Peter Sagan claimed his first win in almost four months as he proved the fastest on stage one of the Amgen Tour of California. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) sprinted to victory on stage of the Tour of California in Sacramento The Bora-Hansgrohe man beat Travis McCabe (United States) and Max Walscheid (Team Sunweb) in a sprint in the state capital of Sacramento. Mark Cavendish (Dimension-Data) and Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) were some of the fancied sprinters who failed to contest the finish, the former 30 seconds down on Sagan. It is Sagan's 17th win in the race, but only his second of 2019. The last time he raised his hands in triumph was stage three of the Tour Down Under on January 17. The three-time world champion will be relieved to have returned to winning ways after coming close at Paris-Roubaix and Milan-San Remo. Victory for the Slovak means that he takes the leader's jersey but he is unlikely to be able to repeat his result from four years ago when he won topped the general classification after eight stages. Stage two of the 14th edition sees the riders gradually climb from sea level to 2,616m before finishing at South Lake Tahoe. An uphill finish will tempt the rouleurs. How it happened Starting in Sacramento, the peloton headed for the northern Central Valley. Almost immediately, four men swelled to form a breakaway: Laurens de Vreese (Astana), Tyler Stites (United States), Charles Planet (Novo-Nordisk) and Michael Schär (CCC Team). The quartet were never allowed to extend their lead to more than a few minutes, and perhaps aware of the inevitable, De Vreese sat up to be swamped by the peloton with 76km of the 143km stage still to race. A peloton hungry for a bunch sprint caught Plant, the last surviving member of the breakaway, with 19km still to race, setting up the finish. Deceuninck-Quick-Step set the pace initially as the sprinting teams organised ahead of two laps in the city's downtown which were watched by large crowds. Team Sunweb rode superbly at the front in the final few kilometres, Sagan noticeably sitting in the middle of their lead-out train that was intended for Walscheid. As they entered the final kilometre, both Deceuninck-Quick Step and Ineos were at the front of the race, the peloton behind splitting across the road leaving only a half-a-dozen riders to battle it out in the finale. Owain Doull hit the front, working for his teammate Kristoffer Halvorsen. But behind the Welshman was Sagan who was making the most of the slipstream. At 150m to go, Sagan darted into the vacant space to the right of Doull, with Michael Morkov of Deceuninck-Quick Step quick to follow. The Dane, however, couldn't match the speed of Sagan. Sagan powered to the line but McCabe put in a valiant effort to match Sagan and almost snatch victory on the line. Doull rolled home sixth, the rest of the peloton four seconds behind, led by John Degenkolb of Trek-Segafredo. Results Tour of California 2019, stage one: Sacramento > Sacramento (143km) 1. Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe, in 3-14-10 2. Trevor McCabe (USA) United States 3. Max Walscheid (Ger) Team Sunweb 4. Kristoffer Halvorsen (Nor) Team Ineos 5. Michael Morkov (Den) Deceuninck-Quick Step 6. Owain Doull (GBr) Team Ineos, all at same time 7. John Degenkolb (Ger) Trek-Segafredo, at 4 secs 8. Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Bahrain-Merida 9. Erik Baska (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe 10. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) UAE-Team Emirates, all at same time General classification after stage one 1. Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe in 3-14-10 2. Trevor McCabe (USA) United States, at 4 secs 3. Max Walscheid (Ger) Team Sunweb, at 6 secs 4. Kristoffer Halvorsen (Nor) Team Ineos, at 10 secs 5. Michael Morkov (Den) Deceuninck-Quick Step 6. Owain Doull (GBr) Team Ineos, all at same time 7. Tyler Stites (USA) United States, at 11 secs 8. George Bennett (NwZ) Team Jumbo-Visma, at 13 secs 9. John Degenkolb (Ger) Trek-Segafredo, at 14 secs 10. Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Bahrain-Merida, at same time<doc-sep>Peter Sagan has endured a rocky start to the year, failing to win since a stage victory at the Tour of Down Under in Australia in January (AFP Photo/DOUG PENSINGER) Los Angeles (AFP) - Peter Sagan, trying to jump-start a frustrating 2019 season, found a return to California was just what he needed as the Slovak won the opening stage of the Tour of California. The three-time road cycling world champion held off late-charging Travis McCabe of USA Cycling on Sunday to stretch his record for stage wins in America's premier stage race to 17. The Bora rider has endured a rocky start to the year, failing to win since a stage victory at the Tour of Down Under in Australia in January. Sagan, who said his training regime had been disrupted by illness, showed no signs of any struggle in the sunshine of Sacramento, where a 143-kilometer stage took riders on a circuit through the streets around the state capitol, out into the countryside and back for three more circuits. The last breakaway riders were reeled in with some 16 km to go, setting up a frantic finish. Sagan hit the front after working his way past a series of Team Ineos riders. McCabe, celebrating his 30th birthday, nearly caught him at the line. German Sunweb rider Max Walscheid was third. "I was closing in on him," said McCabe, who wasn't at all disappointed. "Losing to a world champion is not a bad thing," he said. The race continues with Monday's second stage, 194 kilometers from Rancho Cordova to South Lake Tahoe.