2010 Tour of California
Encyclopedia
The 2010 Tour of California was the fifth running of the Tour of California cycling stage race. It was held from May 16–23, and was the first edition of the race held in the month of May, after the first four occurred in February. It was rated as a 2.HC
UCI race classifications
The Union Cycliste Internationale , the world's governing body in the sport of bicycle racing, classifies races according to a rating scale....

 event on the UCI America Tour. It began in Nevada City
Nevada City, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Nevada City had a population of 3,068. The population density was 1,399.7 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Nevada City was 2,837 White, 26 African American, 28 Native American, 46 Asian, 0 Pacific Islander, 40 from other races,...

 and concluded in the Agoura Hills.

The event's move to later in the year has made it so the route was different from previous editions of the race, and also provided for a different makeup of ridership, as it conflicted with the 2010 Giro d'Italia
2010 Giro d'Italia
The 2010 Giro d'Italia was the 93rd edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Giro started off in Amsterdam on 8 May and stayed in the Netherlands for three stages, before leaving the country...

.

The race was won by rider Michael Rogers, who held off ' David Zabriskie
David Zabriskie
David Zabriskie is a professional road bicycle racer from the United States who rides for . His main strength is individual time trials and his career highlights include stage wins in all three Grand Tour stage races and winning the US National Time Trial Championship six times...

 and Levi Leipheimer
Levi Leipheimer
Levi Leipheimer is an American professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . His major results are winning the 2007–2009 editions of the Tour of California, the 2006 Dauphiné Libéré and the 2005 Deutschland Tour, coming in second in the 2008 Vuelta a España, third in the 2001 Vuelta a...

 of . In other classifications, 's Peter Sagan
Peter Sagan
Peter Sagan is a Slovak professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . Sagan had a successful junior mountain bike racing career, winning the Junior World Championship in 2008, before moving to road racing....

 won both the points and young rider classifications, Thomas Rabou of won the mountains classification and Garmin-Transitions won the teams classification.

Participating teams

Sixteen teams participated in the Tour of California. These included seven UCI ProTour
UCI ProTour
The UCI ProTour was a series of road bicycle races in Europe, Australia and Canada organised by the UCI . Created by Hein Verbruggen, former president of the UCI, it comprises a number of 'ProTour' cycling teams, each of whom are required to compete in every round of the series...

 teams, two UCI Professional Continental teams, and seven UCI Continental teams. They were:
UCI ProTour Teams
  • GRM –
  • LIQ –
  • QST –
  • RAB –
  • THR –
  • RSH –
  • SAX –

UCI Professional Continental Teams
  • BMC –
  • CTT –

UCI Continental Teams
  • BPC –
  • FAS – Fly V Australia
  • JBC –
  • KBS –
  • CSM – SpiderTech-Planet Energy
  • TT1 –
  • UHC –

's Levi Leipheimer
Levi Leipheimer
Levi Leipheimer is an American professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . His major results are winning the 2007–2009 editions of the Tour of California, the 2006 Dauphiné Libéré and the 2005 Deutschland Tour, coming in second in the 2008 Vuelta a España, third in the 2001 Vuelta a...

 returned, to try for a fourth consecutive overall victory. Leipheimer's teammate Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong
Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support...

 has also committed to the race, as has George Hincapie
George Hincapie
George Hincapié Garcés is an American professional road bicycle racer currently riding for UCI ProTeam . Hincapie resides in Greenville, South Carolina...

, riding in 2010 for . rider David Zabriskie
David Zabriskie
David Zabriskie is a professional road bicycle racer from the United States who rides for . His main strength is individual time trials and his career highlights include stage wins in all three Grand Tour stage races and winning the US National Time Trial Championship six times...

, second-place finisher in 2006 and 2009, has also been announced for the race.

