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Britton Top Canuck as Van Garderen Defends USA Pro Challenge Title – Stage 7 Report, Results

release by the USA Pro Challenge
Teejay van Garderen (USA) BMC © USA Pro Challenge
August 25, 2014 (Denver, CO) – The final stage of the 2014 USA Pro Challenge, which played out in front of a beautiful Colorado backdrop, took the riders from the cycling town of Boulder, over Lookout Mountain and through Golden on the way to the finish in Downtown Denver where Tejay van Garderen (USA) of BMC Racing Team took the overall win for the second year in a row. Alex Howes (USA) of Team Garmin-Sharp, who has had an impressive performance in America’s biggest stage race, sprinted to the line to take the final stage win with the roar of huge crowds driving him to the finish.
“This is a race that I think has firm footing in the eyes of the world with it broadcasted in so many different countries,” said van Garderen. “I hope we can establish a tradition and soon this race will be one of the biggest historical races in the world.”
Leaving Boulder on CO 93, the riders had several hilly and windswept miles before reaching Golden for the first of two passes. Through Golden, the riders tackled the four-mile climb of Lookout Mountain. Another quick pass of Golden and the race screamed through the suburbs en route to Downtown Denver. The riders then faced an abbreviated version of last year’s circuit for four fast laps through downtown, 17th Ave. and City Park. Over the years, the race has witnessed some incredible sprinting on Broadway in the heart of Denver and 2014 was no exception.
“Every year of the USA Pro Challenge I have been blown away be the competition and the support of our amazing fans along the route, and this year was no exception,” said Shawn Hunter, CEO of the USA Pro Challenge. “The last seven days have been amazing to watch as the riders pushed themselves through tough weather conditions, a challenging route and lung-busting altitudes. Fans in around the world were treated to an amazing show as the best cyclists in the world conquered Colorado.”
At 78 miles, the final stage of the 2014 USA Pro Challenge would take the riders through a 4.7-mile neutral section before the official start of the race. Anticipated to have the highest fan attendance of any stage, the final day of racing featured one Sierra Nevada KOM and two Lexus sprint competitions. Heading out of town at around 30 mph, the riders traveled through streets that were lined with huge crowds of fans. Knowing it was the last chance for a stage win, the competition started early with a lot of activity off the front almost immediately.
Only a few minutes into the race, a group of 12 riders pulled away from the group, including Michael Rogers (AUS) of Tinkoff-Saxo, Jens Voigt (GER) of Trek Factory Racing, Caleb Fairly (USA) of Team Garmin-Sharp, Cameron Wurf (AUS) of Cannondale Pro Cycling, Adam Phelan (AUS) of Drapac Pro Cycling, Jonathan Clarke (AUS) of UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team, Javier Megias (ESP) of Team Novo Nordisk, Hugh Carthy (GBR) of Rapha Condor JLT, Jesse Anthony (USA) of Optum Presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies, Jonathan Freter (USA) of Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis, Tiago Machado (POR) of Team NetApp-Endura and Ruben Zepuntke (GER) of Bissell Development Team. Wurf wouldn’t hang on for long though and would fall back to the group.
At about 16 miles into the race, the gap increased to two and a half minutes and went back down a bit, continuing to fluctuate as Cannondale Pro Cycling and BMC Racing Team set the pace on the front of the field. With light winds as the riders made their way through Golden, they approached the only KOM of the day at Lookout Mountain.
With the breakaway only 3K to the top of the climb, the gap came down to one minute and forty seconds, with only five riders left, including Machado, Megias, Zepuntke, Voigt and Rogers.
Voigt showed his strength, setting the pace on the climb, and hit the top first, followed by Rogers and Zepuntke. After the climb, the race turned back to Golden as the riders approaches the first Lexus Sprint Line of the day.
Back in the main field, Team Garmin-Sharp was picking up the pace to try and shake the Cannondale Pro Cycling team, as their sprinter Elia Viviani (ITA) would pose a threat to Howes in the final moments of the race. The increasing pace closed the gap to only one minute at 40 miles into the race.
