February 23, 2008

Pagliarini is the new winner as Cavendish is relegated

www.velonews.com

Saunier Duval-SCOTT's Luciano Pagliarini was awarded the win in Saturday's stage after officials relegated Team High Road's Mark Cavendish — the first over the line — for hanging onto a team car during the hectic final miles of the 2008 Amgen Tour of California's stage 6.



Cavendish was penalized 20 seconds after officials said the High Road rider grabbed onto the side of a team car while trying to catch the peloton following a crash.

"These are the rules that we all live by," said Jim Burrell of Medalist Sports, the race's production team. "These are officials who are appointed by the international governing body. We as race organizers have no pull or say in their process."

The win stands as the 11th career victory for Pagliarini. The Brazilian took stage 4 of the 2007 Tour of Missouri.

"I’m very happy, but it's not like a win with your hands up," he said. "I'm not so happy as I would like to be."

Race leader Levi Leipheimer retained his yellow jersey heading into Sunday's final stage.
For much of the stage, a hilly 105 miles from Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita, Leipheimer's Astana team contained a six-man break that included no riders posing a threat to his overall lead. In the final miles, the sprinters' teams of High Road, Quick Step and Rabobank worked with Astana to reel it in.
The chase heated up as the peloton began three circuits around downtown Santa Clarita and the break still had about a 2-minute gap. In the final 3.3-mile lap, second-place rider David Millar of Slipstream-Chipotle, who started the day 49 seconds behind Leipheimer, bridged to the break and then went to the front in time trial mode in an effort to pull GC seconds back from Leipheimer.

Astana and High Road, though, would have none of that. They put the hammer down to set up a field sprint that Cavendish won, followed across the line by Pagliarini, CSC's JJ Haedo and Quick Steps' Paolo Bettini.

During the first downtown circuit, three Rock Racing teammates crashed, including Mario Cipollini and Freddie Rodriguez. They quickly remounted, although Rodriguez was slowed by a wheel that collapsed when he got back on his bike. Cavendish also was apparently delayed by the crash.
The tour concludes Sunday with a 93-mile trip from Santa Clarita to Pasadena, where the 8-stage event will conclude with five laps around the Rose Bowl.