The green argyle of Cannondale-Garmin drove a hard pace during the longest stage of the USA Pro Challenge, using the wide open and windy stretch from Aspen to Breckenridge to make the race hard for the GC contenders. Davide Formolo finished in the GC group and is eighth heading into the decisive time trial stage.

Early in the race the breakaway contained some dangerous riders so Director Sportif Charly Wegelius made the call for the team to ride tempo to keep the time gap small and manageable.

“The move went with five riders but with a BMC and a Tinkoff-Saxo, so we had to control it after the first sprint to be able to bring it back for the finish.”

After the sprint the road turned 90 degrees and into a long false-flat with strong crosswinds.

“We noticed the wind was picking up and the next section was really exposed so we took advantage of that,” said Wegelius. “We split the group to try to set up the final for Formolo. The boys all rode hard and did a huge effort.”

That effort resulted in the breakaway catching happening early on the beginning of the Hoosier Pass climb. After the summit Ruben Zepuntke put in an attack with three other riders on the descent, but the high speeds made it difficult to get a gap. As the race hit the final, punchy KOM Davide Formolo stayed with the leaders on the ascent.

“Formolo did a really good job staying with the group over Hoosier Pass and he was almost right there at the top of the last KOM,” said Wegelius. “This has been a great race for him so far learning how to become a team leader.”