August 23, 2014 (Vail, Colo.) – In the race of truth, Tejay van Garderen (USA) of BMC Racing Team emerged victorious, finishing in 24 minutes and 26 seconds, winning the stage and shattering his previous course record of 25 minutes and two seconds. After the 2014 USA Pro Challenge Stage 6 individual time trial, van Garderen extended his overall lead to one minute and 32 seconds heading into the final day of racing.
“This is my third time trial in Vail,” said van Garderen. “The first time I did it, it couldn’t have been worse. I went way too hard and lost the yellow jersey. Last year, I can’t say it was bad, but you could see I was really struggling on TV and barely holding on. This year, I felt powerful the whole time and tried to stay conscious the first half. It’s just about judging the altitude on this course.”
The USA Pro Challenge individual time trial course’s roots are in Colorado racing lore and trace back to the Coors Classic. The race against the clock started in Vail and climbed most of the way up Vail Pass, which was a challenging ride, even for the best riders on earth. With rain on and off throughout the day, the gentle grades of the first half of the course gave way to a steady climb for the last three miles. It took more than legs on this strategic course though. If they went too hard early the climb could destroy any chances of winning, but if they conserved too much for the climb, then the leaderboard may have been out of reach.
“The route that we utilize for the Individual Time Trial in Vail is an iconic part of cycling history,” said Shawn Hunter, CEO of the Pro Challenge. “This stage is challenging for the riders and provides excellent viewing locations for our fans…it’s perfect. We had some weather today, but everyone toughed it out and it was a great day of racing.”
Last year, van Garderen rode the 10-mile course in 25 minutes and two seconds, which was 46 seconds faster than the last course record set in 2011. The first rider went off at 1:05 p.m. and they would continue at one-minute intervals until the final 20 riders, who went off two minutes apart.
At 10 miles long, the route was an uphill battle that, combined with wet conditions and elevation, proved to be challenging for the riders. Early in the race Rick Zabel (GER) of BMC Racing Team set a fast intermediate split time of 13 minutes and 57 seconds, but his finish time would be bested by Leopold Konig (CZE) of Team NetApp-Endura who had the best time at 27 minutes and 40 seconds. Kirk Carlsen (USA) of Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis would move into second with his finish time, just three seconds behind Konig.
Michael Rogers (AUS) of Tinkoff-Saxo, a time trial specialist, took the course and charged it at about 27 mph to secure a split time 44 seconds faster than Zabel. A couple minutes later, Ben Day (AUS) of UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling, who will be retiring after the USA Pro Challenge, crossed the line seven seconds faster than Konig to take the lead.
“The crowds we had in that last kilometer were pretty mad; it was a lot of fun,” said Day.
That wouldn’t hold for long though, as Rogers hit the top of Vail Pass at 26 minutes and six seconds, destroying Day’s time by almost a minute and a half.
Ben King (USA) of Team Garmin-Sharp, who went off 97th today, finished one minute and six seconds behind Rogers, which would be good enough for third at that point, knocking Jens Voigt (GER) of Trek Factory Racing into fourth.
The top positions continued to switch around, as Mick Rogers’ teammate Pawe? Polja?ski (POL) finished to take the second place slot. At this point, Tinkoff-Saxo was showing their strength with three riders in the top four on the leaderboard.
At the intermediate checkpoint, Ben Hermans (BEL) of BMC Racing Team clocked a faster time than Rogers by two seconds. That time wouldn’t hold for long though, as Tom Danielson (USA) of Team Garmin-Sharp would crush it as he came through at twelve minutes and 43 seconds, 26 seconds faster than Hermans.
Danielson was putting in quite a ride, but still to come through the checkpoint was Tour de France KOM Jersey winner Rafae?Majka (POL) of Tinkoff-Saxo and current overall leader van Garderen. At the checkpoint, Majka was in third, nine seconds behind Danielson. As expected though, van Garderen charged through the checkpoint at 29 mph with a time of 20 second faster than Danielson.
Pushing himself as hard as he could go, Danielson crossed the line at 25 minutes and 19 seconds to take the lead.
