USA Pro Challenge (2015) Photos Aug 17 - 23

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Stage 1 start scene	Stage 1 rollout from Steamboat Springs
Leaving Steamboat Springs for the first of two long circuits	Early break 25 minutes after the start
Scenery around Steamboat Springs		Last pro race for American Ted King (Cannondale-Garmin)
	First of two passes through the finish line
		Break
	Damiano Caruso pulling for the BMC team	Rohan Dennis makes his move at 20k to go
Dennis and Boivin with the peloton chasing	Stage 1 sprint finish back in Steamboat Springs	Colorado native Taylor Phinney wins Stage 1
An emphatic victory salute after a long (14 month) road back from a serious leg injury	Teammate Brent Bookwalter was 3rd	Your Stage 1 winner and first wearer of the Yellow Leader's Jersey, Taylor Phinney (BMC)
The Stage 1 podium: 3rd Brent BOOKWALTER (BMC RACING), 1st Taylor PHINNEY (BMC RACING) 3:39:07, 2nd Kiel REIJNEN (UNITEDHEALTHCARE)

Stage 2:  Steamboat Springs → Arapahoe Basin, 115 mi  Full Results and Report

Rollout from Steamboat Springs for Stage 2	Climbing Rabbit Ears Pass out of Steamboat Springs	Today's break
Wonder Women in the feed zone
Race leader Taylor Phinney and the rest of BMC		Entering the dirt portion of the route
Dirt	Skinny guy running faster than the break	Break
		BMC controlling the chase
Taylor Phinney spending his first and only day in the Yellow Jersey	Feed zone	Passing by Lake Dillion with 12 miles to go
Final two break survivors, Nathan BROWN (TEAM CANNONDALE - GARMIN) and Gregory DANIEL (AXEON)	Nathan Brown dropping Gregory Daniel	BMC in the distance, led by Rohan Dennis, pulling the race back together on the uphill finish in Arapahoe Basin
Brent BOOKWALTER (BMC RACING) leaped into action in the final 500m		Brent BOOKWALTER (BMC RACING) wins Stage 2
Taylor Phinney felt today's effort as he passed the Leader's Jersey to his teammate and Stage 2 winner, Brent BOOKWALTER	Your Stage 2 podium: 2nd Rohan DENNIS (BMC RACING) + 6s, 1st Brent BOOKWALTER (BMC RACING) 4:37:03, 3rd Hugh CARTHY (CAJA RURAL-SEGUROS RGA) + 10s

Stage 3:  Copper Mountain → Aspen, 101 mi  Full Results and Report

Jersey leaders and teammates Bookwalter and Dennis being cheered on prior to the Stage 3 start at Copper Mountain	The rollout from Copper Mountain
Like yesterday, the climbing started right out the gate this time over Fremont Pass		Today's break
Colorado love	The picturesque ride around Turquoise Reservior near Leadville
Passing through Leadville	Phinney and Bookwalter, the Stage 1 and 2 race leaders
	BMC once again in control	The break
The Chase 2.5 minutes back	The break	Approaching the final climb with Independence Pass looming
The peloton led by Janez Brajkovic on Independence Pass, the final climb	Attack by Cannondale-Garmin's Davide FORMOLO	Laurent Didier
	The break was caught, the bunch sprint in Aspen	Kiel REIJNEN (UNITEDHEALTHCARE) wins Stage 3 ahead of Rohan DENNIS (BMC RACING) and 3rd Ruben ZEPUNTKE (TEAM CANNONDALE - GARMIN)
Kiel REIJNEN won here last year too	Brent Bookwalter (BMC) maintains his race lead	The stage 3 podium in Aspen: 2nd Rohan DENNIS (BMC RACING), 1st Kiel REIJNEN (UNITEDHEALTHCARE) and 3rd Ruben ZEPUNTKE (TEAM CANNONDALE - GARMIN)

