2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge Stage 6

In a strong show of solid teamwork, Team RadioShack claimed another victory on American soil with team leader Levi Leipheimer earning the win in the inaugural USA Pro Cycling Challenge, August 22-28 in Colorado. The final stage from Golden into downtown Denver ended in the shadow of the State Capitol after a challenging 115.9km/70.9mi route took the riders over Lookout Mountain before descending into the downtown area to complete six laps on the city streets in front of loud, enthusiastic and massive crowds. The victory went to Italian Daniel Oss (Liquigas-Cannondale). The overall classification didn’t change on the final day despite a number of attacks from Team Garmin-Cervélo.

For Levi Leipheimer (37) the USA Pro Cycling Challenge is his 17th overall victory as a pro rider in a stage race. The win marks the 30th win of the season for Team RadioShack.

“This has been a great year for Team RadioShack. We couldn’t ask for anything more,” said Leipheimer. “We’re fortunate and lucky to have so many victories this year. We’ve had twice as many as last year and it’s thanks to great teamwork. For this race I need to mention especially Ivan Rovny who was awesome in the mountains but the whole team did a great job. Also a big thanks to our great sponsors. I have to say RadioShack and Nissan have really been behind us these past two years and it’s made a big difference in our performance.” Under the watchful eye of Team Director Alain Gallopin, the riders from Team RadioShack rose to the occasion to defend Leipheimer’s race lead.

Seven stages in seven days took the riders in 17 teams from Colorado Springs on Monday and made their way through the high passes of the Rocky Mountain ski areas before ending Sunday in the “Mile High City” of Denver. Leipheimer originally took the race lead on the uphill finish into Aspen on Stage 1 but lost the yellow jersey the following day in the descent of Independence Pass. A perfect ride on the time trial stage Thursday put Leipheimer back in the lead by 11-seconds, an advantage he carried all the way to Sunday. Second place went to Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Cervélo) and third to TeJay Van Garderen of HTC-Highroad.

“It took some of the best form of my career to beat Christian and Garmin-Cervélo,” continued Leipheimer. “They were the local favorite and I appreciate the race they put on. The way it all played out – taking the jersey, losing the jersey and then putting on one of my best performances ever to take it back and then hold on to it.”

In June of this year Levi Leipheimer won the Tour de Suisse and then the Tour of Utah earlier this August.

“After the crashes and disappointment of the Tour, I was able to refocus and pick out some smaller goals. I ended up using the Tour as training and in the back of my mind I already had Utah and Colorado in my mind. It couldn’t have gone any better. This season is maybe my best ever, though it all went up and down. I had some illness in the beginning. I was riding second in Catalunya and I got sick and had to go to the hospital. I had to fight my way back from a pretty low point in April. But since then I’ve been super focused. I’ve been working really hard. I’ve had the help of my teammates and friends and family.”

Speaking of the crowd on hand in Denver, Leipheimer said, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a big crowd in the United States. That makes this an important victory. Thank you to all the fans for coming out. It’s been phenomenal.” Asked if he would consider coming back next year, Levi answered, “Without a doubt. You couldn’t pay me to stay away. It’s hard to put into words the experience I’ve had this week racing in Colorado.

“When I was 13 years old I watched the Tour de France on television and I read magazines about the Coors Classic on the roads right here in Colorado and the fights between Bernard Hinault, Greg LeMond and Andy Hampsten. Now to be here all these years later and to experience the size and scope of this race is beyond my expectations. This has really raised the bar for USA cycling. This victory means so much to me, mainly because of the way we raced this week. It was a battle tooth and nail all the way to the last corner.

“We now have two huge races in America and I hope they continue because it’s fantastic for us as American cyclists to come back and race on American soil. It’s great to bring the sport back to America on a scale this big.”

