Stage three of the 2012 Amgen Tour of California begins in San Jose on Tuesday morning, and by the time it gets to Livermore the riders will have ridden 115 miles and climbed more than 3,750 vertical feet. The first of two climbs on the day is Mt. Diablo, a local cycling landmark and mountain that fans have been asking race organizers to include for years. It's nowhere near the finish of the stage, so it will be interesting to see what tactics teams deploy. It's unlikely to see a big attack from any of the GC contenders, leaving the climbing specialists to fight for the King of the Mountain points.
The second climb, over Patterson Pass, leads downhill direct to the finish, meaning any sprinter that can manage to stick with the pack over the mountains will have a good shot at a sprint victory. Liquigas has been riding their hearts out for Peter Sagan, they'll have their work cut out for them Tuesday if they want him to keep the leader's jersey on him.
Stage Information:
Start: San Jose, 11:35am PDT
Finish: Livermore
Television Coverage:
Live coverage on NBC Sports Network starting at 2:00pm PDT
Streaming Online:
Streaming live via the Radioshack Tour Tracker
SB Nation Los Angeles will continue to have updates, previews, results, and more from the 2012 Amgen Tour of California. As always, Podium Cafe will have all the cycling news and analysis you need.