Summit County Citizens Voice

Stage 2 ends with steep climb to Mt. Crested Butte

Racers speed along the shore of Blue Mesa Reservoir. Photo courtesy USA Pro Cycling Challenge and Doug Pensinger/Getty Images.

And Tejay van Garderen has won stage 2 of the #USAPro!!—
USA Pro Challenge (@USAProChallenge) August 21, 2012

ejay Van Garderen riding for BMC Racing celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win stage two of the USA Pro Challenge from Montrose to Crested Butte on August 21, 2012 in Crested Butte, Colorado. Photo courtesy Garrett Ellwood/Getty Images.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — American racers Tejay Van Garderen (BMC Racing Team) and Christian Vandevelde (Garmin-Sharp-Barracuda) swept the top two spots in Stage 2 of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, edging out Russian rider Ivan Rovny (RusVelo) in the 99-mile stage from Montrose to Mt. Crested Butte.

Stage 2 was a mix of old and new, covering a new route for the first 62 miles, then veering back to the 2011 route up to the last grueling climb to the finish in Mt. Crested Butte.

Early climbs over Cerro Summit and Blue Mesa Summit helped set the stage for early breakaway specialists before the course flattened out along Blue Mesa Reservoir and the first sprint of the day in Gunnison, which will also host the start city of Stage 3.

Last year’s winner Levi Leipheimer took the overall lead during the final 12-mile climb to Mt. Crested Butte.

Jerseys

• Exergy Leader Jersey – Tejay Van Garderen (USA) of BMC Racing Team
• Waste Management Sprint Jersey – Tyler Farrar (USA) of Garmin-Sharp-Barracuda
• Nissan King of the Mountains Jersey – Tom Danielson (USA) of Garmin-Sharp-Barracuda
• Aquadraat Best Young Rider Jersey – Joseph Lloyd Dombrowski (USA) of Bontrager Livestrong Team
• Evolve Most Aggressive Rider Jersey – Rafael Infantino Abreu (COL) of EPM-UNE

Overall standings

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: | BMC Racing Team, Christian VandeVelde, Levi Leipheimer, Tejay Van Garderen, Tyler Farrar, USA Pro Cycling Challenge Stage 2