and welcome to our live coverage of stage 6 of the 2008 Tour of California. Today's stage covers 105 miles from Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita.

Keep in mind this was one of the toughest stages in the 2007 Tour, with CSC launching attacks, forcing race leader Levi Leipheimer and his Discovery team to chase.

This year's Stage 6 is a near duplicate of last year's penultimate ride, which saw Leipheimer - then holding a 21-second lead over CSC's Jens Voigt - forced to respond to a series of attacks and spend much of the day chasing a dangerous break, led by Voigt's teammate Stuart O'Grady. The stage offered up plenty of drama when Leipheimer's then-teammate George Hincapie (now High Road) crashed, broke his wrist and then rode through the pain to rejoin the field and power the pursuit of the day's escapees.

Keep in mind that today's early action may be driven, at least in part, by a tight contest for the points jersey. Five-time Tour of California stage winner, J.J. Haedo, may be in the hunt for sprinter's points as he now trails Toyota United's Dominique Rollin in that contest, 36 to 26. With the opportunity to grab 25 points (5 at each of two intermediate sprints and 15 for a stage win), the race for that jersey is far from over. Indeed, with two stages remaining, that contest will undoubtedly remain undecided until Sunday's finish in Pasadena. Look at the current standings in that contest. Any of these guys could take the green points jersey, including none other than 41-year-old Mario Cipollini.

Points after stage 5
1. Dominique Rollin (Can), Toyota-United, 36 Pts.
2. Juan Jose Haedo (Arg), CSC, 26 Pts.
3. Gerald Ciolek* (G), Team High Road, 25 Pts.
4. Cavendish Mark* (GB), Team High Road, 19 Pts.
5. Tom Boonen (B), Quickstep, 15 Pts.
6. Robert Gesink* (Nl), Rabobank, 15 Pts.
7. George Hincapie (USA), Team High Road, 13 Pts.
8. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Astana, 12 Pts.
9. Mario Cipollini (I), Rock Racing, 12 Pts.
10. Scott Nydam (USA), BMC, 11 Pts.

We may have answers. Feel free to drop us a line by hitting the "Contact The Editors" button below the Live Update window. We'll try to answer as many as we can, when there is a lull in the action... assuming there is one.

is about to take off on an easy 3.1-mile cruise through the neutral zone. We can reasonably expect attacks to start early today.

pace as the peloton rolles through the 3.1-mile neutral zone. The weather is cooperating today.

With four climbs on Saturday's route, Scott Nydam's hold on the KOM jersey is far from secure. Nydam originally grabbed the jersey on his solo ride from Sausalito to Santa Rosa on stage 1 and then regained it when his BMC teammate Jackson Stewart pulled out of stage 4, suffering from hyothermia. Rabobank's Robert Gesink may challenge Nydam for the title, adding another prize to what will likely be his second consecutive win in the contest for best young rider.

K.O.M. after stage 5
1. Scott Nydam (USA), BMC, 24 Pts.
2. Robert Gesink* (Nl), Rabobank, 16 Pts.
3. Jurgen Vandewalle (B), Quickstep, 15 Pts.
4. Alexandre Moos (Swi), BMC, 12 Pts.
5. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Astana, 12 Pts.
6. Ardila Cano Mauricio Alberto (Col), Rabobank, 12 Pts.
7. José Luis Rubiera (Sp), Astana, 12 Pts.
8. Iker Camano Ortuzar (Sp), Saunier Duval, 11 Pts.
9. Christopher Horner (USA), Astana, 11 Pts.
10. Jens Voigt (G), CSC, 9 Pts.

and there was an attack from the gun. Thomas Voeckler - the man who had that epic ride in yellow at the Tour - is on the attack.

For weather fans, the wind is blowing strong from the south. There is a big storm moving in and while it's sunny, the wind is blowing hard to announce the arrival of the storm front.

There is quite a swarm out there. There are several riders trying to bridge up. One good sign is that we see Michael Creed from Rock Racing trying to join up. That's a sign that he is feeling better after surviving a bout of stomach flu.

