Philip Deignan finishes stage 4 of the USA Pro Challenge in Colorado on Thursday into Beaver Creek in 14th place, just behind Australian Rory Sutherland of the Saxo-Tinkoff team. The Irishman has again climbed close to his best this week, and goes into the final weekend of racing, with two stages remaining, in 10th place overall in the UCI ranked 2.HC race featuring some of the biggest teams and best riders in the world.
Ireland’s Philip Deignan goes into the last two stages of the USA Pro Challenge in Colorado this weekend in 10th place overall, with a real chance of making the top five or six if he can make even modest time gains on today’s penultimate stage.
It features just one major climb, but with a lumpy parcours all the way on the 185km run to Fort Collins the race may split a little.
Advertisement
It seems tailor made for a breakaway, and with Deignan having ridden very strongly this year and been very aggressive he may well try something today.
While some way off the lead, the positions just above him on general classification are much closer and a gain of even 50 seconds would put him in 6th place overall.
Back in June in the UCI 2.2-ranked six-day Tour de Beauce in Canada, Deignan started the final stage – an undulating race but by no means one for the pure climber – in 6th overall. He jumped to 2nd in the final general classification when he infiltrated the winning escape.
He will be hoping for a similar move again today, but a placing anywhere in the top 10 overall when the race finishes tomorrow, Sunday, would be a very good ride in the 2.HC ranked event.
The Irishman and Unitedhealthcare professional started yesterday’s time trial stage 5 in 12th place overall, but nudged into 10th spot with a good ride on the hilly short test. That move into the top 10 followed some very consistent riding since the seven-stage race began last Monday.
On that first stage on Monday, Deignan was 36th at the end of the 98km circuit race in Aspen, which ended in a bunch sprint won by Peter Sagan (Cannondale). However, the Irishman was on the wrong side of a five second split in the bunch in the gallop to the line.
The second stage was the longest of the race, a 203km trek from Aspen to Breckenridge with three categorized climbs, including Independence Pass.
The stage win went to BMC's Mathias Frank, closely following by Lachlan Morton of Garmin Sharp after those two survived from the day’s main breakaway, with Morton lifting the yellow jersey from Sagan.
The Slovak was in the depleted peloton less than one minute behind the leaders on the final short climb close to the finish, and while he attacked up the climb and split the race, he could not close down those up front.
Deignan was caught out a little when Sagan made his move and dragged others with him; finishing in 14th place on the stage in a group of 15 riders some 44 seconds down on Frank and 30 seconds down on Sagan. That left Deignan 21st overall, 46 seconds down on leader Morton.
Related News
Wednesday’s stage 3 took the riders 170km to Steamboat Springs, ending in a bunch sprint won by Sagan with Deignan safely in that bunch.
Stage 4 was a very tough one, with five climbs including a summit finish on the 166km run to Beaver Creek. It was won by Janier Acevedo (Jamis-Hagens Berman) after he got clear with BMC’s Tejay van Garderen over the penultimate climb of the day.
They were part of a very small select group that pulled clear on the climb, with the eventual 1-2 riding away from the others, including GC hope Tom Danielson of Garmin-Sharp, coming off that climb.
While Van Garderen was second on the stage, he assumed the race lead. Deignan was not part of the select group that went clear on the penultimate ascent and he came home in a group of 10 who were sprinting for 6th place on the stage, some 1:28 down.
The Unitedhealthcare man was 15th over the line, leaving him in 12th place overall, 2:03 off yellow.
Yesterday’s fifth stage was a 16.1km hilly time trial in Vail, won by the yellow jersey Van Garderen. Deignan, by no means a tester but by all means a climber, came home in 26th place, 2:08 in arrears.
However, while that was further down the results than we have become used to seeing him this year – even in TTs - it moved him up overall and into the top ten; now occupying 10th place 4:12 down on the yellow jersey with two stages remaining.
Today’s penultimate stage should split, at least a little, on the 185km to Fort Collins. Though, with such strong teams in the race Deignan will need to be on his toes to make the gains needed to lift him into, or close to, the top five.
The final stage tomorrow, Sunday, is a 116km circuit race in Denver that will most likely end in a bunch sprint.
Video highlights yesterday's, Friday's, stage 5 TT - 16.1km in Vail
Topics