<doc-sep>The 2019 Amgen Tour of California has something different in store for 19 teams of elite cyclists who line up at Sunday’s start in Sacramento. Over seven days, they will face high-altitude racing in South Lake Tahoe, a climb up Mount Hamilton in the San Francisco Bay Area and a brutal ascent of Mt. Baldy that could decide the overall winner. As New Zealand rider George Bennett put it: “I think it’s going to be a challenging week.” This edition of the Amgen Tour will cover about 778 miles and includes 68,000 feet of elevation gain and 25 King of the Mountain climbs, all of which make for the longest and most-difficult course in the event’s 14-year history. Advertisement The field will include several past winners, including Bennett, Tejay van Garderen and Peter Sagan, who also holds the tour career record with 16 stage wins. Sign up for our daily sports newsletter » Mark Cavendish, a British sprinter and fan favorite who has struggled with Epstein-Barr virus for much of the past two years, will return. “It’s one of the most important races on the calendar,” Cavendish said. “With that comes a bigger challenge to win.” The challenge begins with an 89-mile ride around the state capital on the sort of terrain that Sagan and Cavendish prefer. “We can warm up on the flats because after that, it’s going to be hard,” Sagan said. “A lot of climbs.” Stage 2 heads east into the Sierra Nevada, followed by Stage 3 and that mountain south of San Francisco. The ensuing, less-vertical days are noteworthy for what they don’t have. The lack of a time trial hurts van Garderen, who specializes in that type of stage. Advertisement “Everyone would want to build a course that is suited to their strengths,” he said. “You can’t dwell on it. You just have to play the hand you’re dealt.” After Stage 6 and the grueling Mt. Baldy climb, Saturday’s final stage traverses the San Gabriel Mountains before descending to the finish line outside the Rose Bowl. “It’s all going to come down to Baldy,” Bennett said. “And staying out of trouble the rest of the days.” The Amgen Tour also has a three-day, 178-mile women’s race beginning Thursday with 16 teams in contention. It, too, will feature a historically tough course. Advertisement Olympic and world champion Anna Van der Breggen will highlight a field that includes last year’s winner, Katie Hall. :: Tour of California route overview Men Advertisement Stage 1, Sunday: 88.9 miles, in and around Sacramento Stage 2, Monday: 133.3 miles, Rancho Cordova to South Lake Tahoe Stage 3, Tuesday: 129.2 miles, Stockton to Morgan Hill Stage 4, Wednesday: 133.3 miles, Laguna Seca to Morro Bay Advertisement Stage 5, Thursday: 136.4 miles, Pismo Beach to Ventura Stage 6, Friday: 79.2 miles, Ontario to Mt.Baldy Stage 7, Saturday: 78.3 miles, Santa Clarita to Pasadena (Rose Bowl) Women Advertisement Stage 1, Thursday: 60 miles, in and out of Ventura Fairgrounds Stage 2, Friday: 45 miles, Ontario to Mt. Baldy Stage 3, Saturday: 78.3 miles, Santa Clarita to Pasadena (Rose Bowl) david.wharton@latimes.com Advertisement Follow @LAtimesWharton on Twitter<doc-sep>
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Peter Sagan has had trouble finding his way to the front at the finish this season. Turns out he just needed to get back to the Tour of California. The three-time road cycling world champion, and the winningest rider in race history, freelanced his way to the front of the opening stage Sunday and then held off fast-finishing Travis McCabe of the USA Cycling team to earn his 17th career win in North America's biggest stage race. Sagan had only one victory this season, a meager amount of success for arguably the world's most versatile rider. Some thought he was still feeling the lingering effects of a crash at last year's Tour de France, though the affable Slovakian sprinter insisted all along that he was close to form. McCabe nearly caught him at the finish line in downtown Sacramento in what would have been a monumental upset. Max Walscheid rounded out the podium Sunday for Team Sunweb, which set a frantic pace over the final couple of miles to set up the sprint finish. "I felt great. I was closing in on him," McCabe said. "I had to come from two or three wheels back of Peter, and I knew this stage has a slightly false-flat, so I waited until I needed to go. "Losing to a world champion," McCabe added, "is not a bad thing." The only truly flat stage during the seven-day race transpired just about as everyone expected, with early breakaways slowly reeled in by a peloton intent on setting up a sprint finish. The 89-mile stage rolled off under sunny conditions and out of the state capitol, then returned to Sacramento for a series of criterium-style laps. The last breakaway riders were caught with about 10 miles to go, setting up an intense and spectator-friendly finish in downtown Sacramento. Sagan began freelancing his way toward the front, using rival teams rather than his own Bora-Hansgrohe team to deliver him to the front. He began to move up behind a series of Team Ineos riders as speeds hit 40 mph, then swung off in sight of the finish line and had enough to hold on. Sagan punched the air with his right fist, then celebrated with his signature wheelie -- a move that has become so common at the Tour of California, even if it had been rare so far this season. Now the question becomes how long Sagan can defend the leader's jersey. The second stage Monday takes riders 122 miles from the start in Rancho Cordova to the popular skiing destination of South Lake Tahoe. The crucial climbing stages come later in the week, but riders will still navigate nearly 15,000 feet of ascent in what could shake up the general classification. It could also be another chance for McCabe, who insisted he's not a pure sprinter. "I was looking more at Stage 3 and Stage 4, so coming here and getting second place -- and it's Mother's Day and it's actually my birthday," he said. "I got some cake at the team presentation this morning. I think that gave me a little extra in the legs today."