Tony Martin won the seventh stage of the Tour of California on Saturday, but Australian Michael Rogers extended his overall lead by finishing second in the 33.6km time-trial on the streets of Los Angeles.
Rogers finished 22 seconds behind his German Columbia teammate, and stretched his narrow lead in the standings over American David Zabriskie going into yesterday’s final stage.
“First and foremost, protect the jersey,” Rogers said of his mission yesterday. “I am confident we can do it tomorrow, we are a strong team. It is not a huge lead, for sure, but nine seconds in meters is a long distance. It is not over before it is over, but we are a step closer now.”
PHOTO: EPA
Zabriskie, who started the day four seconds back overall, lost more ground with only the 134.4km final stage in rolling country around Thousand Oaks in the western suburbs of Los Angeles remaining.
He finished third on Saturday to fall nine seconds off Rogers’ lead.
“I am disappointed of course, I was a little bit off, but I felt pretty good,” he said. “The race is not over yet. Tomorrow will be a hard race, it can be windy there and there’s a couple of good climbs.”
Three-time defending champion Levi Leipheimer was fourth to move up to third in the overall standings, 25 seconds adrift.
Martin, winner of time trials in last year’s Criterium International and Bayern Rundfahrt clocked 41 minutes, 41 seconds on the course that skirted such landmarks as Los Angeles City Hall and Memorial Coliseum.
“It was a very spectacular course, I had never been to LA before,” Martin said. “It was perfect for me, almost flat and not too many corners.”
Floyd Landis, whose admission of doping and accusations against others — including Lance Armstrong — created a furore this week, was in attendance.
He spent time in the tent of Ouch team sponsor and longtime Landis backer doctor Brent Kay, but didn’t speak to reporters.
■LANCE ARMSTRONG
AFP, LOS ANGELES
Two days after a crash forced him out of the Tour of California with a bruised elbow and a cut below his left eye, Lance Armstrong was back on his bike on Saturday, the seven-time Tour de France champ tweeted.
“First ride after the face plant,” Armstrong said on his Twitter feed, adding that he rode one-and-a-half hours “easy” and “got passed by a lot of people.”
With a month and a half to go until the Tour de France, RadioShack team manager Johan Bruyneel said on Friday that Armstrong’s injuries — he required eight stitches in the cut on his face — were a “setback,” but said they wouldn’t compromise Armstrong’s start in the Tour de France or his preparations.
Armstrong crashed on Thursday shortly after the start of stage five outside Visalia, California.
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