Stage 6 Results

1. Daniel OSS, Liquigas-Cannondale, at
2. Elia VIVIANI, Liquigas-Cannondale, at s.t.
3. Fred RODRIGUEZ, Team Exergy, at s.t.
4. Daniel SUMMERHILL, Team Garmin-Cervelo, at s.t.
5. Frank PIPP, Bissell Pro Cycling, at 00:02
6. Levi Leipheimer, Team RadioShack, at 00:02
7. Sergio HENAO MONTOYA, Gobernacion De Antioquia-Indeportes Antiquia, at 00:02
8. Rory SUTHERLAND, Unitedhealthcare Presented By Maxxis, at 00:02
9. Daniel LLOYD, Team Garmin-Cervelo, at 00:02
10. George Hincapie, BMC Racing Team, at 00:02
11. Stef CLEMENT, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 00:02
12. Martin MORTENSEN, Team Leopard-Trek, at 00:02
13. Frank SCHLECK, Team Leopard-Trek, at 00:02
14. Christian Vande Velde, Team Garmin-Cervelo, at 00:02
15. Bruno PIRES, Team Leopard-Trek, at 00:02
16. Tejay Van Garderen, HTC-Highroad, at 00:02
17. Ivan ROVNY, Team RadioShack, at 00:02
18. Andy SCHLECK, Team Leopard-Trek, at 00:02
19. Dennis VAN WINDEN, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 00:02
20. Cadel Evans, BMC Racing Team, at 00:02
21. Juan Pablo SUAREZ, UNE-EPM, at 00:02
22. Martin REIMER, Skil-Shimano, at 00:02
23. Jaime CASTANEDA, UNE-EPM, at 00:02
24. Tom DANIELSON, Team Garmin-Cervelo, at 00:02
25. Rafael INFANTINO ABREU, UNE-EPM, at 00:02
26. William DUGAN, Team Type 1-Sanofi Aventis, at 00:02
27. Brent BOOKWALTER, BMC Racing Team, at 00:02
28. Alexander EFIMKIN, Team Type 1-Sanofi Aventis, at 00:02
29. Lucas EUSER, Team Spidertech Powered By C10, at 00:02
30. Chad BEYER, BMC Racing Team, at 00:02
31. Michael MORKOV, Saxo Bank Sungard, at 00:02
32. Christopher BALDWIN, Bissell Pro Cycling, at 00:02
33. Grischa NIERMANN, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 00:02
34. Pieter WEENING, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 00:02
35. Peter STETINA, Team Garmin-Cervelo, at 00:02
36. Tobias LUDVIGSSON, Skil-Shimano, at 00:02
37. Rafael Anibal MONTIEL, Gobernacion De Antioquia-Indeportes Antiquia, at 00:02
38. Peter VELITS, HTC-Highroad, at 00:02
39. Oscar SEVILLA RIBIERO, Gobernacion De Antioquia-Indeportes Antiquia, at 00:02
40. Gustav LARSSON, Saxo Bank Sungard, at 00:02
41. Anders LUND, Team Leopard-Trek, at 00:02
42. Thomas PETERSON, Team Garmin-Cervelo, at 00:02
43. Laurent DIDIER, Saxo Bank Sungard, at 00:02
44. Benjamin KING, Team RadioShack, at 00:02
45. Andrés Miguel DÍAZ, Team Exergy, at 00:02
46. Robert GESINK, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 00:02
47. Rubens BERTOGLIATI, Team Type 1-Sanofi Aventis, at 00:02
48. Carlos PIAMONTE, UNE-EPM, at 00:02
49. Alex HAGMAN, Jelly Belly Cycling Team, at 00:02
50. Christopher BUTLER, BMC Racing Team, at 00:02
51. Eduard BELTRAN SUAREZ, UNE-EPM, at 00:02
52. Janier ACEVEDO CALLE, Gobernacion De Antioquia-Indeportes Antiquia, at 00:15
53. Laurens TEN DAM, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 00:15
54. Stefan DENIFL, Team Leopard-Trek, at 00:15
55. Cristhian MONTOYA, Gobernacion De Antioquia-Indeportes Antiquia, at 00:24
56. Daniel NAVARRO GARCIA, Saxo Bank Sungard, at 00:24
57. Vladimir EFIMKIN, Team Type 1-Sanofi Aventis, at 00:24
58. Javier MEGIAS LEAL, Team Type 1-Sanofi Aventis, at 00:24
59. Valeryi KOBZARENKO, Team Type 1-Sanofi Aventis, at 00:24
60. Edwar Stiber ORTIZ CARO, UNE-EPM, at 00:24
61. Ben JACQUES-MAYNES, Bissell Pro Cycling, at 00:24
62. Ben HERMANS, Team RadioShack, at 00:36
63. André STEENSEN, Saxo Bank Sungard, at 00:36
64. Oscar ALVAREZ, Gobernacion De Antioquia-Indeportes Antiquia, at 00:38
65. Walter PEDRAZA MORALES, UNE-EPM, at 00:38
66. Danny PATE, HTC-Highroad, at 00:38
67. Philip DEIGNAN, Team RadioShack, at 00:38
68. George BENNETT, Team RadioShack, at 00:38
69. Francois PARISIEN, Team Spidertech Powered By C10, at 00:49
70. Timothy DUGGAN, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 00:49
71. Lachlan NORRIS, HTC-Highroad, at 00:53
72. Alejandro RAMIREZ, Gobernacion De Antioquia-Indeportes Antiquia, at 00:59
73. Ryder HESJEDAL, Team Garmin-Cervelo, at 00:59
74. Christopher JONES, Unitedhealthcare Presented By Maxxis, at 01:02
75. Adrian HEGYVARY, Unitedhealthcare Presented By Maxxis, at 01:02
76. Ryan ROTH, Team Spidertech Powered By C10, at 01:08
77. Ivan BASSO, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 01:11
78. Jens VOIGT, Team Leopard-Trek, at 01:11
79. Jeffry LOUDER, BMC Racing Team, at 01:38
80. Hayden ROULSTON, HTC-Highroad, at 01:49
81. Craig LEWIS, HTC-Highroad, at 01:49
82. Davide CIMOLAI, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 02:26
83. Kai APPLEQUIST, Team Exergy, at 02:26
84. Bernard VAN ULDEN, Jelly Belly Cycling Team, at 03:24
85. Timothy ROE, BMC Racing Team, at 03:29
86. Sébastien SALAS, Team Exergy, at 06:27
87. Patrick GRETSCH, HTC-Highroad, at 06:27
88. Bradley WHITE, Unitedhealthcare Presented By Maxxis, at 06:27