Changes from 2009

The 2010 Tour was the first to take place in May rather than February. This has allowed race organizers to move the race inland from the coastal route it used in its four editions. This eliminated Solvang, which had hosted an individual time trial
Individual time trial
An individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials...

 in each of the last three editions of the race, from the route, along with other past cities. Moving to May allowed the race to visit some taller, more difficult climbs further inland, which were too cold to visit in February. Andrew Messick, president of Anschutz Entertainment Group
Anschutz Entertainment Group
The Anschutz Entertainment Group is a sporting and music entertainment presenter and a subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation. It is the world's largest owner of sports teams and sports events, the owner of the world’s most profitable sports and entertainment venues, and under AEG Live the world's...

 (the organizers of the race), has said that the route for the 2010 Tour will be more difficult than it was in 2009, and that the May time position also moves them from cycling's "pre-season" and gives a better chance to showcase the race, as it now takes place at a time when more riders should be at or near peak form. Race officials also hoped to make the event a preparatory one for the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...

.

The race was held at the same time of year as the Giro d'Italia
Giro d'Italia
The Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...

. Messick has admitted that this will probably result in fewer Italians starting this race, and fewer Americans in the Giro. However, the consensus among race organizers was that few riders who seek a high position in the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...

 also ride the Giro d'Italia, so the possible loss of riders such as Carlos Sastre
Carlos Sastre
Carlos Sastre Candil is a retired Spanish professional road bicycle racer and champion of the 2008 Tour de France. Sastre rides in 2011 for UCI Professional Continental team...

 and Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish MBE is a Manx professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam until the end of this season when the team is dissolved. He will join Team Sky at the start of the 2012 season...

 (who rode the Tour of California, the Giro d'Italia, and the Tour de France in 2009) was not seen as a major risk.

Tour stages

The 2010 Tour was held over eight days, down from nine in 2009
2009 Tour of California
The 2009 Amgen Tour of California was the 4th running of an annual cycling race contained within the state of California. The event was staged February 14–22 and began with a prologue in the state capital of Sacramento. The event was held as part of the schedule of both the UCI America Tour and USA...

. This change is due to the current economic state after the recession of the last several years. The prologue has been eliminated.

Stage 1

May 16, 2010 — Nevada City
Nevada City, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Nevada City had a population of 3,068. The population density was 1,399.7 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Nevada City was 2,837 White, 26 African American, 28 Native American, 46 Asian, 0 Pacific Islander, 40 from other races,...

 to Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...

, 104.3 miles (167.9 km)


While past editions of the Tour of California began with a prologue time trial, the first stage in 2010 was a road race from Nevada City to the state capital Sacramento. The course consisted of a lot of descending, starting at 2500 feet (762 m) and ending near sea level with three laps of a circuit in Sacramento, and a mass sprint finish the expectation.

A four-rider breakaway took the intermediate sprints and the one small climb on the course. The riders in the break were Maarten Tjallingii
Maarten Tjallingii
Maarten Tjallingii is a Dutch professional racing cyclist for UCI ProTeam Rabobank. His biggest win was the 2006 Tour of Belgium.-Palmares:2001...

, Marc de Maar
Marc de Maar
Marc de Maar is a professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam .- Biography :At the age of 14, De Maar was ice skating in the winter and cycling in the summer. He had better results in cycling...

, Paul Mach, and Chad Beyer
Chad Beyer
Chad Beyer is an American professional racing cyclist riding for the . He won the green sprinters jersey at the 2010 Tour de Romandie.-References:...

. A chase group, with a rider each from , , and Fly V Australia was between the leaders and the peloton for several miles of racing, but were unable to make the bridge. They attained a maximum advantage of close to six minutes, but at the head of the peloton did not let them stay away. The catch occurred shortly before the circuits in Sacramento began. Team HTC-Columbia continued to control the race during the circuits in preparation for Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish MBE is a Manx professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam until the end of this season when the team is dissolved. He will join Team Sky at the start of the 2012 season...

's sprint, except for a brief moment when appeared at the head of the peloton to try to set up Juan José Haedo
Juan José Haedo
Juan José Haedo is an Argentine professional road racing cyclist and former track cyclist on . He is the brother of Lucas Sebastian Haedo...

