USA Pro Challenge 2013: Stage 5

Good afternoon and welcome to our live coverage of Stage 5 of the USA Pro Challenge, a 16.3 km time trial in Vail, Colorado.

The riders are warming up for the start of the Stage 5 time trial in Vail this afternoon. It’s a beautiful and sunny day with temperatures expected to stay around 75 degrees Fahrenheit. It looks like the riders will have a slight cross-tail wind, but the breeze is very mild.

There are a lot of fans out to watch the race start in Vail Village. People are already lining the route in lawn chairs at the start of the climb up Vail Pass. There are tons of cyclists riding along the route to get a good spot to watch the race. Cyclingnews’ Peter Hymas is on the climb right now and says the spectator craziness is in full swing all the way up.

There was an Amateur time trial earlier today and the riders received rock star treatment with Dave Towle announcing their starts off the ramp.

The first pro rider off today is Tom Soladay from the American team Optum presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies.

Nathan Brown (Bontrager) is on the starting ramp. He is a two-time under 23 American time trial champion. He's had a great season thus far and recently announced that he will be racing with ProTeam Garmin-Sharp next season.

Sky's Richie Porte is on the starting ramp now. American cycling fans are very happy to have him racing in Colorado this week.

While we wait for the first riders to finish their time trials, here's a bit of information about the course they're racing on today.

It starts in Vail Village, does a tight opening loop through some of the small tourist streets and then gets on the frontage road, which parallels I-70. The riders head east and the course is flattish for the first half followed by a gentle rise. They are treated to immaculate pavement and pines lining the course on the second half as it climbs up Vail Pass. It’s not particularly steep, but the elevation will take its toll. The steepest part is in the final kilometre, where there is currently a huge party going on. There’s even a bubble machine with 300 metres to go!

Omer Kem, DS for Bissel Pro Cycling, says that he expects his rider Carter Jones to have a top-10 result in the time trial today, perhaps even 5th or 6th place. He believes the time trial is not a pure climber's course, but more suited to a climber who can time trial well too. He picks the current overall race leader Tejay Van Garderen (BMC) to win today.

Optum presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies' DS Jonas Carney says that this course is perfect for his rider Tom Zirbel, the current US time trial champion. He says that Zirbel is a powerful guy and he can climb better than most people expect. Carney is hoping that Zirbel has a top-10 performance today.

To recap the overall results heading into the Stage 5 time trial are as follows:

1. Tejay Van Garderen (BMC)
2. Mathias Frank (BMC) + 00:00:04
3. Janier Acevedo (Jamis-Hagens Berman) + 00:00:30
4. Tom Danielson (Garmin-Sharp) + 00:00:40
5. Lachlan Morton (Garmin-Sharp) + 00:01:17

Tour de France winner Chris Froome (Sky) is out on course. He's probably not used to starting his time trial so early on! He's helping out his teammates this week.

And the first rider off today, Tom Soladay, just finished his time trial with a 30:45 minutes.

Jason McCartney (Bissell) is holding the fastest time so far with a 27:49.

Richie Porte (Sky) is tackling the hardest part of the course now. He has just a few more kilometres to go.

Porte just finished with a time of 28:34.

Garmin-Sharp DS Chann McRae thinks that his rider Tom Danielson will have a good ride today. He says that Danielson will try not to worry too much about race leader Tejay Van Garderen (BMC), and instead focus on his own time trial. He said, "It's not over until the final day and we are here to race it."

UnitedHealthcare boss Mike Tamayo believes that his rider Philip Deignan will be their highest placed rider in the time trial. He is hoping that Deignan can move into the top 10 overall after today. He told Cyclingnews' Pat Malach that, "This is a strongman's course that favours a guy who can hold his power on the flats and gain time on the climbs."

Deignan is currently sitting in 12th place overall.

McCartney is still holding the fastest time of 27:49 minutes. He told Cyclingnews' Peter Hymas at the finish line that,

"There was a bit of a tailwind at the start but once I started climbing the wind was not a factor. They call me the diesel, and that's what I did, just a steady effort. If the weather changes and it starts to rain my time might hold, but I expect the GC guys to beat it."