General Classification after Stage 6

1. Levi Leipheimer, Team RadioShack, in 20:00:24
2. Christian Vande Velde, Team Garmin-Cervelo, at 00:11
3. Tejay Van Garderen, HTC-Highroad, at 00:17
4. Tom DANIELSON, Team Garmin-Cervelo, at 00:21
5. George Hincapie, BMC Racing Team, at 00:53
6. Rafael INFANTINO ABREU, UNE-EPM, at 01:14
7. Cadel Evans, BMC Racing Team, at 01:18
8. Stef CLEMENT, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 01:42
9. Bruno PIRES, Team Leopard-Trek, at 01:49
10. Rory SUTHERLAND, Unitedhealthcare Presented By Maxxis, at 01:50
11. Ivan ROVNY, Team RadioShack, at 02:07
12. Frank SCHLECK, Team Leopard-Trek, at 02:17
13. Juan Pablo SUAREZ, UNE-EPM, at 02:20
14. Christopher BALDWIN, Bissell Pro Cycling, at 02:38
15. Robert GESINK, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 02:46
16. Janier ACEVEDO CALLE, Gobernacion De Antioquia-Indeportes Antiquia, at 02:48
17. Oscar SEVILLA RIBIERO, Gobernacion De Antioquia-Indeportes Antiquia, at 03:13
18. Sergio HENAO MONTOYA, Gobernacion De Antioquia-Indeportes Antiquia, at 03:14
19. Peter STETINA, Team Garmin-Cervelo, at 03:26
20. Eduard BELTRAN SUAREZ, UNE-EPM, at 03:35
21. Jeffry LOUDER, BMC Racing Team, at 03:53
22. Brent BOOKWALTER, BMC Racing Team, at 03:54
23. Gustav LARSSON, Saxo Bank Sungard, at 04:11
24. Lucas EUSER, Team Spidertech Powered By C10, at 04:28
25. Jaime CASTANEDA, UNE-EPM, at 04:55
26. Tobias LUDVIGSSON, Skil-Shimano, at 05:55
27. Stefan DENIFL, Team Leopard-Trek, at 06:01
28. Ryder HESJEDAL, Team Garmin-Cervelo, at 06:05
29. Andrés Miguel DÍAZ, Team Exergy, at 06:10
30. Daniel OSS, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 06:12
31. Alex HAGMAN, Jelly Belly Cycling Team, at 06:16
32. Anders LUND, Team Leopard-Trek, at 06:42
33. Andy SCHLECK, Team Leopard-Trek, at 06:55
34. Laurent DIDIER, Saxo Bank Sungard, at 07:34
35. Ivan BASSO, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 07:34
36. Pieter WEENING, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 07:36
37. Carlos PIAMONTE, UNE-EPM, at 07:37
38. Rubens BERTOGLIATI, Team Type 1-Sanofi Aventis, at 07:43
39. Vladimir EFIMKIN, Team Type 1-Sanofi Aventis, at 08:00
40. Philip DEIGNAN, Team RadioShack, at 08:28
41. Edwar Stiber ORTIZ CARO, UNE-EPM, at 08:51
42. Rafael Anibal MONTIEL, Gobernacion De Antioquia-Indeportes Antiquia, at 09:37
43. Timothy DUGGAN, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 09:40
44. Cristhian MONTOYA, Gobernacion De Antioquia-Indeportes Antiquia, at 09:51
