Race provided a platform to top stars like Sagan, Boonen, Cavendish
Stage set for new stars
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The last five years of the Tour of California saw the race serve as a platform for up and coming foreign riders who have since gone on to score major results.
In 2015, Julian Alaphilippe made himself known with a pair of second places in the Ardennes Classics. He quickly showed his class extended to more than one-day races, taking third on the stage in San Jose won by Skujins, and third in the shortened individual time trial in Santa Clarita behind Sagan. On the slopes of Mt. Baldy, the Frenchman seized the race lead only to see it slip through his fingers when Sagan turned himself inside out to limit the damage then snatched the overall win with the final stage time bonuses.
Alaphilippe would get his moment to shine in 2016, taking the lead on the Gibraltar Road climb and then holding it through to the end in spite of a strong challenge from time trialist Rohan Dennis to claim his career-first stage race victory.
George Bennett (Jumbo-Visma) wasn't exactly new to the peloton in 2017 when he claimed his overall win - he'd quietly powered to 10th overall in the Vuelta a Espana after team leader Steven Kruijswijk crashed out in 2016, and put in more solid results in the early part of 2017. The Kiwi shadowed Polish rider Rafał Majka on the stage over Mt. Hamilton to move into second overall and stayed there until the time trial.
Majka suffered in the Big Bear Lake time trial at altitude, giving up almost a minute, while Bennett posted another strong ride to take fourth on the stage won by Jonathan Dibben (Team Sky). The GC remained locked through the final stage and Bennett chalked up his only victory to date but he went on to play a key role in Kruijswijk's Tour de France podium place and Primoz Roglic's Vuelta a España victory this year.
The 2017 Tour of California champion George Bennett (LottoNL-Jumbo) (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
In 2018 it was Egan Bernal's turn to shine. Few fans were familiar with the quiet 20-year-old Colombian when he joined Team Sky except that he had been recruited by Gianni Savio to the Androni Giocattoli team and then traded for a tidy sum. The 2017 Tour de l'Avenir winner adapted quickly to the WorldTour, taking out the young rider's classification in the Tour Down Under, the overall classification at the Colombia Oro y Paz race and second overall in the Tour de Romandie.
Bernal made quick work of the Tour of California, winning stage 2 atop Gibraltar Road before briefly giving up the lead to Tejay van Garderen in the San Jose time trial. He made it look all too easy when he clipped away from Adam Yates in South Lake Tahoe to win by a minute and a half. Just over a year later, he'd win the Tour de France.
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Tadej Pogačar was next in line - after winning on Mt Baldy and taking the overall Tour of California, the Slovenian went on to win two stages, the best young rider's jersey and finish third overall in the Vuelta a Espana.
We can't say the Tour of California was instrumental in vaulting the careers of these riders, but their success in the country's biggest race in front of a huge audience helped them gain notoriety and a place in the heart of the American fans.
Tejay van Garderen, Egan Bernal and Dani Martinez on the 2018 California podium (Image credit: Getty Images)
Laura Weislo has been with Cyclingnews since 2006 after making a switch from a career in science. As Managing Editor, she coordinates coverage for North American events and global news. As former elite-level road racer who dabbled in cyclo-cross and track, Laura has a passion for all three disciplines. When not working she likes to go camping and explore lesser traveled roads, paths and gravel tracks. Laura specialises in covering doping, anti-doping, UCI governance and performing data analysis.
