OUCH Presented by Maxxis continues aggressive riding, but can’t get a break

Pasadena, CA - Just about every rider on the OUCH Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis got in a break during Stage 7 of the Amgen Tour of California from Santa Clarita to Pasadena Saturday.

“If there were 10 breaks today,” said team directeur sportif Mike Tamayo, “we covered nine. Unfortunately, the one we didn’t make was the one that stuck.”

As the saying goes, that’s bike racing.

“We tried early, we tried in the canyon, we just kept trying,” said OUCH Presented by Maxxis rider Pat McCarty. “Cam (Evans) and Tim (Johnson) were both in moves that looked like they would go. Cam made it into one break that looked like it would stick, but then Columbia missed it so they brought it back. It just kept going and re-shuffling.

“It took something like two hours for a break to establish,” he added. “I think we were only about 5 km from the top of the KoM.”

That climb, over the 4,900-foot Millcreek Summit about 38 miles into the 89-mile stage, proved to be decisive in creating the separation.

“When that move went,” McCarty explained, “I think we were maybe just a bit too gassed and a bit too far back.”

“One of our guys tried to get across to the move, but we were just too late,” Tamayo added.

And as McCarty noted, there was no lack of horsepower in that move, which included George Hincapie (Team Columbia - Highroad), Fränk Schleck (Team Saxo Bank), Christian Vande Velde (Garmin - Slipstream), Hayden Roulston (Cervélo TestTeam), Pieter Weening (Rabobank), Addy Engels (Quick Step), Martin Elmiger (AG2R La Mondiale), Markus Zberg (BMC Racing Team), Rinaldo Nocentini (AG2R La Mondiale) and Chris Baldwin (Rock Racing).

The group got 1:05 over the summit of Millcreek, and with no threats to the overall lead in the break, Astana was content to ride tempo, allowing the break to extend its lead out beyond four minutes and eventually take it to the line, with Nocenti winning a very close sprint ahead of Roulston.

“We’re pretty bummed we didn’t get anyone up there today,” McCarty said. “It wasn’t for lack of trying. Rory (Sutherland) and I are both a bit frustrated by it. We knew this would be a good day to get in the break because it had a good chance to stick. But that’s how it goes. You win some, you lose a whole lot more.”

Race Results

Photo: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us