45. Jens VOIGT, Team Leopard-Trek, at 10:20
46. Thomas PETERSON, Team Garmin-Cervelo, at 10:33
47. Javier MEGIAS LEAL, Team Type 1-Sanofi Aventis, at 10:54
48. Daniel NAVARRO GARCIA, Saxo Bank Sungard, at 11:24
49. Alexander EFIMKIN, Team Type 1-Sanofi Aventis, at 11:37
50. Lachlan NORRIS, HTC-Highroad, at 12:03
51. Daniel SUMMERHILL, Team Garmin-Cervelo, at 14:23
52. Christopher JONES, Unitedhealthcare Presented By Maxxis, at 14:27
53. George BENNETT, Team RadioShack, at 14:36
54. Christopher BUTLER, BMC Racing Team, at 14:40
55. Chad BEYER, BMC Racing Team, at 15:01
56. William DUGAN, Team Type 1-Sanofi Aventis, at 15:08
57. Alejandro RAMIREZ, Gobernacion De Antioquia-Indeportes Antiquia, at 15:16
58. Walter PEDRAZA MORALES, UNE-EPM, at 16:14
59. Hayden ROULSTON, HTC-Highroad, at 16:42
60. Danny PATE, HTC-Highroad, at 16:45
61. Peter VELITS, HTC-Highroad, at 16:48
62. Laurens TEN DAM, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 17:20
63. Daniel LLOYD, Team Garmin-Cervelo, at 18:05
64. Dennis VAN WINDEN, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 18:54
65. Valeryi KOBZARENKO, Team Type 1-Sanofi Aventis, at 19:21
66. Benjamin KING, Team RadioShack, at 19:25
67. Matt COOKE, Team Exergy, at 19:29
68. Sébastien SALAS, Team Exergy, at 20:26
69. André STEENSEN, Saxo Bank Sungard, at 20:57
70. Oscar ALVAREZ, Gobernacion De Antioquia-Indeportes Antiquia, at 21:29
71. Grischa NIERMANN, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 22:48
72. Ben JACQUES-MAYNES, Bissell Pro Cycling, at 24:04
73. Davide CIMOLAI, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 24:27
74. Elia VIVIANI, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 26:14
75. Patrick GRETSCH, HTC-Highroad, at 26:47
76. Francois PARISIEN, Team Spidertech Powered By C10, at 28:01
77. Martin MORTENSEN, Team Leopard-Trek, at 29:31
78. Fred RODRIGUEZ, Team Exergy, at 29:32
79. Frank PIPP, Bissell Pro Cycling, at 29:43
80. Michael MORKOV, Saxo Bank Sungard, at 30:05
81. Erik SLACK, Team Exergy, at 31:14
82. Martin REIMER, Skil-Shimano, at 31:42
83. Robert FÖRSTER, Unitedhealthcare Presented By Maxxis, at 33:35
84. Timothy ROE, BMC Racing Team, at 33:49
85. Craig LEWIS, HTC-Highroad, at 36:35
86. Adrian HEGYVARY, Unitedhealthcare Presented By Maxxis, at 40:10
87. Bernard VAN ULDEN, Jelly Belly Cycling Team, at 41:17
88. Bradley WHITE, Unitedhealthcare Presented By Maxxis, at 42:09
89. Ryan ROTH, Team Spidertech Powered By C10, at 42:39
90. Ben HERMANS, Team RadioShack, at 43:08