“I’ll be honest. I was a little insecure about today,” said Danielson. “I haven’t done a good time trial this year. It was nice to get that monkey off my back today. I felt pretty strong and the crowd was incredible. Colorado crowds are second to none. The last 500 meters were absolutely insane. I thought I was going to crash and I was in so much pain. It was really cool though. I’m very happy with my performance today.”
Serghei Tvetcov (ROM) of Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis finished the stage just behind Danielson to take second place for the time being. But then, in a huge push to the finish, van Garderen crossed the line at 24 minutes and 21 seconds to not only take the stage and keep his overall lead, but set a new course record, besting the record he set last year by 41 seconds.
“Winning (the USA Pro Challenge Vail time trial) both times is just awesome,” added van Garderen. “I love racing in Colorado. To have competition like Tommy D., Serghei and Rafa? Majka just goes to show that this race is one of the highest class races in the world. To win it for the second time is no easy feat and I’m really honored.”
Most of the jerseys remained unchanged today with van Garderen keeping the Smashburger Leader Jersey and Colorado National Guard Best Colorado Rider Jersey. With no sprint competitions in today’s stage, Kiel Reijnen (USA) of UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team held onto the Lexus Sprint Jersey. Ben Jacques-Maynes’ (USA) of Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home performance today was enough to hold onto the Sierra Nevada King of the Mountains Jersey. And Clément Chevrier (FRA) of Bissell Development Team was able to keep his lead and remain in the Colorado State University Best Young Rider Jersey. King was awarded the FirstBank Most Aggressive Rider Jersey.
Results
1. Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:24:26
2. Thomas Danielson (USA) Team Garmin-Sharp 0:53
3. Serghei Tvetcov (Rou) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 1:08
4. Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo 1:29
5. Michael Rogers (Aus) Tinkoff-Saxo 1:40
6. Ben Hermans (Bel) BMC Racing Team 1:55
7. Bartosz Huzarski (Pol) Team Netapp-Endura 2:07
8. Joseph Rosskopf (USA) Hincapie Sportswear Development 2:17
9. Matthew Busche (USA) Trek Factory Racing 2:20
10. Carter Jones (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 2:21
11. Pawel Poljanski (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo 2:22
12. Phillip Gaimon (USA) Team Garmin-Sharp 2:32
13. Bruno Pires (Por) Tinkoff-Saxo 2:34
14. Frank Schleck (Lux) Trek Factory Racing
15. Ruben Zepuntke (Ger) Bissell Development Team 2:42
16. Benjamin King (USA) Team Garmin-Sharp 2:46
17. Riccardo Zoidl (Aut) Trek Factory Racing 2:47
18. Jens Voigt (Ger) Trek Factory Racing 2:49
19. Lachlan Norris (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling 2:51
20. Laurent Didier (Lux) Trek Factory Racing 2:58
21. David de la Cruz Melgarejo (Esp) Team Netapp-Endura 2:59
22. Jose Joao Pimenta Costa Mendes (Por) Team Netapp-Endura
23. Peter Stetina (USA) BMC Racing Team 3:01
24. Benjamin Day (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 3:07
25. Clement Chevrier (Fra) Bissell Development Team
26. Janier Alexis Acevedo Colle (Col) Team Garmin-Sharp 3:12
27. Leopold König (Cze) Team Netapp-Endura 3:14
28. Michael Schär (Sui) BMC Racing Team 3:15
29. Kirk Carlsen (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 3:17
30. Rob Britton (Can) Team SmartStop 3:35
31. Robin Carpenter (USA) Hincapie Sportswear Development 3:43
32. Lucas Euser (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 3:46
33. Rick Zabel (Ger) BMC Racing Team 3:50
34. Julian Kyer (USA) Team SmartStop 3:56
35. Ryan Anderson (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
36. Daniel Alexander Jaramillo Diez (Col) Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home 3:58
37. Tom Zirbel (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 4:05
