USA Pro Challenge: Reijnen wins stage 3 in Aspen

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Kiel Reijnen (UnitedHealthcare) sprinted to the stage 3 win Wednesday at the USA Pro Challenge after a tricky-but-fast descent down Independence Pass into Aspen. Repeating his win in Aspen last year, the American topped BMC's Rohan Dennis and a hard-charging Ruben Zepuntke (Cannondale-Garmin), who finished third after regaining with the group on the descent.

Brent Bookwalter (BMC Racing) kept the yellow jersey after his team covered multiple attacks leading into the finish. Dennis remains in second, with UnitedHealthhcare's Jonny Clarke remaining in third.

Reijnen, who had three teammates in the front group, said his win was a total team effort.

"We knew it was going to be hectic," Reijnen said of the final few kilometres. "We were lucky that BMC’s tactics were kind of aligned with ours to keep everything together. I had Jonny [Clarke], Janez [Brajkovic] and Marco [Canola] with me to help sew it back together, so a huge amount of teamwork happened in those last few k.

"When we hit those last few corners — you know it’s a really fast run-in and I know the town well — Marco came on the right-hand side as everyone else was lining up for those corners, and he took me like twice as fast through the first corner as everybody else."

Reijnen had to beat back Axeon's Logan Owen, who won a stage earlier this month at the Tour of Utah, before he could claim the win.

"When we swung left I took it pretty hot, but Logan took the inside and jumped straightaway, which was great move on his part," Reijnen said. "I had to decide at that point if I was going to leave Marco's wheel and follow him. But he had so much speed that I jumped off Marco's wheel and went after him. Sometimes that kind of effort can cost you in the sprint, but at altitude everybody is really tired from the climb. So as soon as I got to his wheel I just kept going. I'm really pleased with the win, especially after all the work my teammates did."

How it unfolded

Wednesday's 163km fourth stage started at Copper Mountain Resort just below 3,000 metres, reached 3,377 metres on Fremont Pass in the first 10km and then hit 3,686 metres going over Independence Pass just 30km from the finish in Aspen.

With a long day in the saddle ahead, the peloton appeared to be in no hurry to start the fireworks, and after several groups attempted unsuccessfully to get away on Fremont Pass, Jamis-Hagens Berman's Colombian climber Daniel Jaramillo took the KOM at the summit ahead of Caja Rural-Seguros RGA's Kyle Murphy, Trek Factory Racing's Laurent Didier and Hincapie's Joe Lewis.

Seven more riders joined those four over the top of the climb, and the day's breakaway took shape. In the group with Jaramillo, Murphy, Didier and Lewis were Jesus Hernandez (Tinkoff-Saxo), Janier Acevedo (Cannondale-Garmin), Miguel Benito (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), Timothy Roe (Drapac), Dion Smith (Hincapie), Daniel Eaton (Axeon) and Jack Bobridge (Team Budget Forklifts).

With 130km remaining in the stage, the escapees had 2:40 on the peloton, but with Smith starting the day just 1:22 off the lead of Bookwalter, BMC was not letting out much rope. The gap varied between 3:35 and three minutes for much of the day but then ballooned to 4:30 on the way to Independence Pass, after the peloton got some inaccurate time checks. BMC picked up the pace and pulled the leaders back within range, and the GC battle on the pass was still in play.

As expected, the climb up Independence Pass was the decisive factor on the day, and BMC began pulling the breakaway back rapidly as they started the 30km ascent.

Hernandez took up the pace setting in the break group, which began to split up under the pressure. Another surge created a new lead trio, with Bobridge, Didier and Smith going clear.

Didier pressed the pace again as the road got steeper, gaining a gap over Smith and Bobridge. The Trek rider, who won a nasty, wet stage in Breckenridge last year, is one of the better descenders in the peloton and went over the top of the climb with less than a minute over the chase.

Rohan Dennis set the pace for BMC up the climb, and the bunch soon swept up a move by Davide Formolo (Cannondale-Garmin) and the remnants of the original breakaway.

Dennis' pace whittled the group down to about a dozen riders, including Jelly Belly-Maxxis' Lachlan Morton, who attacked the yellow jersey group near the top of the climb and gained a quick gap. Morton swept up Bobridge and Smith, dispatched them and then set off after Didier, who was already steaming down the descent.

Morton caught Didier, but it was for naught as the lead group was quickly on them. By the time the leaders barrelled down Independence Pass, their numbers had swelled to about 25, and despite repeated attacks from Jelly Belly, Axeon, Hincapie and others over the run into the finish, the group approached the line mostly together. Australians Dennis and Bobridge tried a late move, but they were also brought back into the fold.

From there it was a full-on group sprint, with Reijnen following wheels until he jumped past Dennis and Owen in the final 200 metres, while Zepuntke surged from seven or eight riders back to grab the final podium spot.

"There was a hole in the road and I hit it, so I couldn’t grab my handlebar and I was third," Zepuntke told Cycingnews. "I had one of the best sprints in the group, but when you come out of the corner in place seven or eight, it’s too late. You’re too far behind."

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