In a new feature, the Cyclingnews team pick their rider of the day from the Tour of California. John Degenkolb (Giant-Alpecin) is the seventh rider to be chosen, and we will be selecting a rider after each stage.
Degenkolb's eighth-place finish in the sprint at the end of stage 7 of the Tour of California may not seem like a big result, but given the spring the German sprinter has had, and considering the difficulty of the 175.5km that preceded the sprint, it is really quite phenomenal.
This week's 2.HC race in America is Degenkolb's second competition of the year after being involved in a terrifying training crash with his team and nearly severing his index finger.
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He's faced a long recovery, but at least one teammate believes he can be in top form for the Tour de France in July. Degenkolb's ability to finish with the leaders on a tough day that included six categorised climbs on narrow, rough mountain roads provided a confidence boost for his effort to not only participate, but to shine at this year's Tour.
"Yeah, of course," Degenkolb said when Cyclingnews asked him if he'd take a big morale boost from Saturday's effort. "This is what I can't train at home. So for me that's really good. I need this high intensity right now. But we will see what's going on in the Tour."
Pat Malach says:
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