38. Alex Howes (USA) Team Garmin-Sharp 4:06
39. Yannick Eijssen (Bel) BMC Racing Team 4:07
40. Alan Marangoni (Ita) Cannondale 4:11
41. Hugh Carthy (Gbr) Rapha Condor JLT 4:12
42. Martin Kohler (Sui) BMC Racing Team 4:13
43. Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing Team
44. Tanner Putt (USA) Bissell Development Team 4:15
45. Daniel Eaton (USA) Bissell Development Team
46. Tiago Machado (Por) Team Netapp-Endura 4:16
47. Gregor Muhlberger (Aut) Team Netapp-Endura
48. Thomas Dekker (Ned) Team Garmin-Sharp 4:17
49. Scott Zwizanski (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 4:25
50. Hayden Roulston (Nzl) Trek Factory Racing
51. Michel Koch (Ger) Cannondale 4:26
52. Jesper Hansen (Den) Tinkoff-Saxo
53. Dion Smith (Nzl) Hincapie Sportswear Development
54. Carson Miller (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home
55. Calvin Watson (Aus) Trek Factory Racing 4:27
56. Rasmus Guldhammer (Den) Tinkoff-Saxo 4:29
57. Edward Beltran Suarez (Col) Tinkoff-Saxo
58. Chris Butler (USA) Hincapie Sportswear Development 4:30
59. Zachary Bell (Can) Team SmartStop
60. Adam Phelan (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling 4:31
61. James Oram (Nzl) Bissell Development Team 4:34
62. Darren Lapthorne (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling
63. Ian Crane (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home
64. Robbie Squire (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home 4:37
65. Ivan Basso (Ita) Cannondale 4:41
66. Matej Mohoric (Slo) Cannondale 4:42
67. Joonas Henttala (Fin) Team Novo Nordisk 4:43
68. Matt Cooke (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home
69. Ben Jacques-Maynes (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home 4:46
70. Patrick Konrad (Aut) Team Netapp-Endura 4:52
71. Gregory Daniel (USA) Bissell Development Team 4:58
72. Bjorn Selander (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 5:01
73. Cameron Wurf (Aus) Cannondale 5:04
74. Gavin Mannion (USA) Team Garmin-Sharp 5:05
75. Nathan Van Hooydonck (Bel) Bissell Development Team 5:06
76. Tom Moses (Gbr) Rapha Condor JLT 5:10
77. Johnathan Freter (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 5:13
78. Oscar Clark (USA) Hincapie Sportswear Development 5:15
79. Jordan Kerby (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling 5:16
80. Caleb Fairly (USA) Team Garmin-Sharp 5:19
81. Michael Torckler (Nzl) Team SmartStop 5:21
82. Ian Burnett (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 5:22
83. Wesley Sulzberger (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling 5:24
84. Elliott Porter (Gbr) Rapha Condor JLT 5:25
85. Jure Kocjan (Slo) Team SmartStop 5:33
86. Christopher Jones (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 5:34
87. Alexander Candelario (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 5:41
88. Kiel Reijnen (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 5:42
89. Jacob Rathe (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 5:43
90. Luis Romero Amaran (Cub) Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home
91. Jai Crawford (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling 5:45
92. Charles Planet (Fra) Team Novo Nordisk 5:46
93. Luis Enrique Davila (Mex) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 5:47
94. Cristiano Salerno (Ita) Cannondale 5:49
95. Keegan Swirbul (USA) Bissell Development Team 5:50
96. Jonathan Clarke (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 5:51
97. Elia Viviani (Ita) Cannondale 5:52
98. Richard Handley (Gbr) Rapha Condor JLT 5:54
99. Joseph Lewis (Aus) Hincapie Sportswear Development 5:55
100. Daniel Summerhill (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 5:57
101. Jeffry Louder (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 5:59
102. Edward King (USA) Cannondale 6:00
103. Javier Megias Leal (Esp) Team Novo Nordisk 6:01
104. Kristian House (Gbr) Rapha Condor JLT
105. Toms Skujins (Lat) Hincapie Sportswear Development
106. Michael Schwarzmann (Ger) Team Netapp-Endura 6:03
