kilometres (77.0 mi) from the start, and they tackled with the Bear Creek climb (Category 2) at the 154.7 kilometres (96.1 mi) mark. Race leader Peter Sagan was part of a crash that occurred near the top of the Empire Grade climb, but he could recover and got back on his bike after some on-the-fly repairs by the team's mechanic.[9] Alexandre Geniez from Argos–Shimano was part of an early break with 5 other riders and was the lone surviving escapee, but was caught on the last climb of the day with 35 kilometres (22 mi) to go.[10] He was rewarded for his efforts with the "Most Aggressive rider" jersey. A bunch composed of about 60 units came charging in Santa Cruz, with all the overall classification contenders present. Rory Sutherland from UnitedHealthcare broke away with about 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) to cover in a bid to win the stage and the 10 seconds bonus given to the victor, but his effort proved to be in vain as he was reeled back in shortly after the 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) mark. The Liquigas–Cannondale train dragged Sagan to the last corner, a right bend with the finish line only a couple hundred meters away. Sagan was first out of the corner and accelerated to the finish, taking his second victory in a row.[11]
Stage 2 results
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General Classification after Stage 2
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Stage 3
For the first time in the race's history, the riders were set to climb Mount Diablo (Category 2) about midway through the course. The crowd of spectators was densely packed at that well-known landmark. Another crucial part of the journey was the Patterson Pass (Category 3), which summit is situated 9.3 miles (15.0 km) away from the finish line in Livermore. A breakaway composed of 4 men formed atop the first climb of the day, Calaveras Road (Category 4), including Sebastian Salas of Optum–Kelly Benefit Strategies whose team manager stated prior to the stage that their main objective was now the red jersey awarded to the best climber.[13] Salas did exactly what his team had planned, raking in enough points to take the lead in the King of the Mountains competition. The peloton got back to the break with 25 kilometres (16 mi) to race, and they prepared for a bunch finish as they descended towards the line.[14] Heinrich Haussler (Garmin–Barracuda) led the sprint, but was passed shortly before the finish by the winner of the first 2 stages, Peter Sagan of Liquigas–Cannondale. Sagan stated after his third consecutive success that he was surprised to be a part of the finale since the Patterson Pass' climb was a steep one and was situated very close to the end of the race.[15]
