Slovakian Peter Sagan won the fifth stage of the AMGEM Tour Of California.
On a pleasant day, stage five was the longest stage of the tour and was 217.4km long from Seaside to Paso Robles.
Originally the race was due to go down California's Highway 1 alongside the Pacific Ocean for most of the stage before heading off to Paso Robles. However, a landslide in match blocked soem of the road and the race was forced inland.
Ireland's Danny Martin and Brit Chris Froome were amongst the early attackers and they were joined by Rabbobank's Oscar Freire who got the first King Of The Mountain result.
The escapees soon numbered eleven as Jon McCarty took the second King Of The Mountains sprint before Alex Dowsett was one of eight riders involved in a crash.
Dowsett's injuries forced him to abandon on the day Thor Hushovd pulled out.
With 35kms to go, Stefan Denifl (Leopard Trek) and Oscar Freire broke away. When Denifl got a puncture, Freire who has 84 victories to his name, took his chance and went for broke.
The Rabbobank rider was ten seconds ahead of a peleton lead by HTC Highroad in their home town with 2.6km to go. However, Freire was caught and as he was, George Hincapie of BMC tried to get away.
This was looking to be a sprinters stage. Ben Swift went for it but it was 21 year old Peter Sagan who won in a time of 5hr, 15 mins and 3 seconds.
Lee Howard was second with Ben Swift third.
Chris Horner keeps his gold leaders jersey.
Tomorrow is an individual time trial around Solvang and is 24km long.