USA Pro Challenge takes four circuits around Colorado Springs
The peloton pretty much took over Colorado Springs today where the weather was spectacular. An early breakaway of 11 riders, gained as much as a 4-minute lead on the peloton, but with 40km to go Jens Voigt attacked out of the group taking Ben Jacques-Maynes with him. Jacques-Maynes later fell off Jensie's wheel once he tallied his desired KOM points on the climb. That left Jens alone in a solo breakaway to the delight of the crowds. Voigt was caught 1km from the line by Elia Viviani, the mighty Italian sprinter, who said his team set him up perfectly for the final sprint. Viviani won ahead of Martin Kohler (BMC) and Serghei Tvetcov (Jelly Belly).
The official press recap released after the stage quoted Jens Voigt as saying, “We put it all on the line today. We hoped for the best and there are no regrets about it,” said Voigt. “I did my best and I don’t think I could have done better. I took as much risk as I would have dared to take and I was all in today. I would like a stage win here, but no one is going to give it to me. There is no such thing in cycling.”
“It was a huge win today. It was perfect for me,” said Viviani. “My perfect sprint is 200 meters and when I saw the 200 meter mark, I went with maximum power. I had a great and beautiful experience in 2011 and now I’ve come back three years later and it’s still such a beautiful place. I like to race here so much, but it’s really difficult.”
The Classification Jerseys: It is not over yet, there are 7 other men within a minute of Tejay van Garderen for overall race leader. Danny Summerhill (23 points) is challenging Kiel Reijnen (27 points) for the sprinters green jersey. Tejay van Garderen (27 points) is the closest challenger to Bens Jaccque-Maynes for the polka-dot mountains jersey. Clement Chevrier has pretty much secured his title as best young rider. And we have three more stages to go.
RESULTS
Stage 4 Results
First - Elia Viviani (ITA) of Cannondale Pro Cycling
Second - Martin Kohler (SUI) of BMC Racing Team
Third - Serghei Tvetcov (ROM) of Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
GC Standings
First - Tejay van Garderen (USA) of BMC Racing Team
Second - Rafał Majka (POL) of Tinkoff-Saxo
Third - Ben Hermans (BEL) of BMC Racing Team
Jersey Winners
Yellow Jersey – Tejay van Garderen (USA) of BMC Racing Team
Green Sprint Jersey – Kiel Reijnen (USA) of UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team
King of the Mountains Jersey – Ben Jacques-Maynes (USA) of Jamis-Hagens Berman CSU Best Young Rider Jersey – Clement Chevrier (FRA) of Bissell Development Team
Most Aggressive Rider Orange Jersey – Jens Voigt (GER) of Trek Factory Racing
Best Colorado Rider Jersey – Tejay van Garderen (USA) of BMC Racing Team
Winner's Interview from Stage 4 (01:48 English) — nbcsports
PHOTOS - STAGE 4 (please click any photo to enlarge) All photos by Karen at Pedal Dancer®
I had so much fun today, I drove down from Denver and rode my bike into Garden of the Gods. It is always exciting for me to wonder how many other drivers are heading the same place I am - do they get to go see a bike race today as well? I parked near the visitor center in the park and instantly began talking with fans gathering nearby, the sun was out and the mood was bright.
I chatted with so many people today and learned about where they had traveled from and where they were traveling to. So many fans with wonderful stories of their experiences at this race. For me, it was a very pleasant day in nature today.
The Scenery
The Fans
The Race
Riders after the time limit today:
72 BOLIVAR HERNANDEZ Isaac (United Health Care)(COL), but here he is being cheered on as he came through Garden of the Gods on the last lap ...
TOMORROW'S STAGE
Stage 5 activities and schedule for the day:
Friday, August 22, 2014, Woodland Park to Breckenridge
FRIDAY, STAGE 5 : 104 miles Stage 5 Map (use this link: 2014/stage-5, Stage 5 Profile PDF
Woodland Park to Breckenridge, traditional road stage with climbing and descending in the last miles.
Stage 5 Start time: 11:20pm
Stage 5 Finish time: 3:50pm
Stage 5 Timetable.pdf
State Highways Impacted: US 24, US 285, SH9, USA Pro Challenge Road Closures 2014
* Please note the route will go over Hoosier pass following Hwy 9 on both sides and not take the diversion onto the gravel roads on the north side of the pass.