At the sprint line in Golden, Voigt crossed first taking max points, followed by Megias and Rogers. With the riders now separated into three groups, they approached Denver and the finishing circuits. Soon the leaders would see the second and final intermediate sprint line, which was located at the finish line, and would signal four laps to go. With the gaps closing quickly, the sprint produced similar results to the previous one with Voigt crossing the line first, followed by Rogers and Megias.
With three laps to go, and the finish of the 2014 race not far away, attacks started to come from the break. In the final race of his professional career, Voigt launched an attack and took Megias with him. They gained a slight advantage on their previous breakaway companions, who would sit up and fall back to the field. With two laps to go, the two riders had a 30 second advantage on the field.
They wouldn’t be able to hold on until the end though and were reabsorbed with 10K to go. But as Voigt fell back, his teammate Riccardo Zoidl (AUT) launched an attack and would be joined by Pawe½ PoljaŸski (POL) of Tinkoff-Saxo. With 1K to go though, they too would be absorbed back into the field.
In a fast and furious sprint to the finish, Howes crossed the line just inches ahead of Kiel Reijnen (USA) of UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team to take the final stage win of the race.
“We went past my house literally four times today on the opening circuits. I saw my entire family out there today,” said Howes. “The plan was to go over Lookout and drive it to the finish and I didn’t know if it was going to work. We got to talking on the team bus this morning and we all agreed we’d try. With my team riding up there today in my home state with all their hearts, I just couldn’t lose.”
These results wouldn’t change the overall general classification, putting van Garderen in first for the second consecutive year; Tom Danielson (USA) of Team Garmin-Sharp, who finished third last year, in second; and Serghei Tvetcov (ROM) of Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis in third.
“This week was just incredible,” added van Garderen. “Here, this is just our home and it feels more like a training camp; it’s just fun. It feels like we’re racing with all our friends. It was fun to share that with my European teammates. This must be what it feels like for them when they race in their homeland.”
In the final awarding of the jerseys, van Garderen kept the Smashburger Leader Jersey and Colorado National Guard Best Colorado Rider Jersey. Reijnen took home the Lexus Sprint Jersey. Ben Jacques-Maynes (USA) of Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home kept his lead in the KOM competition and held onto the Sierra Nevada King of the Mountains Jersey. And Clément Chevrier (FRA) of Bissell Development Team retained the Colorado State University Best Young Rider Jersey. Voigt was awarded the FirstBank Most Aggressive Rider Jersey for his impressive riding throughout the week.
For full results, course information and more, please visit the official race website www.USAProChallenge.com.

1. Alex Howes (USA) Team Garmin-Sharp 2:45:20
2. Kiel Reijnen (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
3. Michael Schär (Sui) BMC Racing Team
4. Serghei Tvetcov (Rou) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
5. Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo
6. Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team
7. Jesse Anthony (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
8. Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing Team
9. Janier Alexis Acevedo Colle (Col) Team Garmin-Sharp
10. Carter Jones (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
11. Laurent Didier (Lux) Trek Factory Racing
12. Clement Chevrier (Fra) Bissell Development Team
13. Javier Megias Leal (Esp) Team Novo Nordisk
14. Bruno Pires (Por) Tinkoff-Saxo
15. Frank Schleck (Lux) Trek Factory Racing
16. Thomas Danielson (USA) Team Garmin-Sharp
17. Daniel Summerhill (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
18. Joseph Rosskopf (USA) Hincapie Sportswear Development
19. Bartosz Huzarski (Pol) Team Netapp-Endura
20. Ruben Zepuntke (Ger) Bissell Development Team
21. Daniel Eaton (USA) Bissell Development Team