. Crashes depleted the leading group and reduced the number of sprinters present to try for the stage win, though all riders were given the same time as stage winner Cavendish since the crashes took place very close to the finish line on a flat stage. Time bonuses won during the stage meant the first general classification was not the same as the results of stage one.
Stage 1 Result
Rider Team Time
1 4h 04' 46"
2 s.t.
3 s.t.
4 s.t.
5 Fly V Australia s.t.
6 s.t.
7 SpiderTech-Planet Energy s.t.
8 s.t.
9 s.t.
10 s.t.
General Classification after Stage 1
Rider Team Time
1
4h 04' 36"
2 + 4"
3
+ 6"
4
+ 7"
5 + 7"
6 + 8"
7
+ 10"
8 + 10"
9 Fly V Australia + 10"
10 + 10"

Stage 2

May 17, 2010 — Davis
Davis, California
Davis is a city in Yolo County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area...

 to Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...

, 109.5 miles (176.2 km)

This stage was mostly flat, using most of the same course from stage 1 of the 2009 race. A notable diversion from that course, however, occurred around 20 miles (32.2 km) from the finish line in Santa Rosa, with the climb of Trinity Road.

The stage was slowed by rainy conditions. An early breakaway including Karl Menzies
Karl Menzies
Karl Menzies is a professional road bicycle racer riding for UCI Professional Continental team UnitedHealthcare-Maxxis. He finished second in the 2006 USA Cycling National Racing Calendar to Floyd Landis...

  and Thomas Rabou was caught. A group of twenty riders made a dash for the finish, with the win and the leader's jersey going to Brett Lancaster. For his efforts in the breakaway, Rabou gained the climber's jersey and the most-aggressive rider title.
Stage 2 Result
Rider Team Time
1 4h 38' 48"
2 s.t.
3 s.t.
4 s.t.
5 s.t.
6 SpiderTech-Planet Energy s.t.
7 s.t.
8 s.t.
9 s.t.
10 s.t.
General Classification after Stage 2
Rider Team Time
1
8h 43' 24"
2
+ 4"
3 + 4"
4 + 6"
5
+ 6"
6 + 7"
7 + 8"
8 + 10"
9 + 10"
10 + 10"

Stage 3

May 18, 2010 — San Francisco to Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...

, 113.6 miles (182.8 km)


This course included the Tour's first major climb, of Bonny Doon road, 12 miles (19.3 km) from the finish. It was on this climb in the 2009 race that Leipheimer first took the lead that was eventually his overall margin of victory. At Bonny Doon, Levi Leipheimer, David Zabriskie, and Michael Rogers charged ahead. The peloton gave chase, but failed to make the catch, ending up 17 seconds behind. At the line it was Zabriskie who edged out the other two, to gain the time bonus and overall lead.

Stage 3 Result
Rider Team Time
1 4h 26' 09"
2 s.t.
3 s.t.
4
+ 17"
5 + 17"
6 + 17"
7 + 17"
8 + 17"
9 SpiderTech-Planet Energy + 17"
10 + 17"
General Classification after Stage 3
Rider Team Time
1
13h 09' 33"
2 + 4"
3 + 6"
4
+ 21"
5 + 24"
6 + 27"
7 + 27"
8 + 27"
9 + 27"
10 + 27"

Stage 4

May 19, 2010 — San José
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...

 to Modesto
Modesto, California
Modesto is a city in, and is the county seat of, Stanislaus County, California. With a population of approximately 201,165 at the 2010 census, Modesto ranks as the 18th largest city in the state of California....

, 121.5 miles (195.5 km)

This was a flat stage, and used the same course as Stage 3 from 2009. At the 6 miles (9.7 km) mark, the peloton faced a difficult, technical climb up Sierra Road, but after descending it there were no further difficulties in the route. A mass sprint finish was expected, with the potential for high winds, common in the San Joaquin Valley
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...

