Tour of California: Hushovd wins Modesto stage

MODESTO -- The records will show that Thor Hushovd sprinted to the line ahead of Oscar Freire and Mark Renshaw, and since the entire finishing pack crossed the line in a continuous stream within 30 seconds, all riders were given the same finish time.

But for the third consecutive day, the weather dominated the race, and not even the people whose job it is to coordinate the clock and cold fronts came close to getting it right.

"It's been cold and wet, and everybody's been suffering through it," said Bradley White of Team Ouch, one of Tuesday's strong climbers. "Everybody's been taking the corners real easy. There are obstacles in the roads that force you to be real careful. After three days of this we've learned how to dress for the cold and the wet."

The yellow jersey will be worn by Levi Leipheimer as the tour continues today with a race from Merced to Clovis, but that particular garment is owned by Mother Nature.

Leipheimer almost became a casualty very early, touching wheels with teammate Lance Armstrong 40 minutes into the race.

Leipheimer climbed right back on and quickly rejoined the peloton.