Tagged: cycling

Today [Thursday] is the fourth stage of the USA Pro Challenge. More than a hundred racers will take on Independence Pass for a second time. That’s on their way from Aspen to Beaver Creek. Durango favorite Tommy Danielson won Wednesday’s stage with an impressive ride up and then down Independence Pass. The day saw a new overall leader, too—but to make sure, race officials had to consult their handbooks. Reporter Elise Thatcher has the story. 

Aspen, CO - Durango’s Tommy Danielson dominated stage 3 of the Pro Cycling Challenge today, reaching the finish line in Aspen 2 seconds ahead of a charging peloton.  The race began in Gunnison, and like the previous two stages, a break-away formed early, gapping the peloton by several minutes.  Danielson was not part of the original 18 man break-away, but he raced away from the peloton on the dirt roads leading up to Cottonwood Pass to catch the lead group.  At the top of Cottonwood Pass, the racers were welcomed by huge crowds, light rain and temperatures in the fifties.  By the time the r

Today, racers in the USA Pro Challenge tackle the grueling road bike ride from Gunnison to Aspen. That’s after a day racing from Montrose to Mount Crested Butte, the ski resort near the of town of Crested Butte. That stage marked what could be the beginning of another team taking charge of the race. Reporter Elise Thatcher was there, and filed this report.

Tejay van Garderen (USA)

BMC Racing Team

On today’s stage:

Crested Butte, Colo.(Aug. 21, 2012) – Stage 2 of the 2012 USA Pro Challenge featured a challenging ride under blue skies and saw an unexpected finish, with Tejay Van Garderen (USA) of BMC Racing Team pulling through to take the stage win and the overall lead. Following close behind were Christian Vande Velde (USA) of Garmin-Sharp-Barracuda in second and Ivan Rovny (RUS) of RusVelo in third. After today’s performance, van Garderen takes the overall lead to claim the Exergy Leader Jersey.

Tuesday, Aug. 21 – Montrose to Crested Butte (159.3 km/99 mi)

Start Time: 11:25 a.m. MT

Estimated Finish Time: 3:20-4:30 p.m. MT

Satellite Feed Time: 5 – 5:15 p.m. MT

The upcoming USA Pro Cycling Challenge will be passing through many areas of the San Juan National Forest and various camping and viewing opportunities for the public are listed on their website. Specific information is available at www.fs.usda.gov/sanjuan and the Durango office at 970-247-4874 and the Dolores Public Lands office at 970-882-7296.