, to make it so general classification contenders have to work hard to stay with the leading group.
Stage 4 Result
Rider Team Time
1 4h 55' 02"
2 s.t.
3
s.t.
4 s.t.
5 Fly V Australia s.t.
6 s.t.
7 s.t.
8 s.t.
9 s.t.
10 SpiderTech-Planet Energy s.t.
General Classification after Stage 4
Rider Team Time
1
18h 04' 35"
2 + 4"
3 + 6"
4
+ 21"
5 + 24"
6 + 27"
7 + 27"
8 + 27"
9 + 27"
10 + 27"

Stage 5

May 20, 2010 — Visalia
Visalia, California
Visalia is a Central California city situated in the heart of California’s agricultural San Joaquin Valley, approximately southeast of San Francisco and north of Los Angeles...

 to Bakersfield, 121.5 miles (195.5 km)


After a lengthy transfer, two new towns were visited in Stage 5. This was categorized as a flat stage, though a climb with a 14% gradient occurs early in the stage and the finish in Bakersfield included three visits to a climb that tops out over 10% in grade. However, Lance Armstrong crashed just outside of Visalia in Stage 5 and had to withdraw from the Tour of California.
Stage 5 Result
Rider Team Time
1
4h 52' 28"
2 s.t.
3
s.t.
4 s.t.
5 s.t.
6 s.t.
7 s.t.
8 s.t.
9 s.t.
10 s.t.
General Classification after Stage 5
Rider Team Time
1
22h 56' 59"
2 + 0"
3 + 10"
4
+ 15"
5 + 28"
6 + 31"
7 + 31"
8 + 31"
9 + 31"
10 + 31"

Stage 6

May 21, 2010 — Palmdale
Palmdale, California
Palmdale is a city located in the center of northern Los Angeles County, California, United States.Palmdale was the first community within the Antelope Valley to incorporate as a city on August 24, 1962; 47 years later, voters approved creating a charter city in November, 2009. Palmdale is...

 to Big Bear Lake
Big Bear Lake
Big Bear Lake is a reservoir in the San Bernardino Mountains, in San Bernardino County, California, United States. At a surface elevation of , it has an east-west length of approximately 7 miles and is approximately 2.5 miles at its widest measurement, though the lake's width mostly averages a...

, 135 miles (217.3 km)

This has already been declared the queen stage of the 2010 Tour, and may be the most difficult stage in the Tour's five-year history. It was the first Tour of California stage ever to conclude with a mountain climb. The climb to Big Bear Lake reached 6752 ft (2,058 m) in elevation. This stage was originally scheduled to begin at the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl (stadium)
The Rose Bowl is an outdoor athletic stadium in Pasadena, California, U.S., in Los Angeles County. The stadium is the site of the annual college football bowl game, the Rose Bowl, held on New Year's Day. In 1982, it became the home field of the UCLA Bruins college football team of the Pac-12...

 in Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...

, but the roads on which the course would have traveled were damaged by heavy snowfall at high elevations in 2010, making them unsafe to use. The stage began just north of the Angeles National Forest
Angeles National Forest
The Angeles National Forest of the U.S. National Forest Service is located in the San Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles County, southern California. It was established on July 1, 1908, incorporating the first San Bernardino National Forest and parts of the former Santa Barbara and San Gabriel...

 at Palmdale City Hall and visited the San Gabriel
San Gabriel Mountains
The San Gabriel Mountains Range is located in northern Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert, with Interstate 5 to the west and Interstate 15 to the east...

 and San Bernardino Mountains
San Bernardino Mountains
The San Bernardino Mountains are a short transverse mountain range north and east of San Bernardino in Southern California in the United States. The mountains run for approximately 60 miles east-west on the southern edge of the Mojave Desert in southwestern San Bernardino County, north of the...

, incorporating 2000 ft (609.6 m) more climbing than the original course from Pasadena. From there, the race headed south along the Angeles Forest Highway
Angeles Forest Highway
The Angeles Forest Highway traverses the Angeles National Forest and connects the Los Angeles basin to the Antelope Valley by going up and over the San Gabriel Mountains. The highway is variously known as County Road N-3 or FH-59 or the Palmdale cutoff. It is about long...

 before cutting across the Upper Big Tujunga Canyon to travel on the undamaged part of the course as previously designed.
Stage 6 Result
Rider Team Time
1
6h 07' 08"
2 s.t.
3
s.t.
4 s.t.
5 s.t.
6 Fly V Australia s.t.
7 s.t.
8 s.t.
9 s.t.
10 s.t.
General Classification after Stage 6
Rider Team Time
1
29h 04' 03"
2 + 4"
3
+ 9"
4 + 14"
5 + 29"
6 + 32"
7 + 35"
8 + 35"
9 + 35"
10 + 35"

Stage 7

May 22, 2010 — Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

 20 mi (32.2 km) (individual time trial
Individual time trial
An individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials...