BRECKENRIDGE - Friday, Stage 5
http://www.gobreck.com/events/community-events/usa-pro-cycling-challenge local race website
Friday: 9:00am-3:00pm - Festival in Woodland Park
Friday: 11:20am - Stage 5 start in Woodland Park
Friday: 12:00-5:00pm - Festival Expo at Blue River Park (and nearby parking lots)
Friday: 3:50pm (approximate) - Stage 5 Finish on Main Street
Friday: 7:30pm - Big Head Todd and the Monsters free concert at River Walk
Best viewing: Start line in Woodland Park, scenery along Terryall Rd, Johnston, Fairplay, Alma, Hoosier Pass, climbs above Breckenridge, finish line on Main Street.
My tips on seeing the stage: On the path of the 2014 USA Pro Challenge - Breckenridge by Pedal Dancer®
USA PRO CHALLENGE Race, travel and fan guide by Pedal Dancer®
The peloton pretty much took over Colorado Springs today where the weather was spectacular. An early breakaway of 11 riders, gained as much as a 4-minute lead on the peloton, but with 40km to go Jens Voigt attacked out of the group taking Ben Jacques-Maynes with him. Jacques-Maynes later fell off Jensie's wheel once he tallied his desired KOM points on the climb. That left Jens alone in a solo breakaway to the delight of the crowds. Voigt was caught 1km from the line by Elia Viviani, the mighty Italian sprinter, who said his team set him up perfectly for the final sprint. Viviani won ahead of Martin Kohler (BMC) and Serghei Tvetcov (Jelly Belly).
The official press recap released after the stage quoted Jens Voigt as saying, “We put it all on the line today. We hoped for the best and there are no regrets about it,” said Voigt. “I did my best and I don’t think I could have done better. I took as much risk as I would have dared to take and I was all in today. I would like a stage win here, but no one is going to give it to me. There is no such thing in cycling.”
“It was a huge win today. It was perfect for me,” said Viviani. “My perfect sprint is 200 meters and when I saw the 200 meter mark, I went with maximum power. I had a great and beautiful experience in 2011 and now I’ve come back three years later and it’s still such a beautiful place. I like to race here so much, but it’s really difficult.”
The Classification Jerseys: It is not over yet, there are 7 other men within a minute of Tejay van Garderen for overall race leader. Danny Summerhill (23 points) is challenging Kiel Reijnen (27 points) for the sprinters green jersey. Tejay van Garderen (27 points) is the closest challenger to Bens Jaccque-Maynes for the polka-dot mountains jersey. Clement Chevrier has pretty much secured his title as best young rider. And we have three more stages to go.
RESULTS
Stage 4 Results
First - Elia Viviani (ITA) of Cannondale Pro Cycling
Second - Martin Kohler (SUI) of BMC Racing Team
Third - Serghei Tvetcov (ROM) of Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
GC Standings
First - Tejay van Garderen (USA) of BMC Racing Team
Second - Rafał Majka (POL) of Tinkoff-Saxo
Third - Ben Hermans (BEL) of BMC Racing Team
Jersey Winners
Yellow Jersey – Tejay van Garderen (USA) of BMC Racing Team
Green Sprint Jersey – Kiel Reijnen (USA) of UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team
King of the Mountains Jersey – Ben Jacques-Maynes (USA) of Jamis-Hagens Berman CSU Best Young Rider Jersey – Clement Chevrier (FRA) of Bissell Development Team
Most Aggressive Rider Orange Jersey – Jens Voigt (GER) of Trek Factory Racing
Best Colorado Rider Jersey – Tejay van Garderen (USA) of BMC Racing Team
General Classification after Stage 4 (via Steephill.TV) USA 1 VAN GARDEREN, Tejay (BMC RACING) 13:03:45 POL 2 MAJKA, Rafal (TINKOFF-SAXO) + 20 BEL 3 HERMANS, Ben (BMC RACING) + 23 USA 4 DANIELSON, Thomas (GARMIN SHARP) + 34 MDA 5 TVETCOV, Serghei (JELLY BELLY P/B MAXXIS) + 37 USA 6 BUSCHE, Matthew (TREK FACTORY RACING) + 46 USA 7 JONES, Carter (OPTUM P/B KELLY BENEFIT STRATEGIES) + 49 USA 8 ROSSKOPF, Joseph (HINCAPIE SPORTSWEAR DEVELOPMENT) + 55 POL 9 HUZARSKI, Bartosz (NETAPP - ENDURA) + 1:09 USA 10 KYER, Julian (TEAM SMARTSTOP) + 1:22 FRA 11 CHEVRIER, Clement (BISSELL DEVELOPMENT TEAM) + 1:23 USA 12 HOWES, Alex (GARMIN SHARP) + 1:45 POR 13 PIRES, Bruno (TINKOFF-SAXO) + 2:28 USA 14 BOOKWALTER, Brent (BMC RACING) + 2:37 AUT 15 ZOIDL, Riccardo (TREK FACTORY RACING) + 2:47
Winner's Interview from Stage 4 (01:48 English) — nbcsports
When @thejensie is in the breakaway & @eliaviviani wins the race, you end up with rather sore legs! Great stuff @cannondalePro #greenmachine
— cameron james wurf (@cameronwurf) August 21, 2014
PHOTOS - STAGE 4 (please click any photo to enlarge) All photos by Karen at Pedal Dancer®
I had so much fun today, I drove down from Denver and rode my bike into Garden of the Gods. It is always exciting for me to wonder how many other drivers are heading the same place I am - do they get to go see a bike race today as well? I parked near the visitor center in the park and instantly began talking with fans gathering nearby, the sun was out and the mood was bright.
