San Diego’s Pierce Wins Stage; Hampsten Is Overall Leader

Jeff Pierce won the sixth stage of the Coors International bicycle race Saturday, sprinting the final 150 yards of the 120-mile mountain route to beat a Colombian rival by a wheel length.

Pierce, 28, of San Diego, finished the grueling Nevada City-to-Squaw Valley race through the Sierra Nevada Mountains in 5:53:27, climbing to fourth place overall in the two-week road race.

Arsenio Chaparro, 25, of Colombia, finished second, while Doug Smith, of Estes Park, Colo., was third, 17 seconds behind Pierce.

The overall leader is Alex Hampsten at 20:45:45, followed by Alex Stieda, who trails Hampsten by 40 seconds. Alvaro Mejia of Colombia is third, following Hampsten by 1:13.

“Just getting over that last little bump (to Squaw Valley) was the toughest part,” Pierce said.