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Cadel Evans’ teammate Tejay van Garderen won his first career stage-race title on Sunday when he held off Australian Michael Rogers to claim the Tour of California crown.
Slovakia’s Peter Sagan won the eighth and final 129.9km stage from San Francisco to Santa Rosa but 24-year-old American Van Garderen won the overall title in a total time of 29 hours and 43 minutes.
Rogers was 1:47 behind and Colombia’s Janier Acevedo third.
BMC rider Van Garderen continued a superb start to the year that has resulted in him finishing fourth in the Paris-Nice and second at the Tour de San Luis before his breakthrough victory.
“It’s a big relief. It’s a weight off my shoulders, a monkey off my back,” van Garderen said. “Hopefully this gets the ball rolling and we get a few more.”
The triumph came shortly after he became a father with the birth of his baby daughter.
“Maybe becoming a daddy was the difference,” van Garderen said. “I’m a bit more relaxed and a bit more mature. I just had to be patient.”
Van Garderen, who was not tested over the final stage, first donned the yellow jersey after Thursday’s fifth stage and stayed in front with a triumph in Friday’s individual time trial.
Preparing to link up with Evans for the Tour de France, Van Garderen finished third in Saturday’s penultimate stage, one spot ahead of Saxo rider Rogers, the 2010 Tour of California winner.
Australian Cameron Meyer finished fifth overall, 3:33 behind Van Garderen, while compatriot Michael Matthews came home seventh in the final stage.
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