Having recently won the Tour de Pologne, Rafal Majka was hoping to carry his good form into the USA Pro Challenge. Yesterday, however, he came up against a superior Tejay van Garderen and he admits that the American is curently at another level.

Today’s 155 kilometer long third stage of the US Pro Challenge from Gunnison to the uphill finish on Monarch Mountain in 3400 meters altitude was a thrilling battle among the big favorites of the race.

Tinkoff-Saxo’s Rafal Majka, Michael Rogers and Pawel Poljanski leaped up the road to participate in a promising break with five other riders including the defending champion, Tejay Van Garderen (BMC). As the front group was about to be swept up by a chase group, Rogers picked up the pace and continued in time trial mode.

In the chase group, Tinkoff-Saxo were now represented by Rafal Majka, Pawel Poljanski and Bruno Pires and they could all stay behind and let BMC do all the working in front of the group chasing Rogers. The Tinkoff-Saxo Aussie was caught with 8.5 kilometers to go halfway up the uphill finish.

From then on, the stage turned into a chess game on wheels as the riders in the select group of favorites started taking turns attacking each other. With 5 kilometers to go, the leader of the race, Alex Howes (Garmin-Sharp) was dropped.

Going under the 3 kilometer banner, Matthew Busche (Trek) launched a counter-attack and created a good gap but a determined Tinkoff-Saxo Pawel Poljanski moved to the front of the group and brought Busche back. And then Van Garderen decided it was time to go and even though Rafal Majka hung on to his back wheel, he simply could not pass the strong American rider who won superbly while taking the overall lead as well.

Tinkoff-Saxo’s Rafal Majka is now second overall.

“Today the final was really fast,” said Majka, “and for the win I tried to pass Tejay, but he is too strong for me. I am a little tired with the Tour, Poland, and now Colorado.”

DS Lars Michaelsen reports:

“It was a very fast start of the stage and covered 50 kilometers in the first hour of the race supported by a strong tailwind. Unexpectedly, the stage already opened on the first of two major climbs and cresting the first summit, we had three riders in the first group.

"Since the riders didn’t agree on the workload, the pace went down and Rogers took a chance by attacking alone after the first 115 kilometers and he was hoping to get a few more riders with him but no one bridged to him before he was caught 12  kilometers to go.

"From here, Poljanski did a super job picking up the pace and in the end, only Van Garderen and Majka were left in the front but Tejay was simply the stronger of the two.”