107. Bernard Sulzberger (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling
108. Jesse Anthony (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 6:13
109. Stephen Leece (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home 6:19
110. Steve Fisher (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
111. Michael Cuming (Gbr) Rapha Condor JLT 6:28
112. Jonathan Cantwell (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling
113. Mike Friedman (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 6:30
114. Scott Ambrose (Nzl) Team Novo Nordisk 6:33
115. Tyler Magner (USA) Hincapie Sportswear Development 6:34
116. Markel Irizar Aranburu (Esp) Trek Factory Racing 6:38
117. Martijn Verschoor (Ned) Team Novo Nordisk 7:35
118. Aaron Perry (Nzl) Team Novo Nordisk 9:45
GC after Stage 6
1. Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team 17:20:22
2. Thomas Danielson (USA) Team Garmin-Sharp 1:32
3. Serghei Tvetcov (Rou) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 1:45
4. Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo 1:49
5. Matthew Busche (USA) Trek Factory Racing 3:11
6. Joseph Rosskopf (USA) Hincapie Sportswear Development 3:31
7. Bartosz Huzarski (Pol) Team Netapp-Endura 3:35
8. Carter Jones (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 3:43
9. Ben Hermans (Bel) BMC Racing Team 3:44
10. Bruno Pires (Por) Tinkoff-Saxo 5:35
11. Julian Kyer (USA) Team SmartStop 5:51
12. Clement Chevrier (Fra) Bissell Development Team 6:31
13. Alex Howes (USA) Team Garmin-Sharp 7:07
14. Pawel Poljanski (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo 7:18
15. Riccardo Zoidl (Aut) Trek Factory Racing 7:35
16. Lucas Euser (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 8:29
17. Frank Schleck (Lux) Trek Factory Racing 9:26
18. Ruben Zepuntke (Ger) Bissell Development Team 0:11
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. Benjamin King (USA) Team Garmin-Sharp 0:16:25
23. Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:16:50
24. Chris Butler (USA) Hincapie Sportswear Development 0:18:49
25. Peter Stetina (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:19:36
26. David de la Cruz Melgarejo (Esp) Team Netapp-Endura 0:20:25
27. Rob Britton (Can) Team SmartStop 0:21:18
28. Jens Voigt (Ger) Trek Factory Racing 0:23:20
29. Laurent Didier (Lux) Trek Factory Racing 0:23:47
30. Phillip Gaimon (USA) Team Garmin-Sharp 0:24:41
31. Robbie Squire (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home 0:25:30
32. Tanner Putt (USA) Bissell Development Team 0:25:40
33. Ryan Anderson (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 0:26:34
34. Michael Rogers (Aus) Tinkoff-Saxo 0:26:39
35. Tiago Machado (Por) Team Netapp-Endura 0:26:41
36. Lachlan Norris (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling 0:27:25
37. Javier Megias Leal (Esp) Team Novo Nordisk 0:27:26
38. Tom Zirbel (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 0:28:49
39. Rasmus Guldhammer (Den) Tinkoff-Saxo 0:31:35
40. Jose Joao Pimenta Costa Mendes (Por) Team Netapp-Endura 0:33:21
41. Dion Smith (Nzl) Hincapie Sportswear Development 0:36:26
42. Richard Handley (Gbr) Rapha Condor JLT 0:37:00
43. Hugh Carthy (Gbr) Rapha Condor JLT 0:38:20
44. Gregor Muhlberger (Aut) Team Netapp-Endura 0:38:35
45. Patrick Konrad (Aut) Team Netapp-Endura 0:40:49
46. Edward Beltran Suarez (Col) Tinkoff-Saxo 0:40:50
47. Kiel Reijnen (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 0:42:51
48. Daniel Eaton (USA) Bissell Development Team 0:44:57
49. Robin Carpenter (USA) Hincapie Sportswear Development 0:46:32
50. Jesse Anthony (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 0:46:37
51. Oscar Clark (USA) Hincapie Sportswear Development 0:48:27
52. Benjamin Day (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 0:48:32
53. Caleb Fairly (USA) Team Garmin-Sharp 0:49:49
54. Carson Miller (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home 0:50:43
55. Cameron Wurf (Aus) Cannondale 0:51:04
56. Martin Kohler (Sui) BMC Racing Team