)


The one race against the clock for the 2010 Tour took place in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, on a longer course than was used in Solvang in the previous three editions of the race. It run twenty miles over two laps in downtown Los Angeles. The course passed such landmarks as the Millennium Biltmore Hotel
Millennium Biltmore Hotel
The Millennium Biltmore Hotel, originally named the Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel of the Biltmore Hotels group, is a luxury hotel located on Pershing Square in Downtown Los Angeles, California. Upon its grand opening in 1923, the Los Angeles Biltmore was the largest hotel west of Chicago, Illinois in...

, Walt Disney Concert Hall
Walt Disney Concert Hall
The Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, California is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center. Bounded by Hope Street, Grand Avenue, 1st and 2nd Streets, it seats 2,265 people and serves as the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra and the...

, Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, also called "COLA" and the Los Angeles Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church in Los Angeles, California, United States...

, and Los Angeles City Hall
Los Angeles City Hall
Los Angeles City Hall, completed 1928, is the center of the government of the city of Los Angeles, California, and houses the mayor's office and the meeting chambers and offices of the Los Angeles City Council...

, finishing at Chick Hearn Court at L.A. Live. It was expected that the riders complete the course in anywhere from 41 to 48 minutes. The first 90 riders to take the course were staggered one minute at a time, and the final 30 spaced out with two minutes separating their departures.
Stage 7 Result
Rider Team Time
1 41' 41"
2
+ 22"
3 + 27"
4 + 33"
5 + 59"
6 + 1' 06"
7 + 1' 12"
8 + 1' 19"
9 + 1' 19"
10 + 1' 21"
General Classification after Stage 7
Rider Team Time
1
29h 46' 06"
2 + 9"
3 + 25"
4 + 1' 12"
5 + 1' 26"
6 + 1' 32"
7
+ 1' 34"
8 + 1' 46"
9 + 2' 10"
10 + 2' 21"

Stage 8

May 23, 2010 — Thousand Oaks
Thousand Oaks, California
Thousand Oaks is a city in southeastern Ventura County, California, in the United States. It was named after the many oak trees that grace the area, and the city seal is adorned with an oak....

 circuit race, 83.5 miles (134.4 km)

The Tour concluded with a hilly circuit race in Thousand Oaks, with a steep climb up Mulholland Highway
Mulholland Highway
Mulholland Highway is a scenic road in Los Angeles County, Southern California that runs approximately 50 miles through the western Santa Monica Mountains from the near U.S...

 before finishing in Westlake
Westlake Village, California
Westlake Village is a planned community that straddles the Los Angeles and Ventura county line. The eastern portion is the incorporated city Westlake Village, located on the western edge of Los Angeles County, California. The city, located in the region known as the Conejo Valley, encompasses half...

. The circuit course was 21 miles (33.8 km) long, and it was covered four times. It reaches a height of 2000 feet (609.6 m).
Stage 8 Result
Rider Team Time
1 3h 21' 56"
2 s.t.
3 s.t.
4 s.t.
5 + 5"
6 + 28"
7 + 28"
8
+ 28"
9 + 28"
10 + 34"
Final General Classification
Rider Team Time
1
33h 08' 30"
2 + 9"
3 + 25"
4 + 1' 04"
5 + 1' 08"
6 + 1' 44"
7 + 1' 58"
8
+ 2' 06"
9 + 2' 42"
10 Fly V Australia + 3' 21"

General Classification

# Rider Team Time
1
33h 08' 30"
2 + 9"
3 + 25"
4 + 1' 04"
5 + 1' 08"
6 + 1' 44"
7 + 1' 58"
8
+ 2' 06"
9 + 2' 42"
10 Fly V Australia + 3' 21"

