Tour of California 2014 - Stage 2

The Tour of California encountered its first real general classification shake up on its second stage this year, a 20.1 kilometre time trial around Folsom. The leader going into the day was the Manx Missile Mark Cavendish, who was most probably not going to keep his leader's jersey for another day as men such as Bradley Wiggins and Taylor Phinney were in the field.

It was a blistering hot day in California, meaning it would hydration as well as form and condition that would decide the day. Rohan Dennis of Garmin-Sharp was down the ramp early on in the day, and he soon set a quick time of 24 minutes and 2 seconds. Dennis wasn't hopeful of a win today, stating he was hoping for a podium due to the presence of Wiggins, Phinney et al.

Jesse Sergent of Trek Factory Racing didn't manage to beat the Australian, meaning Dennis was likely to finish on the podium. Wiggins set off in the middle of the field, and it was soon evident that the Olympic time trial champion was going to finish quicker than Dennis. He caught and past his one minute and two minute men before he finished the course.

He finished in 23 minutes and 18 seconds, even faster than the already quick time of Rohan Dennis. Taylor Phinney of BMC Racing Team was the last man possible to beat Wiggins, but at the halfway stage he was 32 seconds down, and would roll in behind the 2012 Tour de France champion, and the Australian Rohan Dennis.

Wiggins took the stage win, Mark Cavendish put in a respectable performance to finish twenty seventh but it wasn't enough to keep the leader's jersey from passing over to his compatriot. Wiggins would now go into stage three with the race lead, where he would have to defend his lead on a summit finish for the first time.