Brent Bookwalter wins Stage 2 of USA Pro Challenge

Dennis managed to open a gap on a select bunch on the downhill into Breckenridge, and wound up holding off Robbie Squire and teammate Brent Bookwalter by 19 seconds.

“I saw an opportunity and went alone and I thought ‘I’ve got this!’ It would have been my first pro win so it’s bittersweet to be so close”.

Kyle Murphy of Caja Rural-Seguros took the King of the Mountain crown, followed by Phil Gaimon with Optum Racing and Roman Kreuziger of Tinkoff-Saxo.

“This is the first race I’ve led in the USA”, said Bookwalter, who was third in the opening stage behind Taylor Phinney and Reijnen.

BMC controlled the race, leading the peloton over Independence Pass out of Aspen and Hoosier Pass out of Alma. “I didn’t expect it to be me, but when the break went and we didn’t have anyone, I jumped across”. “We worked well together until the base of the climb, and then I just hit it”, Brown said.

It promises to be the wild card for today’ stime trial, an 8.5-mile course that includes a grind up the Category 3 climb. After Bookwalter faltered on the final climb up Breckenridge’s super steep Moonstone Road, Dennis made his move and crossed the finish line with a 13 second lead over his teammate. The attacks in Stage 6’s 102-mile push from Loveland to Fort Collins should come early and often. The 28-year-old Boulder resident has an instinctual feel for Aspen streets: He took first at the 2014 circuit race from Aspen to Snowmass, and now boasts two wins at the only town featured in all five editions of the Pro Challenge. As he fell off Dennis’ wheel, the Australian clicked into a harder gear and stood up on his pedals. But that position of having the lead was largely due to some great teamwork, especially from Rohan. It would make him the first non-American to conquer the Pro Challenge, although he admits that’s hardly on his mind. “I was looking around at the crowds and they were huge. But tomorrow really is the last possible day to shake it up a bit”.

Along with the 1-2 flip-flop between Dennis and Bookwalter, Stage 4 shook up the overall standings. Hugh Carthy with Caja Rural-Seguros drops to fifth, while Lachlan Morton of Jelly Belly-Maxxis sits in the same sixth position.

Then came the blue jerseys of United Healthcare.