Rollin Gets His Roll On in Queen Stage of 2008 TOC

Race leader Levi Leiphemier (white rain jacket) and the pack head out of Seaside under rainy skies

The Tour of California’s queen stage took the peloton from Seaside to San Luis Obisbo in blustery, rainy weather. Early in the morning, skies were cloudy, but the rain hadn’t begun to fall. However, by start time, fat droplets of water were pelting riders and fans alike as they waited for the race to begin.

Rollin was beside himself with joy after his solo stage win

Once under way, the pack rolled glumly along, and most camera views of the riders showed them frowning as they tried in vain to protect themselves from the biting cold. Abandons began almost immediately, as many riders decided that they had had enough. Among them were German national champ Fabian Wegmann, Slipstream climber Tom Danielson, TOC sprint jersey leader Heinrich Haussler, and BMC rider Jackson Stewart. Stewart was the worse off of the early abandons, as he suffered hypothermia and was rushed to hospital by ambulance.

The stage four jerseys: Rollin (Agressive and Sprint), Nydam (KOM), Leipheimer (Leader), Gesink (Young)

As the field wound down the coast on highway 1, the pace remained molasses-slow at only about 15 miles an hour. An eight man break went off the front, headlined by High Road’s George Hincapie, Toyota United’s Dominique Rollin, Saunier Duval’s Iker Camano, Rabobank’s Bauka Mollema, and Jonathan Hivert of Credit Agricole. Their lead stretched to as much as three and a half minutes before the peloton finally began the chase with just over 20 kilometers left to race.

Another day of kisses for Levi, as he stays in yellow

Sensing the break away group weakening, Rollin (pronounced Roll-On) went clear from the group on his own, seemingly on a suicide attack. Moments later, he had a two minute gap. George Hincapie, realizing that the decisive move may have been made, attacked with Iker Camano and went out in search of the young Toyota United Canadian. Meanwhile, back in the pack, CSC took up the chase, but quickly realized that their efforts were in vain and gave up.

The stage four podium: Hincapie, Rollin, Camano

And so it was left to three riders to fight for the queen stage victory. Rollin, powering steadily toward the finish, never wavered in his commitment, and continued to hold Hincapie and Camano at arm’s length. For their part, the Saunier Duval and High Road riders worked together to bridge the gap to Rollin, but it was not meant to be.

Rollin scores victory for Toyota United in the queen stage of the 2008 TOC

Rolling carefully around the final corner ahead of the finish line, Rollin knew he had the stage won, and took a moment to straighten his jersey before approaching the line. Holding his arms out, and with pure glee painted on his face, Rollin rolled over the line, letting out an emotional scream.

Reached for comment after the award ceremony, Rollin said about his win, “This is a great day for Toyota United. Being able to bring a stage win for the third year in a row to the team, and being the first US-based team to get a win this year is just amazing. This is the biggest win of my career, it’s just unbelievable! Now, I’ll take a hot shower, and after, maybe a sip of champaign!” Roll on Dominique, you deserve it!