Frank Schleck finished the Tour of California in the same manner in which it started, with a victory for the Saxo Bank team. At the end of a murderously fast final stage that started in Rancho Bernardo, Schleck outsprinted Vincent Nibali (Liquigas) to take the win today in front of huge adoring crowd in Escondido.
After an initial four-man breakaway, it came down to a survival of the fittest between Schleck and Nibali for the majority of the race. In the last several kilometers through town, with the peloton chasing at a close 30 seconds, Schleck proved the stronger of the two climbers as he pulled around Nibali for the win on his Specialized Tarmac SL2. Schleck also took the most courageous riders jersey.
Adding to Team Saxo Bank's collection of jerseys, Schleck's teammate, Jason McCartney, won the coveted King of the Mountains competition by picking up the most points over the race's summits.
"The team was perfect today," Frank Schleck said post-race. "I gave back to them [the team] today with a win for all their hard work in the stage."
The 96-mile race started off fast and never let up as riders struggled to find their place through four KOMs, several attempts at breaks and an unrelenting peloton. This eighth and final stage brings to a close one of the wettest and most daunting Tour of California's yet.
In his first race as a Specialized-equipped rider, Schleck was positioned for the win thanks to a Body Geometry FIT session he underwent during the off-season. With the guidance of Specialized's fit professionals and using proprietary process and tools, both Frank and Andy Schlecks' fit on their Tarmac SL2 road bikes and BG S-Works shoes were fine-tuned for the best balance of power and efficiency.
