kwc blog

Tour of California: Stage 6

Olaf Pollack got T-Mobile on the stage winners podium as they outgunned the other sprinter teams for the finish. T-Mobile had been looking strong in the sprint setup but found themselves twice beat by Haedo. Olaf Pollack was last seen gritting his teeth as he got trounced by Haedo in stage 1, so this is sweet revenge for him. This is also T-Mobile's first victory for the season.

photos by Graham Watson

It was almost a Gerolsteiner day from start to finish as a Rene Haselbacher of Gerolsteiner attempted a last-minute breakaway at 500m to go that was caught just before the finish line. Gerolsteiner was out to protect Levi's lead in the King of the Mountain competition and they managed to win nearly every mid-stage competition except for the first KOM climb:

• Second KOM climb: Sven Krauss
• Intermediate sprint: Sven Krauss (Kopp second)
• Third KOM climb: Fabian Wegmann (Leipheimer second)
• Fourth KOM climb: Sebastian Lang (Wegmann second)

Stage links:

• VeloNews Stage 6 Summary
• Stage 6 results
• Daily Peloton Stage 6 Rider Comments
• Graham Watson Stage 6 Photos
• Grassy Knoll Stage 6 media

Stage profile (from official Amgen Tour of California site):