Teams Classification

# Team Time
1 99h 29' 17"
2 + 2"
3 + 6' 58"
4 + 38' 38"
5 + 51' 37"
6 + 1h 00' 54"
7 + 1h 04' 11"
8 + 1h 23' 35"
9 Fly V Australia  + 1h 33' 35"
10 + 1h 57' 41"


King of the Mountains Classification

# Rider Team Points
1 '
77
2 27
3 20
4 15
5 15
6 14
7 14
8 11
9 11
10 10


Sprint Classification

# Rider Team Points
1
49
2
41
3 30
4 29
5 28
6 26
7 19
8 17
9 15
10 12


Young Rider Classification

# Rider Team Time
1
33h 10' 36"
2 + 1' 51"
3 + 34' 20"
4 + 39' 36"
5 SpiderTech-Planet Energy + 54' 29"
6 + 1h 04' 29"
7 + 1h 19' 16"
8 + 1h 29' 52"
9 + 1h 30' 55"
10 + 1h 38' 17"

Classification leadership

In the 2010 Tour of California, five different jerseys were awarded. For the general classification, calculated by adding the finishing times of the stages per cyclist, the leader received a yellow jersey. This classification was considered the most important of the Tour of California, and the winner of the general classification was considered the winner of the Tour of California.

Additionally, there was also a sprints classification, akin to what is called the points classification
Points classification
The points classification is a secondary award category in road bicycle racing. Points are given for high finishes and, in some cases, for winning intermediate sprints. The points classification is the top prize for many cycling sprinters and therefore is often known as the Sprint Classification;...

 in other races, which awarded a green jersey. In the sprints classification, cyclists received points for finishing in the top 10 in a stage. The winner got 15 points, second place 12, third 10, fourth 7, and one point less per place down the line, to a single point for tenth. In addition, some points could be won in intermediate sprints.

There was also a mountains classification, which awarded a red jersey. In the mountains classifications, points were won by reaching the top of a mountain before other cyclists. Each climb was categorized, either first, second, third, or fourth category, with more points available for the harder climbs.

There was also a youth classification. This classification was calculated the same way as the general classification, but only young cyclists (under 23) were in. The leader of the young rider classification received a white jersey.

The fifth jersey was not awarded on the basis of a time or points-based classification. It was for each stage's "Most Courageous" rider, akin to the combativity award
Combativity award
The combativity award, , is a prize given in the Tour de France. It favours constant attackers and since 1981 the winner of the award has not won the whole Tour.- History :...

 in the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...

. The rider who received this award as given a blue jersey on the podium, and wore a red bib number in the next stage. Unlike the Tour de France's combativity award, there was no overall award given.

There was also a classification for teams. In this classification, the times of the best three cyclists per stage were added, and the team with the lowest time was leader.
Stage Winner General Classification
Youth Classification
Mountains Classification
Sprint Classification
Most Courageous
Team Classification
1 Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish MBE is a Manx professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam until the end of this season when the team is dissolved. He will join Team Sky at the start of the 2012 season...

Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish MBE is a Manx professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam until the end of this season when the team is dissolved. He will join Team Sky at the start of the 2012 season...

Alexander Kristoff
Alexander Kristoff
Alexander Kristoff is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer with the UCI ProTeam .At nine, he moved from Oslo to Stavanger. His stepfather interested him in cycling rather than football. He started riding for Stavanger SK. At 16 he won the Norwegian youth championship, and finished fourth in...

Paul Mach Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish MBE is a Manx professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam until the end of this season when the team is dissolved. He will join Team Sky at the start of the 2012 season...

Maarten Tjallingii
Maarten Tjallingii
Maarten Tjallingii is a Dutch professional racing cyclist for UCI ProTeam Rabobank. His biggest win was the 2006 Tour of Belgium.-Palmares:2001...

2 Brett Lancaster
Brett Lancaster
Brett Lancaster is a professional racing cyclist from Australia, currently riding for UCI ProTeam . He started cycle racing at the age of 14 in 1993. He spent four years riding for before moving to Team Milram in July 2006...

Brett Lancaster
Brett Lancaster
Brett Lancaster is a professional racing cyclist from Australia, currently riding for UCI ProTeam . He started cycle racing at the age of 14 in 1993. He spent four years riding for before moving to Team Milram in July 2006...

