Tinkoff-Saxo finished off USA Pro Challenge by riding actively in the break in an effort to repeat the success from stage 6, where Roman Kreuziger claimed the win. Chris Anker Sørensen took matters into his own hands, as he continued to battle the blazing main bunch before getting caught in Denver, where the US race was concluded.

“We rode a short stage today but we had attacks from the very start. After 7-8km, a group of 7-8 riders formed where Chris Anker took a very active and dedicated role. Some lost contact to the group, while Acevedo bridged up as they scaled Lookout Mountain with its 13km of 6-8 percent gradient. The group had 1’55” as the biggest advantage but since the stage was short, the possibility of making it to the finish line was there”, comments Tinkoff-Saxo sports director Lars Michaelsen and adds:

“Chris’ ambition was to get into Denver ahead of the peloton, he was very avid and insisted on trying to keep the main bunch, where the sprinters were waiting, at bay. In the end, and after a nice exposure of the team jersey and his national colors, he was caught with 12k to go, after which John Murphy from UnitedHealthCare won the stage”.

After seven days of racing, mainly in thin air at high altitude, Michaelsen summarizes the squad’s effort and result of its US endeavors.

“We had two main goals, the general classification and a stage win. We missed out on the GC but we managed to get the stage win that we aimed for, as Roman claimed the win yesterday. The squad has suffered a lot on the first days as we had to adapt to the altitude, but we kept the morale high and they made good progression during the stages”, tells Michaelsen about the team performance, where Bruno Pires finished 13th in the GC, 20 seconds off the top ten.

Jesus Hernandez unfortunately had to abandon on the final day of racing after a few kilometers despite a resolute and tenacious effort to continue. The Spaniard had been dealing with pressure sores during the previous stages and will now take time off the bike to recuperate.