Voices of the Athletes

Final Thoughts on the Amgen Tour of California 2016

Stage 2 of the Amgen Tour of California began in Pasadena after the race made it’s way from the first stage in San Diego. For the 11th year, the 8-day race hosts WorldTour professionals as they roll their way across the Golden State.

Overall Winner (GC) Julian Alaphilippe, Etixx – Quick-Step

“This victory is really important. It’s my first win of the season, and it’s the first time that I won a General Classification. It’s really something special to win this race, especially here in California, and I’m really proud of my team all week, especially today because it was a really stressful day for a lot of riders in the peloton. Everyone wanted to be in the front…It was a good day and I’m really, really happy.”

Sprint Jersey Peter Sagan, Tinkoff (RUS):

“For me it was a long, hard week. I was in the breakaway two days in a row, on Stage 2 and 3. Then I was just trying to recover for Santa Rosa, since that was a day with a lot of points….I had a couple KOM’s [King of the Mountain points] there yesterday, and it felt really good to seal up the jersey for the week, so I’m quite happy.”

Mark Cavendish, Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka

“I’ve been coming to the Amgen Tour of California for many years. There’s a reason all the top riders in the world come over to America to race here. It’s always been a great race, and Kristin and AEG always put on a tremendous show, as well a great, relaxed race for the riders to come to….I’m happy to be here and I’m definitely coming back.”

King Of The Mountains Evan Huffman, Rally Cycling

“For me it was a long, hard week. I was in the breakaway two days in a row, on Stage 2 and 3. Then I was just trying to recover for Santa Rosa, since that was a day with a lot of points….I had a couple KOM’s there yesterday, and it felt really good to seal up the jersey for the week. The route and the racing I really enjoyed. I thought it was more challenging than last year, which was good for me and my team, so overall I’m happy.”

Best Young Rider Winner (White Jersey) Neilson Powless, Axeon Hagens Berman

“Originally I was coming here with the team to see what it was like to race at this level, and experience the fast pace, and maybe play a support role. I ended up being pretty competitive, and I was really happy with that, and the rest of the week it was more about learning how to deal with all the time constraints that come along with having a jersey. It was really good. I enjoyed it a lot.”

Overall Winner (GC) Megan Guarnier, Boels-Dolmans Cycling Team

“This one is up there. Being in America, winning a WorldTour event, and then taking a leader’s jersey. The crowds are amazing. It’s a little bit surreal, and I’m super proud to be here.”