Peter Sagan
Peter Sagan
Peter Sagan is a Slovak professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . Sagan had a successful junior mountain bike racing career, winning the Junior World Championship in 2008, before moving to road racing....

Thomas Rabou Brett Lancaster
Brett Lancaster
Brett Lancaster is a professional racing cyclist from Australia, currently riding for UCI ProTeam . He started cycle racing at the age of 14 in 1993. He spent four years riding for before moving to Team Milram in July 2006...

Thomas Rabou
3 David Zabriskie
David Zabriskie
David Zabriskie is a professional road bicycle racer from the United States who rides for . His main strength is individual time trials and his career highlights include stage wins in all three Grand Tour stage races and winning the US National Time Trial Championship six times...

David Zabriskie
David Zabriskie
David Zabriskie is a professional road bicycle racer from the United States who rides for . His main strength is individual time trials and his career highlights include stage wins in all three Grand Tour stage races and winning the US National Time Trial Championship six times...

Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish MBE is a Manx professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam until the end of this season when the team is dissolved. He will join Team Sky at the start of the 2012 season...

Will Routley
4 Francesco Chicchi
Francesco Chicchi
Francesco Chicchi is an Italian professional road bicycle racer for UCI Pro Tour team .- Major results :200220052006...

Ryan Anderson Lars Boom
Lars Boom
Lars Anthonius Johannes Boom is a professional cyclo-cross and road racing cyclist who was born in Vlijmen in the Netherlands. Boom rides for UCI ProTeam Rabobank cycling team, having previous ridden for the junior and continental teams. Boom won the cyclo-cross world championships in 2008...

5 Peter Sagan
Peter Sagan
Peter Sagan is a Slovak professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . Sagan had a successful junior mountain bike racing career, winning the Junior World Championship in 2008, before moving to road racing....

Michael Rogers Peter Sagan
Peter Sagan
Peter Sagan is a Slovak professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . Sagan had a successful junior mountain bike racing career, winning the Junior World Championship in 2008, before moving to road racing....

Ben Day
Benjamin Day (cyclist)
Benjamin John Day is an Australian professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI Continental team Pegasus Sports.- Major results :2002200320042005...

6 Peter Sagan
Peter Sagan
Peter Sagan is a Slovak professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . Sagan had a successful junior mountain bike racing career, winning the Junior World Championship in 2008, before moving to road racing....

Thomas Rabou George Hincapie
George Hincapie
George Hincapié Garcés is an American professional road bicycle racer currently riding for UCI ProTeam . Hincapie resides in Greenville, South Carolina...

7 Tony Martin
Tony Martin (cyclist)
Tony Martin is a German professional road bicycle racer riding for the UCI ProTeam . Martin is known as a time trial specialist: in 2011, he won a time trial stage in the Tour de France and in the Vuelta a España, and became world champion...

Tony Martin
Tony Martin (cyclist)
Tony Martin is a German professional road bicycle racer riding for the UCI ProTeam . Martin is known as a time trial specialist: in 2011, he won a time trial stage in the Tour de France and in the Vuelta a España, and became world champion...

8 Ryder Hesjedal
Ryder Hesjedal
Ryder Hesjedal is a Canadian professional racing cyclist for . He is a former mountain biker, winning a silver medal at the 2001 Under-23 world championship...

Yaroslav Popovych
Yaroslav Popovych
Yaroslav Popovych is a Ukrainian cyclist with the UCI ProTour team . He was born in Drohobych, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union. Under-23 road race champion in 2001, Popovych turned professional in 2002 with , where he performed particularly strongly in the Giro d'Italia, finishing third in 2003...

Final Michael Rogers Peter Sagan
Peter Sagan
Peter Sagan is a Slovak professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . Sagan had a successful junior mountain bike racing career, winning the Junior World Championship in 2008, before moving to road racing....

Thomas Rabou Peter Sagan
Peter Sagan
Peter Sagan is a Slovak professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . Sagan had a successful junior mountain bike racing career, winning the Junior World Championship in 2008, before moving to road racing....

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External links

- 2010 Tour Archive
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