Oh, what a finish for Stage 4 of the Amgen Tour of California. The photo finish was just one more jewel in a great day of cycling that began in Merced and ended in Old Town Clovis. Click here for The Bee editorial board's take on this great race.
Stage 5 begins today in Visalia and the 134-mile leg ends in Paso Robles. The San Joaquin Valley has been featured in this great race and the weather, the fans and the racers did not disappoint.
About 4 p.m. Wednesday, the racers sprinted into Old Town Clovis and Mark Cavendish of Great Britain beat Tom Boonen of Belgium by the width of a bicycle tire to take the stage. Levi Leipheimer of Santa Rosa continues to be the overall leader, and wears the yellow jersey.
The racer who most came to see, Lance Armstrong, started the stage in fourth place and finished in Clovis in the main field. Armstrong is 30 seconds behind Leipheimer, according to my colleagues in the sports department.
If I remember my bicycle days when I was young and fit, 30 seconds is not by a nose's length, I think it's the whole fromt wheel behind.