As the break sorts out, we'll take time to answer a reader question:

Michael N. writes:

"Is there any news about the condition of Jackson Stewart and his hypothermia. That is nasty stuff and not as easy to overcome as one might think. I have been wondering about it since he pulled out yesterday."

He's fine.... says he's felt better, but he suffered no long-lasting damage from that cold ride on Thursday.

mix up front. We see the lead group changing, it's now up to 8 riders, but others are trying to bridge up.

has emerged from the big mix up front. We'll try to ID these guys. They are moving fast through some beautiful roads southwest of Santa Barbara.

We see Danny Pate (Slipstream) and Chris Horner (Astana) in there... we're working on the rest.

The seven men in the break include

7. Christopher Horner (USA), Astana, 2:07

59. Danny Pate (USA), Slipstream-Chipotle, 31:51

19. Mauricio Alberto Ardila Cano (Col), Rabobank, 7:48

41. Michael Lange (USA), Jelly Belly, 19:22

44. Angel Gomez Gomez (Sp), Saunier Duval, 20:46

39. Rory Sutherland (Aus), Health Net Maxxis, 18:24

tries a dig, but doesn't achieve much, except to annoy the others in the group.

At the eight-mile point, the gap is still just 20 seconds.

We think that's High Road's Gerald Ciolek who is the seventh rider in the bunch.

7. Christopher Horner (USA), Astana, 2:07

59. Danny Pate (USA), Slipstream-Chipotle, 31:51

49. Gerald Ciolek* (G), Team High Road, 26:57

19. Mauricio Alberto Ardila Cano (Col), Rabobank, 7:48

41. Michael Lange (USA), Jelly Belly, 19:22

44. Angel Gomez Gomez (Sp), Saunier Duval, 20:46

39. Rory Sutherland (Aus), Health Net Maxxis, 18:24

and we still see riders trying to bridge to the break. W eneed to change our ID on the Health Net rider in the break. It's Frank Pipp and not Sutherland.

Cthig77 writes:

"Is there anyway to give Tom Zirbel a.k.a. "TWINKLE TOES" a HUGE shout out for rocking an 8th place in yesterdays TT. The guy spent most of last year sidelined for medical reasons. I think that was an amazing performance."

No, sorry... we can't do that.

Cthig77 writes:

"Is there anyway to give Tom Zirbel a.k.a. "TWINKLE TOES" a HUGE shout out for rocking an 8th place in yesterdays TT. The guy spent most of last year sidelined for medical reasons. I think that was an amazing performance."

No, sorry... we can't do that.

The peloton is riding as one big happy family again. The break is back in the field.

The weather front is headed to the area and while it isn't expected to be a factor today, it could be an issue tomorrow. Part of tomorrow's stage crosses Millcreek summit (4906) and there is fear of snow up there. If that's the case, word has it the organizers will route the course around the climb and stick on additional circuits around the Rose Bowl.

attacks out of the field. It looks like Champion. He's joined by Doug Ollrenshaw (Rock Racing) and Andrea Tonti (Quick Step)

89. Andrea Tonti (I), Quickstep, 39:45
34. Doug Ollerenshaw (USA), Rock Racing, 15:16
56. Dimitri Champion (F), Bouygues Telecom, 31:21

The three men off the front have been caught and now Cozza (Slipstream) takes a dig. He's caught... and new counters.

The pace is high and several riders are driving at the front. The pace is taking a toll on the field, with riders popping off the back.

at the front and one rider - Jurgen Vandewalle (B), Quickstep - has moved ahead with five kilometers remaining on the climb

is having trouble controlling the pace.

takes the climb and moves up the KOM ladder. He moves from 15 points to 19.

Caleb Manion (Aus), Toyota-United and Richard England (Aus), Bissell have pulled out of the stage.

from BMC has also pulled out.

We see a Slipstream rider jumping out of the main field.

is attacking again. Man... he must be getting a boost from that magic mustache of power. He's been attacking all day.

Christophe Le Mevel (F), Credit Agricole has joined the Slipstream man.