Well it looks like McCartney may have spoken too soon. Kanstantsin Siutsou (Sky) just came through with the new best time of 26:17.

Froome finished his time trial with a time of 28:08, good enough for 4th place at the moment.

Freddy Rodriguez (Jelly Belly presented by Kenda) just finished in 30:15.

Craig Lewis (Champion System) just posted a time of 27:43, second place right now. He's had a great ride so far securing the most aggressive rider jersey in the first stage.

Ryan Anderson (Optum presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies) just came through with a 30:06. The Canadian placed third during Stage 3 out of a bunch sprint.

The top three fastest times so far are:

Kanstantin Siutsou (Sky) 26:17

Craig Lewis (Champion System) 27:43

Jason McCartney (Bissell) 27:49

King of the Mountain leader, Matt Cooke (Jamis-Hagens Berman) just came through with a time of 30:48.

His teammate Ben Jacques-Maynes just finished his time trial in 28:33, 9th place so far.

Marsh Cooper (Optum presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies) finished his time trial in 29:46.

Ben King (RadioShack) just posted the 4th fastest time so far in 27:51.

Levi Leipheimer won this stage during the 2011 edition with a time of 25:47 minutes. He beat Christian Vande Velde by less than one second. 

Jens Voigt just posted a time of 28:25.

The top three fastest times at the moment are:

Kanstantsin Siutsou (Sky) 26:17

Simon Geschke (Argos-Shimano) 27:28

Craig Lewis (Champion System) 27:43

US time trial champion Tom Zirbel (Optum presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies) is on course and expecting to post a fast time today.

Christopher Juul Jensen has a new second fastest time of 27:09, bumping Geschke into 3rd place.

Siutsou is still holding the fastest time of 26:17.

Fabio Duarte has just taken over second place with a time of 27:08.

There are tons of people lining the course and cheering for the riders, especially at the one kilometre to go mark. 

Ben King (RadioShack) is currently sitting in 11th place in the time trial ranking with his time of 27:51. He was run off the road by a car on Thursday before the USA Pro Challenge started but it was too late for the team to find a replacement. 

He told Cyclingnews' Peter Hymas that he, "could have gone faster but the altitude made it really tough. I hit a wall in the last 300 metres and fell apart.

"I will race to the finish in Denver but overall it has been a disappointing race for my team. We are hoping that George Bennett can move into the top 10 overall."

Bennett is currently ranked 13th in the overall.

Andrew Talansky (Garmin-Sharp) has bumped Siutsou out of the top spot in the time trial after posting a time of 25:05.

The top three so far are:

Andrew Talansky (Garmin-Sharp) 25:05

Tobias Ludvigsson (Argos-Shimano) 26:17

Kanstantsin Siutsou (Sky) 26:17

Talansky has set a new course record with his time of 25:05, beating Levi Leipheimer who posted a time of 25:47 in 2011.

Talansky spoke with Cyclingnews' Peter Hymas after his time trial and said,

"This was the hardest time trial of my life. I was flat out the whole way and nearly blew up in the last kilometre. This is the stage that I wanted to win. I hope I can hold off the GC guys."

The top three fastest times are:

Andrew Talansky (Garmin-Sharp) 25:05

Stephen Cummings (BMC) 26:05

Tobias Ludvigsson (Argos-Shimano) 26:17

US time trial champion Tom Zirbel just finished with a time of 26:53

Andy Schleck (RadioShack) is finishing now with a time of 27:52

Fans are beating on the barriers in the last kilometre of the time trial, cheering on each rider.

Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Sharp) is having a good time trial right now, and he's about to finish. He nearly tied with Levi Leipheimer in the 2011 edition with a time of 25:47.

The top three times at the moment are:

Andrew Talansky (Garmin-Sharp) 25:05

Stephen Cummings (BMC) 26:05

Lawrence Warbasse (BMC) 26:13

Christian Vande Velde has one kilometre to go.

Vande Velde just finished with a time of 26:25

His time is good enough for 6th place so far. The USA Pro Challenge will be his last race in the US before he retires at the end of this season.

