Peter Sagan took Stage 1 of the 2012 Tour of California with a thrilling come-from-behind win in the final three kilometers of the race. He fell behind when the Liquigas-Cannondale mechanic fumbled changing a flat. A crash at the front of the peloton allowed Sagan to battle back with the help of his teammates. He cruised to the stage win with an impressive sprint in the final few hundred meters.
Pennsylvania natives Scott Zwizanski and Mike Friedman finished back of the front peloton. Zwizanski was given a time of 4:49:31, over seven minutes back from Sagan's 4:42:25. Friedman finished at 125th overall with a time of 4:54:23. Their team, Optum Pro Cycling, is in last place among the 16 racing teams at the Tour. Their top finisher was Andrew Bajadali, who came in with the first peloton at 4:42:59.
Here are the Top 10 finishers from Sunday's opening stage.
1 Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale 4:42:35
2 Heinrich Haussler (Aus) Garmin - Barracuda
3 Fred Rodriguez (USA) Team Exergy
4 Leigh Howard (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
5 Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team
6 George Hincapie (USA) BMC Racing Team
7 Ryan Anderson (Can) Spidertech Powered By C10
8 Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
9 Lawson Craddock (USA) Bontrager Livestrong Team
10 Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (Spa) Rabobank Cycling Team
Stay with this storystream for news and updates from the 2012 Tour of California. As always, SB Nation's cycling blog Podium Cafe is your source for intelligent cycling news and analysis.