Today’s stage was yet another rainy slog along the California coastline.

Dominique Rollin of the Toyota-United Team was part of a large breakaway of 11 riders that started just before the first intermediate sprint. Joining him were Bauke Mollema (Rabobank), Bryce Mead (Jelly Belly), Danilo Wyss and Jackson Stewart (BMC Racing Team), Edward King (Bissell), George Hincapie (High Road), Iker Camano Ortuzar (Saunier Duval-Scott), Jonathan Hivert (Credit Agricole), Julien Belgy (Bouygues Telecom) and Roman Kilun (Health Net p/b Maxxis). The break never gained much more than four minutes but were able to stay out front for most of the race.

Rollin dominated the points competition while Stewart conquered the hills.

With 20 km to go, Rollin went off the front of the break. Hincapie and Camano chased him but were 30 seconds back most of the time; they came within 10 seconds of him at the finish.

Race leader Levi Leipheimer finished with the peloton, allowing him to hold on the leader’s jersey.

The cold weather wore hard on the pack today. Fabian Wegmann, Johannes Fröhlinger and points leader Heinrich Haussler (Gerolsteiner) dropped out due to illness. Others abandoned along the way, including Mathias Frank and Peter Wrolich of Gerolsteiner, Tom Danielson (Slipstream), Ivan Dominguez (Toyota United), Jonny Sundt (Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast) and Jackson Stewart (BMC).

Tomorrow’s time trial is expected to be a major showdown between time trial specialists Leipheimer and Fabian Cancellera.