UnitedHealthcare's Lucas Euser is sitting in 10th place overall and told Cyclingnews,

“The Vail time trial is a classic, being part of this event in 2011 and in other races. It's always a decisive stage, but one that can be decided by small margins, like when Christian Vande Velde and Levi Leipheimer were separated by less than one second in 2011. I think we'll see similar fireworks this year. Coming after such hard stages, there might be bigger separations. It's not a pure time trialist's course. It's difficult to judge your effort - use too much on the flat part at the beginning, and you can blow up on the climb, but save too much and you lose time. There is a lot of thought that goes into an effort like this compared with a flat time trial. It's steep initially, but there is no break, it's all uphill, and at 9,000 feet.”

Mick Rogers (Saxo-Tinkoff) posted a time of 27:02, and is sitting in 13th place right now. He told Cyclingnews' Peter Hymas,

"I had a hard day yesterday so it was just a steady effort for me today. I think this is the highest altitude time trial I've done and it hurt, even though I wasn't riding full gas. I've had a good week. If Rory [Sutherland] puts in a good ride he can get 5th overall."

Sutherland is currently sitting in 9th overall.

The top three times right now are:

Andrew Talansky (Garmin-Sharp) 25:05

Stephen Cummings (BMC) 26:05

Lawrence Warbasse (BMC) 26:13

There are three more riders waiting to start their time trials - Mathias Frank, Janier Acevedo and Tejay Van Garderen.

Frank and Acevedo are now on course.

Current race leader Tejay Van Garderen (BMC) is on the starting ramp and the crowds are cheering .

To recap the overall results heading into the Stage 5 time trial are as follows:

1. Tejay Van Garderen (BMC)
2. Mathias Frank (BMC) + 00:00:04
3. Janier Acevedo (Jamis-Hagens Berman) + 00:00:30
4. Tom Danielson (Garmin-Sharp) + 00:00:40
5. Lachlan Morton (Garmin-Sharp) + 00:01:17

After his time trial, Christian Vande Velde told Cyclingnews' Peter Hymas,

"I started hard but there were too many times when I just wanted to back off. They are very fast conditions today. Tom Danielson should do well, but those [GC] guys have been attacking each other for the last few days."

Saxo-Tinkoff's Rory Sutherland just posted a time of 27:14.

Tom Danielson is pushing the pace to get the fast time possible on the time trial course, before the race heads into the final two stages.

Van Garderen just posted the fastest split of the day on the time trial course.

Acevedo is on the climb with two kilometres to go. He is looking very strong on Vail Pass, as expected.

Lachlan Morton just posted a time of 26:18, good enough for 6th place.

Danielson is at 1 km to go.

Danielson finishes with a time of 26:03

Danielson's time is second fastest, just under a minute behind his teammate Talansky.

Van Garderen is about to catch his two-minute man Acevedo.

Van Garderen is at 1 km to go.

Frank just finished with a time of 26:27

Van Garderen is really lighting up this climb. He's pushing the pace all the way to the finish line.

Acevedo finished with a time of 27:02

Van Garderen finished with a time of 25:01, and has won the time trial!

The unofficial top 10 in the time trial are:

1. Tejay van Garderen (BMC) 25:01
2. Andrew Talansky (Garmin-Sharp) 25:05
3. Tom Danielson (Garmin-Sharp) 26:03
4. Stephen Cummings (BMC) 26:05
5. Lawrence Warbasse (BMC) 26:13
6. Tobias Ludvigsson (Argos-Shimano) 26:17
7. Kanstantsin Siutsou (Sky) 26:17
8. Lachlan Morton (Garmin-Sharp) 26:18
9. Christian VandeVelde (Garmin-Sharp) 26:25
10. Mathias Frank (BMC) 26:29

The unofficial top three in the overall:

1. Tejay van Garderen (BMC) 16:10

2. Mathias Frank (BMC) + 1:30

3. Tom Danielson (Garmin-Sharp)  + 1:42

Thank you for following along with our live coverage of the USA Pro Challenge Stage 5 time trial. Join us again tomorrow for the Stage 6 road race from Loveland to Ft. Collins.