22. Matthew Busche (USA) Trek Factory Racing
23. Julian Kyer (USA) Team SmartStop
24. Gregor Muhlberger (Aut) Team Netapp-Endura
25. Jai Crawford (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling
26. Daniel Alexander Jaramillo Diez (Col) Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home
27. Robbie Squire (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home
28. Ben Hermans (Bel) BMC Racing Team
29. Ben Jacques-Maynes (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home
30. Patrick Konrad (Aut) Team Netapp-Endura
31. Michael Torckler (Nzl) Team SmartStop
32. Tiago Machado (Por) Team Netapp-Endura
33. Peter Stetina (USA) BMC Racing Team
34. Jens Voigt (Ger) Trek Factory Racing
35. David de la Cruz Melgarejo (Esp) Team Netapp-Endura 0:00:14
36. Ian Burnett (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
37. Pawel Poljanski (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo
38. Rob Britton (Can) Team SmartStop
39. Riccardo Zoidl (Aut) Trek Factory Racing
40. Lucas Euser (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
41. Michael Rogers (Aus) Tinkoff-Saxo 0:00:23
42. Benjamin Day (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 0:01:07
43. Matt Cooke (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home 0:01:14
44. Thomas Dekker (Ned) Team Garmin-Sharp 0:04:08
45. Yannick Eijssen (Bel) BMC Racing Team
46. Edward King (USA) Cannondale
47. Jeffry Louder (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
48. Rick Zabel (Ger) BMC Racing Team
49. Benjamin King (USA) Team Garmin-Sharp
50. Gregory Daniel (USA) Bissell Development Team
51. Phillip Gaimon (USA) Team Garmin-Sharp
52. Ryan Anderson (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
53. Rasmus Guldhammer (Den) Tinkoff-Saxo
54. Jesper Hansen (Den) Tinkoff-Saxo
55. Markel Irizar Aranburu (Esp) Trek Factory Racing
56. Hayden Roulston (Nzl) Trek Factory Racing
57. Jordan Kerby (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling
58. Jose Joao Pimenta Costa Mendes (Por) Team Netapp-Endura
59. Chris Butler (USA) Hincapie Sportswear Development
60. Alan Marangoni (Ita) Cannondale
61. Gavin Mannion (USA) Team Garmin-Sharp
62. Scott Zwizanski (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
63. Tom Zirbel (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
64. Luis Enrique Davila (Mex) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
65. Bjorn Selander (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
66. Jonathan Clarke (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
67. Carson Miller (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home
68. Jure Kocjan (Slo) Team SmartStop
69. Zachary Bell (Can) Team SmartStop
70. Steve Fisher (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
71. Jacob Rathe (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
72. Luis Romero Amaran (Cub) Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home
73. Edward Beltran Suarez (Col) Tinkoff-Saxo
74. Michael Schwarzmann (Ger) Team Netapp-Endura
75. Caleb Fairly (USA) Team Garmin-Sharp
76. Martin Kohler (Sui) BMC Racing Team
77. Wesley Sulzberger (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling
78. Lachlan Norris (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling
79. Richard Handley (Gbr) Rapha Condor JLT
80. Hugh Carthy (Gbr) Rapha Condor JLT
81. Darren Lapthorne (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling
82. Jonathan Cantwell (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling
83. Cristiano Salerno (Ita) Cannondale
84. Ivan Basso (Ita) Cannondale
85. Adam Phelan (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling
86. Robin Carpenter (USA) Hincapie Sportswear Development
87. Elia Viviani (Ita) Cannondale
88. James Oram (Nzl) Bissell Development Team
89. Leopold König (Cze) Team Netapp-Endura 0:05:40
90. Matej Mohoric (Slo) Cannondale 0:06:49
91. Christopher Jones (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
92. Tanner Putt (USA) Bissell Development Team
93. Keegan Swirbul (USA) Bissell Development Team
94. Kirk Carlsen (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 0:11:06
95. Johnathan Freter (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
96. Bernard Sulzberger (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling
