Redondo Beach, CA - Nathan O'Neill of the Health Net Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis only had to stay out of trouble in the final stage of the Amgen Tour of California to wrap up his 5th place overall behind eventual race winner Floyd Landis (Phonak).

And when a four-man break went up the road early in the race, the peloton settled down - in part to reform after a wreck took down several riders - and rode a steady tempo until the Davitamon-Lotto team of Fred Rodriguez finally initiated the chase. In the meantime, the break's advantage had swollen to eight minutes, making Glen Alan Chadwick (Navigators) the virtual race leader for at least a few laps on Sunday.

However, the peloton timed the catch to perfection, absorbing the break with about 5 km to go in the flat, 76.5 mile race. From there, Health Net Presented by Maxxis went to work to set up Canadian sprinter Gord Fraser. However, Fraser got boxed in coming into the finishing straight and was only able to finish in 6th position behind stage winner Olaf Pollack (T-Mobile), also the winner of the Stage 6 sprint.

Following the stage, Health Net Presented by Maxxis directeur sportif praised his riders for their work during the inaugural Amgen Tour of California. "Our guys went toe-to-toe with eight of the best teams in the world and we held our own," he said. "Nathan finishing 5th overall in this caliber of a field is a very good result."

Overall, the team had nothing but praise for this first-year tour. "There were one or two minor glitches, but for the most part, this was a first class race that, logistically, came off really smoothly," Corbett said. "Day in and day out, the crowds were large and supportive. We're looking forward to the race continuing to grow in the coming years."

Notes

O'Neill was the highest placed non-Pro Tour rider in the general classification. The next highest was teammate Hayden Roulston in 21st.

Health Net Presented by Maxxis finished 7th in the team general classification, finishing ahead of Pro Tour teams T-Mobile and Gerolsteiner in the process.