Vandewalle was pulled back into the field after the first KOM. Cozz and Le Mevel are now in the front and they've now been joined by David Canada Gracia (Sp), Saunier Duval and Karsten Kroon (Nl), CSC and Alexandre Pichot (F), Bouygues Telecom and Rory Sutherland (Aus), Health Net. The six riders have about 35 seconds.

They are now more than 1:00 up the road, after Chris Horner flatted back in the field. That caused the Astana team to slow down, to wait for a valuable team rider rejoins.

looks uncomfortable, rubbing his quad and trying to stretch his legs a bit. He's been aggressive over these opening 22 miles. It hurts.

The time gap is 1:22.

Astana is happy with the break. None of the men poses a GC threat and the chase has moderated. We could see a repeat of Thursday's stage, during which the Astana team let an unthreatening group make it to the finish, with the GC in mind.

We need to ID those two. They are just 15 seconds back.

is now more than 2:15 up the road. Scott Nydam and Doug Ollrenshaw are trying to bridge, but they're trailing by 1:10.

Canada is tops in this escape. But he's more than 10:00 back, so Astana is not in panic mode.

approaching the 3:00 mark. The six men in this group are sharing the load in a break that was initiated by Steve "the Fu Manchu of Fury" Cozza.

is up to 3:30.

Peter M writes:

"I have watched as the Mavic support motorcycle has ridden VERY close to the lead rider in the road stages. I have never seen the same situation in the Europeans tours or one day races. What gives? Just getting camera time?"

We're not sure, but we've noticed that too. Our old buddy Chris Zigmont used to drive the moto for Mavic back in the day, but he's gone to Pedros, which has no neutral support moto.

No one is contesting it. By the way, we mentioned an earlier sprint at the 10-mile mark, but despite its appearance on an early version of the course map, that was not on today's agenda.

The gap, by the way, is now up to 4:30.

the gap is extending to five minutes now

in no-man's-land... have drifted back into the field. We just spotted Nydam's KOM jersey in the peloton.

The men in the break are now 5:45 ahead of the field. No danger men in the break, so that may extend, as the leaders pass over the KOM. We'll get a rundown of the points distribution on that Cat. 3 climb, which crested at the 36-mile mark.

is the Cat. 4 climb up Balcom Canyon. It's just 4, but the road is way steep. We think it deserves a higher rating, but that's not our call, eh?

a bit. Leipheimer has gone back to the car to grab a hat. He has no hair to speak of, so that head may be a bit more temperature sensitive than most.

the gap has bumped up to 6:00.

As a reminder, the men in the break (with their positions on GC) are:
26. David Canada Gracia (Sp), Saunier Duval, 10:08
35. Karsten Kroon (Nl), CSC, 15:41
39. Rory Sutherland (Aus), Health Net Maxxis, 18:24
37. Christophe Le Mevel (F), Credit Agricole, 15:48
57. Alexandre Pichot (F), Bouygues Telecom, 31:40
77. Steven Cozza* (USA), Slipstream-Chipotle, 36:09

but no rain. The gap is holding at 6:00.

at Santa Paula. No one is contesting it, but Pichot snags the points as the escapees roll through the line.

completed, there are 60 miles remaining. The leaders are now 6:40 ahead of the main field.

is holding at 6:45. The men in the break are continuing to work and the peloton is cruising through the feedzone.

Go ahead and hit the "Contact the Editors" button just below the Live Update Window.

News from the field is that High Road's Kim Kirchen has pulled out of the race.

Astana has all eight riders left in the race and they're all at the front of the peloton, setting tempo, with Levi Leipheimer tucked in behind his seven teammates.

is now 7:10 as the six leaders head toward the day's under-rated Balcom Canyon climb.

the six leaders are grinding their way up and have passed through a big crowd of fans. We've even seen the Grim Reaper and the Pope standing alongside the road. We knew cycling was increasing in popularity, but this is amazin', no?

over the top of Balcom.

The leaders are now 55 miles into the race, with 50 miles remaining. The leaders advantage is just barely better than 7:00.

that this is the only Cat.4 climb in the world of cycling that is this long - around a kilometer - and 18-percent. Way under-rated.

