Indonesian Digital News Archive

American riders once again claimed the top three positions at the USA Pro Cycling Challenge which concluded yesterday with a short time trial on the streets of Denver, Colorado. The seventh, and final stage, capped a week of racing through the Rocky Mountains on a course that featured 50,000 feet of climbing and plenty of altitude.

The first place finisher was Christian Vande Velde of Team Garmin-Sharp-Baracuda. He finished 21 seconds ahead of Tejay Van Garderen of Team BMC Racing and 24 seconds in front of defending champ Levi Leipheimer of Omega-Pharma-Quickstep.

The 863-mile long race was a fast and furious one all week long with daring breakaways and tough showdowns on Colorado's mountain slopes. Throughout the week Vande Velde and Van Garderen challenged one another for the lead with virtually no difference in their times. Yesterday Vande Velde managed to finish the 9.5 mile (15.2km) time trial ahead of Van Garderen, giving him the victory on the final day.

It seems it was another successful year for the fledgling race, which got off to a great start in 2011 and was viewed as an excellent event again this year. Hopefully the future is bright for this race, which has attracted some great riders from all over the world.

Congrats to Vande Velde on a well deserved win.

It has been an eventful week on the roads of Colorado where the USA Pro Cycling has been a fast and furious affair thus far. After three stages, the top of the leaderboard is dominated by American riders, while 25 cyclists sit less than one minute off the lead.

The race got off to a good start on Monday with a long 126-mile leg. That stage was won by Tyler Farrar of Team Garmin-Sharp-Barracuda, who was happy to ride well following a crash-prone outing in the Tour de France last month. Tuesday's Stage 2 went to Tejay Van Garderen of BMC Racing while yesterday's win went to Tom Danielson, also of Garmin-Sharp. That means during all three days of racing, American riders have crossed the finish line in front.

The overall standings have Christian Vandevelde and Garderen in a virtual tie atop the leaderboard with Ivan Rovny of RusVelo. RusVelo is a new Russian squad that was created last year and are starting to show some promise out on the road. Defending champ Levi Leiphimer, who now rides for Omega Pharma-Quick-Step is sitting in fourth place just eight seconds off the lead.

Today's Stage 4 is a 97.2-mile ride (156.4km) ride from beautiful Aspen to Beaver Creek that includes a climb as high as 12,095 feet (3686 meters) on Independence Pass early on in the race. Over the first three days the pace has been fast, despite plenty of climbing and altitude, and today is likely to be no different. Considering how many riders are within striking distance of the lead, the race remains a wide open affair that will probably be decided in the individual time trial scheduled for Sunday in Denver.

I'm glad to see the race is living up to the legacy that was set down last year. The course is tough, but still allows riders to be aggressive and it remains very competitive as we head into the second half. I'm sure that a number of the American riders are hoping to once again take the win on home soil but we'll have to wait to see how it all plays out.

The second edition of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge will get underway today in Durango, Colorado where some of the top rider in the world will embark on what is becoming America's premiere cycling event. The race will last all week long, culminating with an individual time trial on the streets of Denver next Sunday.

After just one year, the race has already earned itself a reputation for being amongst the tougher short events on the cycling circuit. Riding in Colorado will always present challenges of course, particularly with the higher altitudes – much of the race takes place above 10,000 feet (3048 meters) – and loads of climbing. This year's course is 683 miles in length and features more than 50,000 feet of vertical gain.

The peloton features plenty of big names once again this year. 2011 Tour de France winner Cadel Evans returns once again, as does defending champ Levi Leipheimer. Evan's teammate Tejay Van Garderen, who is coming off a strong showing at last month's Tour, will also be riding, as will Vincenzo Ibali, George Hincapie, Taylor Phinney and a host of others.

Today's opening stage runs from Durango to Telluride and covers some 126 miles. The Riders will face a tough climb above 10,000 feet on Lizard Head Pass before making a screaming descent toward the finish line down the other side.

Look for regular update on the race throughout the week. It looks like it should be another great week for cycling in the U.S.