MAY 19, 2010 - Modesto, CA – The UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis rode through a deceptively difficult 4th stage of the Amgen Tour of California Wednesday, but came through in good shape for the key upcoming key stages.
“Today was hard,” Rory Sutherland said of the transitional stage which included the first category 1 climb of the race. “Sierra Road actually wasn’t that bad. Garmin let the break go early and we just rode tempo up the climb. But we rode hard to bring them back.”
Team Director Mike Tamayo was happy with the way the stage played out, but also noted that “the guys had to earn their miles today, even in the bunch. It was a slow road surface.”
As the bunch finally gathered up the remnants of the five-rider break within the city limits of finish town Modesto, and then withstood a series of attacks on the circuits, “we knew it was going to come down to a bunch sprint,” Tamayo said. “We were setting up Karl (Menzies) to give it a go in the sprint, but he got caught up in a late crash and couldn’t contest it.”
The stage was won by Francesco Chicchi (Liquigas), ahead of J.J. Haedo (Saxo Bank) and Mark Cavendish (HTC-Columbia).
“The main thing for us today was to keep Rory and Marc (de Maar) out of trouble,” he continued. “We have two critical stages coming up and the team is still hungry for stage wins and we’re looking to stay high in the general classification.”
Notes
Menzies sustained only minor injuries in his crash and will have no trouble making the start for Thursday’s stage, another 121-mile stage from Visalia to Bakersfield. The stage includes Category 3 and 4 climbs, as well two trips around a finishing circuit that includes one short, sharp climb up to the finish line.
Photo: Jonathan Devich, Epic Images
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