As the peloton crested the Balcom canyon climb, the Big Hair Superfan gets knocked over by a rider looking for room. We like the Big Hair Superfan, but running alongside the peloton on a step narrow road has its risks, no?

Speaking of fans, no sign of the antler dufus today.

is now at 7:30. If they get much further, the pace will surely pick-up. If the sprinters' teams want a win today, they will have to throw some resources into the chase.

are now lending a hand. High Road has Cavendish and Oscar Freire. Both teams are working for a stage win.

is already beginning to shrink. Our six leaders have an advantage of 6:45 now.

down to six minutes flat. With 42 miles remaining, the chase is on and we may see a catch before the finishing circuits in Santa Clarita.

With Rabobank, Astana and High Road driving at the front of the field, the entire peloton is now strung out in single file.

We haven't had a recent time check, but the relative speeds of both groups is noticeable.

the leaders are 5:30 ahead of the main field. The killer combo behind them may be too tough to fend off.

in the main field. It's a serious chase at this point. We're looking for a clean time check here soon. We'll let you know if we hear anything.

The gap is down to 5:10. There are 31 miles remaining.

I think I hear "The Ride of Valkyrie" in the background.

is down to 4:00. Quick Step is now moving riders into the chase.

have reached the flat and fast stretch of Highway 126. That doesn't really bode well for their chances.

the leaders' advantage is now down to 3:40.

but fast. The leaders have an advantage of 3:20, with 22 miles remaining.

The leaders are heading to Santa Clarita. We need a new time check, but the peloton is not easing off.

the peloton is being led by Rabobank, Quick Step and High Road, all teams with strong sprinters.

We have a report from race radio that Astana's Vladimir Gusev had a tumble after pulling at the front all day.

with 19 miles to go.

to go, the gap is down to 2:45.

The leaders are coming into Santa Clarita. They have three 3.3 mile laps through town to do and don't have enough of a gap to lap the field and tuck in for a ride to the finish.

With 14 miles remaining.

the leaders are nearing the first of three laps in Santa Clarita. The gap is down to around 2:00.

the leaders are 11 miles from the finish and the gap is 1:50.

crosses the line 2:00 behind the leaders. Three laps to go.

The six leaders are still 2:00 ahead of the field. They are cooperating nicely, but the chase is fast. A big group of High Roads, led by Hincapie, chasing hard.

remaining, the leaders are holding on to a 1:45 gap. High Road is chasing hard.

the gap is coming down again, largely under the power of High Road. 6.6 miles to go.

Cipollini and three other Rock Racing riders have gone down. Fred Rodriguez is having a hard time getting up.

tried to get back on his bike and his wheel collapsed.

are five miles from the finish and they are now less than a minute ahead of the field and starting to attack each other.

is up and riding.

The leaders are together... but are close to being caught. Cipollini got back into the field. Not bad for an old guy!

are just to about their final lap. 3.3 miles... Rory Sutherland attacks out of the lead group.

Cozza attacks, powered by the Fu Manchu of Fury, no doubt. The gap is tiny, though folks.

... but Quick Step is driving hard. It looks like we will see a field sprint today.

try a dig... and now the escape group has been joined by David Millar from the field.

is now powering the break. He must be sending a ripple of panic into the Astana squad.

and Pichot are driving to the finish, but it's not going to stick... is it?

Millar is powering the break. He is in full TT mode.

Canada and Pichot... he is driving hard.

They are caught:

is leading out Haedo... Rollin... is going for it...

Cavendish! Team High Road's Cavendish takes the win!

Cavendish scores and impressive win and his teammate Ciolek was in the top three as well. That High Road chase paid off, but man you have to give a lot of credit to David Millar for that big effort he put in. Wowie.

top three:

1. Mark Cavendish (GB), High Road

2. Luciano Andre Pagliarini (Brz), Saunier Duval

3. Juan Jose Haedo (Arg), CSC

that's a wrap. Exciting as the finish was, we saw no change in GC. We will have a complete race report, results and photos in just a bit.

Be sure to check in tomorrow for the final stage of the 2008 Tour of California, at 12:00 (Pacific Time).