Tour of California 2014 Route stage 3: San Jose - Mount Diablo

Starting in Lake Cunningham Regional Park to the east San Jose, host town in all 9 editions of the Tour of Californa, it doesn’t take long for the tarmac to point upwards. Containing 22 switchbacks, the climb up Mount Hamilton is 17.3 kilometres with an average gradient of 5%. The summit is crested 35 kilometres into the race and the descent is shorter and steeper than the ascent. After this it’s mainly rolling terrain for a while.

Riders skirt the eastern parts of Livermore and it’s there they arrive at last year’s route to Danville preparing for the final climb up Mount Diablo. The top is at 1,159 metres and is reached after 16.4 kilometres of climbing at an average gradient of 6%.

Last year’s edition saw Leopold König take the stage. He had broke free with Colombian Janier Acevedo and said goodbye to his fellow escapee in the final 300 metres, a smart jump as the climb’s closing section hits gradients of 16%. König beat Acevedo by 0’07” and GC leader Tejay van Garderen came in at 0‘12”, thus cementing his overall lead.

Mount Diablo debuted in 2012. Back then the col was just one of the climbs on the road from San Jose to Livermore. The riders crested Mount Diablo halfway through a stage that was won by Peter Sagan. The Slovak wouldn’t have the legs to stay with the climbers when it is used as a summit finish however.

The stage starts at 19:45 CET and the finish is expected around 00:45.

Tour of California 2014 stage 3: Images and more

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Stage to Mt. Diablo in 2013

Mount Hamilton
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Mount Diablo
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