Tour of California ends. Recovery on!

Time for a rest.

The race route of the 2011 edition of the Tour of California was the toughest yet in six years. With a demanding Sierra Road finish in stage 4 to San Jose and stage 7’s epic day climbing up to the summit of Mount Baldy, there were plenty of dead legs by closing time.

Sure, it wasn’t three weeks in Giro Hell but it was a damn hard stage race and even Tour de France runner-up Andy Schleck had trouble riding up front on Baldy. He wasn’t here to win he’ll tell you it wasn’t just a block of training.

We shot this moment of relaxation just minutes before the start of the final stage in Santa Clarita. Christian Meier, Charlie Wegelius and Robert Forster of UnitedHealthcare are already in recovery mode, feet up, kicking back.

You can’t be a successful stage racer without the ability to rest whenever and wherever possible. And everyone who finished this Tour of California has earned a few days off the bike. Time to chill, stage racer style.