97. Cameron Wurf (Aus) Cannondale 0:12:50
98. Calvin Watson (Aus) Trek Factory Racing
99. Michel Koch (Ger) Cannondale
100. Joonas Henttala (Fin) Team Novo Nordisk
101. Scott Ambrose (Nzl) Team Novo Nordisk
102. Aaron Perry (Nzl) Team Novo Nordisk
103. Charles Planet (Fra) Team Novo Nordisk
104. Martijn Verschoor (Ned) Team Novo Nordisk
105. Oscar Clark (USA) Hincapie Sportswear Development
106. Joseph Lewis (Aus) Hincapie Sportswear Development
107. Tyler Magner (USA) Hincapie Sportswear Development
108. Toms Skujins (Lat) Hincapie Sportswear Development
109. Dion Smith (Nzl) Hincapie Sportswear Development
110. Kristian House (Gbr) Rapha Condor JLT
111. Elliott Porter (Gbr) Rapha Condor JLT
112. Alexander Candelario (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
113. Mike Friedman (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
114. Stephen Leece (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home
115. Nathan Van Hooydonck (Bel) Bissell Development Team
DNF Michael Cuming (Gbr) Rapha Condor JLT
DNF Tom Moses (Gbr) Rapha Condor JLT
DNF Ian Crane (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home

Final GC
1. Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team 20:05:42
2. Thomas Danielson (USA) Team Garmin-Sharp 0:01:32
3. Serghei Tvetcov (Rou) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 0:01:45
4. Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo 0:01:49
5. Matthew Busche (USA) Trek Factory Racing 0:03:11
6. Joseph Rosskopf (USA) Hincapie Sportswear Development 0:03:31
7. Bartosz Huzarski (Pol) Team Netapp-Endura 0:03:35
8. Carter Jones (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 0:03:43
9. Ben Hermans (Bel) BMC Racing Team 0:03:44
10. Bruno Pires (Por) Tinkoff-Saxo 0:05:35
11. Julian Kyer (USA) Team SmartStop 0:05:51
12. Clement Chevrier (Fra) Bissell Development Team 0:06:31
13. Alex Howes (USA) Team Garmin-Sharp 0:07:07
14. Pawel Poljanski (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo 0:07:32
15. Riccardo Zoidl (Aut) Trek Factory Racing 0:07:49
16. Lucas Euser (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 0:08:43
17. Frank Schleck (Lux) Trek Factory Racing 0:09:26
18. Ruben Zepuntke (Ger) Bissell Development Team 0:10:01
19. Janier Alexis Acevedo Colle (Col) Team Garmin-Sharp 0:14:02
20. Daniel Alexander Jaramillo Diez (Col) Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home 0:14:35
21. Michael Schär (Sui) BMC Racing Team 0:15:48
22. Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:16:50
23. Peter Stetina (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:19:36
24. Benjamin King (USA) Team Garmin-Sharp 0:20:33
25. David de la Cruz Melgarejo (Esp) Team Netapp-Endura 0:20:39
26. Rob Britton (Can) Team SmartStop 0:21:32
27. Chris Butler (USA) Hincapie Sportswear Development 0:22:57
28. Jens Voigt (Ger) Trek Factory Racing 0:23:20
29. Laurent Didier (Lux) Trek Factory Racing 0:23:47
30. Robbie Squire (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home 0:25:30
31. Tiago Machado (Por) Team Netapp-Endura 0:26:41
32. Michael Rogers (Aus) Tinkoff-Saxo 0:27:02
33. Javier Megias Leal (Esp) Team Novo Nordisk 0:27:26
34. Phillip Gaimon (USA) Team Garmin-Sharp 0:28:49
35. Ryan Anderson (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 0:30:42
36. Lachlan Norris (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling 0:31:33
37. Tanner Putt (USA) Bissell Development Team 0:32:29
38. Tom Zirbel (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 0:32:57
39. Rasmus Guldhammer (Den) Tinkoff-Saxo 0:35:43
40. Jose Joao Pimenta Costa Mendes (Por) Team Netapp-Endura 0:37:29
41. Gregor Muhlberger (Aut) Team Netapp-Endura 0:38:35
42. Patrick Konrad (Aut) Team Netapp-Endura 0:40:49
43. Richard Handley (Gbr) Rapha Condor JLT 0:41:08
44. Hugh Carthy (Gbr) Rapha Condor JLT 0:42:28
45. Kiel Reijnen (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 0:42:51
46. Daniel Eaton (USA) Bissell Development Team 0:44:57
47. Edward Beltran Suarez (Col) Tinkoff-Saxo 0:44:58
48. Jesse Anthony (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 0:46:37
49. Dion Smith (Nzl) Hincapie Sportswear Development 0:49:16
50. Benjamin Day (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 0:49:39
