Tour of California 2014 - Stage 3

21/05/2014 12:30

After stage two's individual time trial, stage three brought about another general classification shake up for the Tour of California 2014, as the race travelled 177 kilometres from San Jose to the top of Mount Diablo. Mount Diablo is a tough climb that really ramps up in the last 300 metres, meaning it would be a tough challenge for race leader Bradley Wiggins.

The searing heat did not stop the breakaway, as the leader of the King of the Mountains competition Will Routley (Optum) made the move in an attempt to increase his lead in the contest. He was joined by the likes of Maarten Wynants of Belkin, Jonny Clarke of UnitedHealthcare, Paul Voss of NetApp-Endura and David Lozano Riba of Novo Nordisk, among others.

Routley successfully did extend his lead, with Team Sky setting the pace back in the peloton, only allowing the move to get a maximum of six minutes before starting to reel it in. By the base of Mount Diablo the move was only three minutes clear when it started to splinter. Crashes had started to have an effect on the peloton, Bissell teammates James Oram and Ryan Eastman both crashed.

They were both able to continue, but at the base of the climb another crash marred the peloton, including Orica-GreenEDGE road captain Mathew Hayman. The remnants of the breakaway were swept up on the slopes of Mount Diablo, while the peloton's numbers dwindled to a select group including race leader Wiggins and second place Rohan Dennis.

Although Dennis was dropped with three kilometres to go last year, he could continue with ease this year, while Wiggins set a high tempo. Attacks came from the likes of Carter Jones and Adam Yates, before Rohan Dennis put in the decisive attack and won alone atop Mount Diablo. He took twenty seconds, but Wiggins still led the race at the end of the stage by twenty four seconds from the young Australian.