Robert Gesink of Team Rabobank took control of the 2012 Amgen Tour of California in Saturday's climb up Mt. Baldy, and he stayed out of crashes or any other trouble to take the overall victory after stage eight in Los Angeles. The Dutchman finished with a time of 29:14:52 and one stage victory.
David Zabriskie (Garmin-Barracuda) came in second, 46 seconds behind Gesink, and his teammate Tom Danielson took third at 54 seconds out. Zabriskie's second place finish is his fourth in Tour history. He's always a bit hamstrung by the fact that his strongest stage, the time trial, comes before the last climb. He's not a strong enough climber to hold on to any gains he makes in the time trial, hence his record number of second place finishes.
Peter Sagan of Team Liquigas-Cannondale, beating Tom Boonen (Omega-Quickstep). He also took the points jersey for the race as a whole, an award he earned with style, winning five of eight stages. He was dominant, winning any stage with a sprint finish, and he'll attract a lot of attention in July at the Tour de France. Sebastian Salas of Optum Pro Cycling takes the King of the Mountain Jersey.
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