51. Robin Carpenter (USA) Hincapie Sportswear Development 0:50:40
52. Jai Crawford (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling 0:53:49
53. Caleb Fairly (USA) Team Garmin-Sharp 0:53:57
54. Michael Torckler (Nzl) Team SmartStop 0:54:11
55. Carson Miller (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home 0:54:51
56. Martin Kohler (Sui) BMC Racing Team 0:55:12
57. Bjorn Selander (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 0:55:20
58. Ivan Basso (Ita) Cannondale 0:55:38
59. Ben Jacques-Maynes (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home 0:55:50
60. Thomas Dekker (Ned) Team Garmin-Sharp 0:56:26
61. Hayden Roulston (Nzl) Trek Factory Racing 0:57:08
62. Matt Cooke (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home 0:58:08
63. Ian Burnett (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 0:58:17
64. Luis Enrique Davila (Mex) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 0:58:49
65. Gavin Mannion (USA) Team Garmin-Sharp 0:59:07
66. Markel Irizar Aranburu (Esp) Trek Factory Racing 0:59:09
67. Darren Lapthorne (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling 0:59:26
68. Daniel Summerhill (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 0:59:48
69. James Oram (Nzl) Bissell Development Team 0:59:49
70. Jeffry Louder (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 1:00:38
71. Zachary Bell (Can) Team SmartStop 1:00:46
72. Oscar Clark (USA) Hincapie Sportswear Development 1:01:17
73. Keegan Swirbul (USA) Bissell Development Team 1:01:32
74. Adam Phelan (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling 1:01:39
75. Matej Mohoric (Slo) Cannondale 1:01:48
76. Jacob Rathe (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 1:02:42
77. Cristiano Salerno (Ita) Cannondale 1:03:16
78. Gregory Daniel (USA) Bissell Development Team 1:03:30
79. Alan Marangoni (Ita) Cannondale 1:03:34
80. Cameron Wurf (Aus) Cannondale 1:03:54
81. Scott Zwizanski (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 1:04:13
82. Jonathan Clarke (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 1:04:38
83. Kirk Carlsen (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 1:05:43
84. Tyler Magner (USA) Hincapie Sportswear Development 1:05:51
85. Yannick Eijssen (Bel) BMC Racing Team 1:06:19
86. Edward King (USA) Cannondale 1:06:24
87. Christopher Jones (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 1:06:32
88. Jonathan Cantwell (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling 1:06:34
89. Wesley Sulzberger (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling 1:06:53
90. Jesper Hansen (Den) Tinkoff-Saxo 1:09:15
91. Joseph Lewis (Aus) Hincapie Sportswear Development 1:09:48
92. Calvin Watson (Aus) Trek Factory Racing 1:10:37
93. Elia Viviani (Ita) Cannondale 1:10:56
94. Joonas Henttala (Fin) Team Novo Nordisk 1:11:59
95. Rick Zabel (Ger) BMC Racing Team 1:12:07
96. Michael Schwarzmann (Ger) Team Netapp-Endura 1:12:11
97. Leopold König (Cze) Team Netapp-Endura 1:12:18
98. Luis Romero Amaran (Cub) Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home 1:13:42
99. Steve Fisher (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 1:14:10
100. Jure Kocjan (Slo) Team SmartStop 1:14:19
101. Bernard Sulzberger (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling 1:14:44
102. Alexander Candelario (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 1:15:54
103. Jordan Kerby (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling 1:16:03
104. Toms Skujins (Lat) Hincapie Sportswear Development 1:17:07
105. Stephen Leece (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home 1:18:11
106. Elliott Porter (Gbr) Rapha Condor JLT 1:18:26
107. Charles Planet (Fra) Team Novo Nordisk 1:18:49
108. Kristian House (Gbr) Rapha Condor JLT 1:20:21
109. Michel Koch (Ger) Cannondale 1:22:57
110. Mike Friedman (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 1:29:34
111. Nathan Van Hooydonck (Bel) Bissell Development Team 1:29:58
112. Scott Ambrose (Nzl) Team Novo Nordisk 1:31:59
113. Johnathan Freter (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 1:32:13
114. Martijn Verschoor (Ned) Team Novo Nordisk 1:37:15
115. Aaron Perry (Nzl) Team Novo Nordisk 1:41:14





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