Stage 4:  Aspen → Breckenridge, 126 mi  Full Results and Report

Kiel REIJNEN (UNITEDHEALTHCARE) and Brent BOOKWALTER (BMC RACING) during the call ups for Stage 4 in Aspen	Stage 4 rollout from Aspen	Downtown Aspen
	The return trip over Independence Pass	Independence Pass
Independence Pass	The break forming on Independence Pass	Race leader, Brent Bookwalter (BMC) descending Independence Pass
Phil Gaimon (Optium) leading the break
		Spring Flowers in August
More Colorado love	Jelly Belly with Angus Morton leading the chase after the final sprint and before the final climb
	The final two in the break- Clark and Caruso	The final climb, BMC decimated the field
Rohan DENNIS (BMC RACING) dropped his teammate and race leader, Brent BOOKWALTER (BMC RACING), soloed into Breckenridge	Rohan Dennis is the third BMC rider to wear the leader's jersey as BMC continues their domination of this year's race.

Stage 5:  Breckenridge, 8.4 mi  Full Results and Report

Pre Stage 5 ceremonies in Breckenridge led the Boy Scouts	10th Nathan Brown (Cannondale-Garmin) + 1:07	9th Jack Bobridge (Budget Forklifts) + 48s
13th Roman Kreuziger (Tinkoff-Saxo) + 1:11	6th Taylor Phinney (BMC RACING) + 39s	Taylor Phinney
Kiel Reijnen	2nd Rob Britton (Smartstop) + 27s to move up to 3rd overall	3rd Brent Bookwalter (BMC) + 30s for solidify 2nd overall
Race leader Rohan Dennis (BMC) takes the course	Brent Bookwalter (BMC)	Robbie Squire 87th + 2:42 and dropped from 3rd to 16th overall
Robbie Squire	Race leader and today's winner, Rohan Dennis (BMC)	1st Rohan Dennis (BMC) + 18:11
Dennis wins by 27s over Rob Britton	Rohan Dennis	Rohan Dennis
Race leader, Rohan Dennis (BMC) by 44s		Stage 4 and now Stage 5 winner, Rohan Dennis (BMC)
Your Stage 5 podium: 2nd Rob Britton (SmartStop) + 27s, 1st Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing) 18:11, 3rd Brent Bookwalter (BMC Racing) + 31s	Women's Stage 1 ITT podium: 2nd Allie Dragoo (USA/Twenty 16 P/B Sho-Air) s.t., 1st Kristin Armstrong (USA/Twenty 16 P/B Sho-Air) 0:21:24, 3rd Amanda Miller (USA/Visit Dallas P/B Noise4Good) + 24s

Stage 6:  Loveland → Ft. Collins, 102 mi  Full Results and Report

Stage 7:  Golden → Denver, 68 mi  Full Results and Report

Stage 7 start in Golden, CO
Lookout Mountain in the first third of the stage, the only obstacle on the day
		Ted King in his last day as a professional bike racer
		Denver circuits
Denver	Must be the business district of downtown Denver	The sprint finish in Denver came down to John Murphy (UHC) vs Taylor Phinney (BMC)
John Murphy (UHC) wins the seventh and final stage by 3/4 of a bike length over Phinney	John Murphy (UHC)	UnitedHealthCare celebrates their second stage win on the week
2015 USA Pro Challenge winner, Rohan DENNIS (BMC RACING)	Aussie Rohan DENNIS (BMC RACING) is the first foreign overall winner in the five years of this event	The jersey winners
Kristin Armstrong (Twenty16-Sho-Air) won the three day Women's event	Your Stage 7 podium: 2nd Taylor PHINNEY (BMC RACING), 1st John MURPHY (UNITEDHEALTHCARE) 2:20:03, 3rd Lucas Sebastian HAEDO (JAMIS - HAGENS BERMAN)	With 4 stage wins, and 1-2 overall, BMC easily won the team competition
		Your 2015 USA Pro Challenge Podium: 2nd Brent BOOKWALTER (BMC RACING) + 40s, 1st Rohan DENNIS (BMC RACING) 23:53:44, 3rd Rob BRITTON (TEAM SMARTSTOP) + 1:31
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