I chatted with so many people today and learned about where they had traveled from and where they were traveling to. So many fans with wonderful stories of their experiences at this race. For me, it was a very pleasant day in nature today.
The Scenery
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| A beautiful mountain setting today in Colorado Springs |
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| This is where my day at the bike race started. Sort of nice. (iphone photo!) |
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| An enormous deer in Garden of the Gods, seen after lap 4 |
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| They came by bike ... |
The Fans
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| This Father and Son knew who was going to win the stage today - Elia Viviani! |
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| "Eat more chicken" |
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| Jens Voigt Fans at Garden of the Gods |
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| Photo bombing fan |
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| I witnessed Jens Voigt actually ask to have his photo taken with this fan at his Fan Club Meeting in Aspen. |
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| A nice place to watch a bike race. And yet another Trek fan. |
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| Shut Up Legs! |
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| Colorado Cycling Race Commentator Larry Grossman rode his bike to the stage today |
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| Pizza Hut on the climb |
The Race
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| Ben Jacques-Maynes takes the KOM points on Lap 1 |
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| The peloton at KOM Lap 1 |
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| Breakaway Lap 2 |
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| Breakaway on Ridge Rd |
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| Peloton Lap 2 |
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| The peloton climbing up Ridge Rd on Lap 2 - it was "hard" |
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| A swoosh of color |
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| Lap 3 - here comes the break again |
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| Watching a bike race in Garden of the Gods |
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| Exciting stage today |
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| Hard climbing today |
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| The peloton on Lap 3 |
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| Racing in Garden of the Gods today - amazing setting for a bike race! |
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| Oh how I will miss watching this man race a bike!! The Jensie in a solo breakaway. |
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| The peloton on the final Lap 4 |
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| Elia Viviani #48 sits in the pack on the final pass under the KOM marker, waiting .... the finish line is near |
72 BOLIVAR HERNANDEZ Isaac (United Health Care)(COL), but here he is being cheered on as he came through Garden of the Gods on the last lap ...
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| Issac Bolivar |
TOMORROW'S STAGE
Stage 5 activities and schedule for the day:
Friday, August 22, 2014, Woodland Park to Breckenridge
FRIDAY, STAGE 5 : 104 miles Stage 5 Map (use this link: 2014/stage-5, Stage 5 Profile PDF
Woodland Park to Breckenridge, traditional road stage with climbing and descending in the last miles.
Stage 5 Start time: 11:20pm
Stage 5 Finish time: 3:50pm
Stage 5 Timetable.pdf
State Highways Impacted: US 24, US 285, SH9, USA Pro Challenge Road Closures 2014
* Please note the route will go over Hoosier pass following Hwy 9 on both sides and not take the diversion onto the gravel roads on the north side of the pass.
BRECKENRIDGE - Friday, Stage 5
http://www.gobreck.com/events/community-events/usa-pro-cycling-challenge local race website
Friday: 9:00am-3:00pm - Festival in Woodland Park
Friday: 11:20am - Stage 5 start in Woodland Park
Friday: 12:00-5:00pm - Festival Expo at Blue River Park (and nearby parking lots)
Friday: 3:50pm (approximate) - Stage 5 Finish on Main Street
Friday: 7:30pm - Big Head Todd and the Monsters free concert at River Walk
Best viewing: Start line in Woodland Park, scenery along Terryall Rd, Johnston, Fairplay, Alma, Hoosier Pass, climbs above Breckenridge, finish line on Main Street.
My tips on seeing the stage: On the path of the 2014 USA Pro Challenge - Breckenridge by Pedal Dancer®
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| 2014 USA Pro Challenge - Stage 5 route map (route uses Hwy 9 over Hoosier Pass) |