Julian Alaphilippe is king of Amgen Tour of California's Queen Stage

SANTA BARBARA >> Julian Alaphilippe has become the king of the Amgen Tour of Califoia’s Queen Stage.

The Frenchman scored his second consecutive Queen Stage victory in Stage 3 of the 11th aual event on Tuesday afteoon, a 104.1-mile race that started at Amgen headquarters in Thousand Oaks and finished atop Gibraltar Road, overlooking Santa Barbara. It is his first victory of the year.

“Everybody was waiting for the last climb for a big fight,” he said. “I was a little bit nervous before arriving here. I wanted to wait for the last moment. I did not know my shape; my condition.

“This was something good for me. I’m surprised to win like this.”

Alaphillipe, a 23-year-old riding for Quick Step, went by Peter Stetina in the final 400 yards for the victory. George Beett finished third.

The race finished with an 8-mile, 3,484-foot climb with an average grade of 8 percent and portions of the roadway at 142 percent. Last year, Alaphilippe won the Queen Stage atop Mount Baldy to take the yellow jersey.

“I was little surprised to be with the last riders,” he said. “I was feeling good and I felt I can go a little bit more faster. I waited until the last moment.”

Last year, Alaphilippe only held the jersey for one day, losing the tour title by three seconds to Peter Sagan on the final stage. With Stage 4 starting Wednesday in Moro Bay, he will have five days to try to hold on to the jersey. He leads Stetina by 19 seconds. He took over the jersey from American Ben King, who won Monday’s stage from South Pasadena to Santa Clarita. George Beett is in third place, 31 seconds back.

“It is just different this year for me,” Alaphilippe said. “I’m not really prepared for the (general classification lead). I will take it a little bit day after day.”

Tuesday’s stage truly did not start until the final climb. Seven riders went on a breakaway about two miles off the starting line heading up the Santa Monica Mountains. It dwindled to four for the final climb.

“It was a risk a lot of us that we were willing to take,” said Greg Daniel, who eaed the Breakaway From Cancer Most Courageous jersey for the effort. “I thought it would be good day for a breakaway and get a head start on the climb.”

But all of the breakaway riders were done a mile into the climb. But new ones emerged.

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Neilson Powless of Roseville, at 19-years old the youngest rider on the tour, took off. Finally Stetina and Lachlan Morton caught the youngster, who won a time trial at this years Redlands race and was third in the San Dimas time trial.

Stetina made a break during a slight downhill section with 2.3 miles to go.

“I knew it was harder with 5 kilometers to go,” Stetina said. “I also knew Lachlan was in the same kind of boat as me and kind of earmarked us going together.”

A group of about 10 riders, led by Caondale and BMC, managed to stay about 10 seconds off the lead. That’s where Alaphilippe emerged, staying with that group.

“I do not have the huge punch here like Julian,” Trek’s Stetina said. “It was time to go all-in. Unfortunately I was 700 meters too short and kind of ran out of gas. But I had to race that way to give myself the best chance for victory.”

Sagan, who held the opening-day yellow jersey and still holds the sprint jersey, finished 13 minutes, 50 seconds behind Alaphilippe. He is 14 minutes off the lead.