News Article -- February 25, 2008

Third for McCartney in Final Stage of California Tour

Jason McCartney came close to securing the third Team CSC victory in this year's edition of the Amgen Tour of California, but the American rider had to settle for a third place after the 150-kilometer final stage – right behind fellow countryman George Hincapie (High Road) and Australian Rory Sutherland (Health Net).

McCartney was in a 10-man break that began just 10 kilometers into the stage. He was one of just five of the riders who managed to keep it going all the way home.

On the final of circuit around Pasadena’s Rose Bowl, McCartney opened a lengthy sprint, but was passed by his two rivals at the very end. The peloton reached the line 16 seconds later, and Levi Leipheimer (Astana) secured overall victory — his second in a row. CSC’s Fabian Cancellara and Gustav Larsson finished fourth and fifth overall, respectively.

"The stage turned out to be quite tough because of the rain, which was one of the reasons why Jason's group was able to keep their lead on the peloton," said Team CSC sport director Kim Andersen. "Jason showed great strength in the finish and managed to fight his way back, when the group was split shortly before the end. We got another podium spot and we're satisfied with the overall result. With two stage wins and a couple of days in yellow we made our mark here, and thanks to the toughness of the race this year, we've definitely managed to lay a good foundation for some of our classics specialists."