Pogacar becomes youngestAmgen Tour of California champ; Van Der Breggen and Hall 1-2 again

UAE Team Emirates’ 20-year-old Tadej Pogacar (SLO) is the 2019 Amgen Tour of California champion after a fast and furious sprint finish at Pasadena’s Rose Bowl concluded a week of racing.

OVERALL RACE RESULTS:

1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO), UAE Team Emirates (UAE) 32h55’12”

2. Sergio Higuita (COL), EF Education First Pro Cycling (USA) +0:16”
3. Kasper Asgreen (DEN), Deceuninck – Quick-Step (BEL) +0:17”
4. George Bennett (NZL), Team Jumbo-Visma (TJV) +0:29”
5. Richie Porte (AUS), Trek-Segafredo (USA) +0:41”

JERSEY WINNERS AT RACE CONCLUSION:

· Amgen Race Leader Jersey – Tadej Pogacar (SLO), UAE Team Emirates (UAE)
· Visit California Sprint Jersey – Kasper Asgreen (DEN), Deceuninck – Quick-Step (BEL)
· Lexus King of the Mountain (KOM) Jersey – Davide Ballerini (ITA), Astana Pro Team (KAZ)
· Breakaway from Cancer ® Most Courageous Rider Jersey – Alex Hoehn (USA), USA Cycling National Team (USA)
· TAG Heuer Best Young Rider Jersey – Tadej Pogacar (SLO), UAE Team Emirates (UAE)

OVERALL TEAM WINNER:

· EF Education First Pro Cycling (USA)

STAGE 7 PODIUM:

1. Cees Bol (NED), Team Sunweb (GER) 2h53’16”
2. Peter Sagan (SVK), BORA-hansgrohe (GER) +00”
3. Jasper Philipsen (BEL), UAE Team Emirates (UAE) +00”

Two young first-timers to this race vied for the overall championship in an epic battle yesterday when Pogacar took over the race lead after the Queen Stage summit finish at Mt. Baldy, coming into the final stage +:16” ahead of EF Education First Pro Cycling’s 21-year-old Sergio Higuita (COL). With their time gap unchanged today, Higuita finished in second place overall.

Beginning the day in sixth place overall (+:22), Deceuninck – Quick-Step’s Kasper Asgreen (DEN) fought to make up time with bonus points today. He joined a chase group that brought the peloton back together before it reached Pasadena, then leapt out to a solo lead on the first of three passes across the finish line to claim maximum Sprint points in the finishing circuits. UAE Team Emirates worked hard to reel him back in defense of Pogacar, who will also go home with the TAG Heuer Best Young Rider Jersey in addition to his yellow jersey.

“This race was my main goal this year. I knew that I was prepared. I surprised myself a bit that I took the overall win. But I’m really happy and looking forward to next season,” said Pogacar.

On the women's course, the Boels Dolmans Cycling Team dominated the Amgen Tour of California Women's Race empowered with SRAM with World Champion Anna van der Breggen (NED) and teammate Katie Hall (Oakland, Calif.) taking a decisive win and second place finish respectively as the women’s three-day race concluded at the Rose Bowl today.

Now teammates, the two had the same overall result as competitors in 2017 when van der Breggen pulled out the win 1 second ahead of Hall, who went on to win the 2018 race. In addition to her second race championship, van der Breggen will take home the Visit California Sprint Jersey. This is Hall’s third consecutive overall podium finish.

“It feels really good. It was a hard stage race. They had three beautiful stages, and they didn’t make it easy for us the last day….To finish first and second is an amazing result,” said the Boels Dolmans two-time race champion.

The World Champion was challenged for the green jersey today by Valcar Cylance Cycling’s Elisa Balsamo (ITA) who outsprinted a tight field to take the stage win just ahead of Astana Women’s Team’s Arlenis Sierra (CUB), who placed second for the stage, and Hagens Berman | Supermint’s Leigh Ann Ganzar (USA) in third.

Van der Breggen came into the final day +29” ahead of Hall, which held through the final stage, and CCC-Liv’s Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) held onto her overall third place podium spot (+1:06”).

Astana’s Blanca Liliana Moreno Canchon (COL) picked up the maximum points on today’s climb, for the Lexus Queen of the Mountain Jersey win over Hall.

OVERALL RACE RESULTS:

1. Anna van der Breggen (NED), Boels Dolmans Cycling Team (NED) 8h32’34”
2. Katie Hall (USA), Boels Dolmans Cycling Team (NED) +0:29”
3. Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA), CCC - Liv (NED) +1:06”
4. Clara Koppenburg (GER), WNT ROTOR Pro Cycling Team (GER) +1:25”
5. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (POL), CANYON/SRAM Racing (GER) +1:34”

JERSEY WINNERS AT RACE CONCLUSION:

· Amgen Race Leader Jersey – Anna van der Breggen (NED), Boels Dolmans Cycling Team (NED)
· Visit California Sprint Jersey – Anna van der Breggen (NED), Boels Dolmans Cycling Team (NED)
· Lexus Queen of the Mountain (QOM) Jersey – Blanca Liliana Moreno Canchon (COL), Astana Women’s Team (KAZ)
· TAG Heuer Best Young Rider Jersey – Juliette Labous (FRA), Team Sunweb (NED)
· Breakaway from Cancer® Most Courageous Rider Jersey – Kathrin Hammes (GER), WNT ROTOR Pro Cycling Team (GER)

OVERALL TEAM WINNER:

- CANYON//SRAM Racing (GER)

STAGE 3 PODIUM:

1. Elisa Balsamo (ITA), Valcar Cylance Cycling (ITA) 3h19’57”
2. Arlenis Sierra (CUB), Astana Women’s Team (KAZ) +00”
3. Leigh Ann Ganzar (USA), Hagens Berman | Supermint (USA) +00”