57. Bjorn Selander (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 0:51:12
58. Ivan Basso (Ita) Cannondale 0:51:30
59. Thomas Dekker (Ned) Team Garmin-Sharp 0:52:18
60. Hayden Roulston (Nzl) Trek Factory Racing 0:53:00
61. Tyler Magner (USA) Hincapie Sportswear Development 0:53:01
62. Jai Crawford (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling 0:53:49
63. Michael Torckler (Nzl) Team SmartStop 0:54:11
64. Ian Crane (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home 0:54:34
65. Kirk Carlsen (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 0:54:37
66. Luis Enrique Davila (Mex) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 0:54:41
67. Keegan Swirbul (USA) Bissell Development Team 0:54:43
68. Matej Mohoric (Slo) Cannondale 0:54:59
69. Gavin Mannion (USA) Team Garmin-Sharp
70. Markel Irizar Aranburu (Esp) Trek Factory Racing 0:55:01
71. Darren Lapthorne (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling 0:55:18
72. James Oram (Nzl) Bissell Development Team 0:55:41
73. Ben Jacques-Maynes (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home 0:55:50
74. Jeffry Louder (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 0:56:30
75. Zachary Bell (Can) Team SmartStop 0:56:38
76. Matt Cooke (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home 0:56:54
77. Joseph Lewis (Aus) Hincapie Sportswear Development 0:56:58
78. Adam Phelan (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling 0:57:31
79. Calvin Watson (Aus) Trek Factory Racing 0:57:47
80. Ian Burnett (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 0:58:03
81. Jacob Rathe (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 0:58:34
82. Cristiano Salerno (Ita) Cannondale 0:59:08
83. Joonas Henttala (Fin) Team Novo Nordisk 0:59:09
84. Gregory Daniel (USA) Bissell Development Team 0:59:22
85. Alan Marangoni (Ita) Cannondale 0:59:26
86. Christopher Jones (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 0:59:43
87. Daniel Summerhill (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 0:59:48
88. Scott Zwizanski (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 1:05
89. Jonathan Clarke (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 1:00:30
90. Yannick Eijssen (Bel) BMC Racing Team 1:02:11
91. Edward King (USA) Cannondale 1:02:16
92. Jonathan Cantwell (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling 1:02:26
93. Wesley Sulzberger (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling 1:02:45
94. Alexander Candelario (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 1:03:04
95. Bernard Sulzberger (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling 1:03:38
96. Toms Skujins (Lat) Hincapie Sportswear Development 1:04:17
97. Jesper Hansen (Den) Tinkoff-Saxo 1:05:07
98. Stephen Leece (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home 1:05:21
99. Elliott Porter (Gbr) Rapha Condor JLT 1:05:36
100. Charles Planet (Fra) Team Novo Nordisk 1:05:59
101. Tom Moses (Gbr) Rapha Condor JLT 1:06:35
102. Leopold König (Cze) Team Netapp-Endura 1:06:38
103. Elia Viviani (Ita) Cannondale 1:06:48
104. Kristian House (Gbr) Rapha Condor JLT 1:07:31
105. Rick Zabel (Ger) BMC Racing Team 1:07:59
106. Michael Schwarzmann (Ger) Team Netapp-Endura 1:08:03
107. Luis Romero Amaran (Cub) Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home 1:09:34
108. Michael Cuming (Gbr) Rapha Condor JLT 1:09:46
109. Steve Fisher (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 1:12
110. Michel Koch (Ger) Cannondale 1:17
111. Jure Kocjan (Slo) Team SmartStop 1:10:11
112. Jordan Kerby (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling 1:11:55
113. Mike Friedman (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 1:16:44
114. Nathan Van Hooydonck (Bel) Bissell Development Team 1:17:08
115. Scott Ambrose (Nzl) Team Novo Nordisk 1:19:09
116. Johnathan Freter (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 1:21:07
117. Martijn Verschoor (Ned) Team Novo Nordisk 1:24:25
118. Aaron Perry (Nzl) Team Novo Nordisk 1:28:24