Athletes, teams, support personnel, media, and fans are all in Aspen, Colorado for the start of the 3rd Annual USA Pro Challenge.
Chris Froome, Richie Porte, Peter Sagan, Christian Vande Velde, Tejay Van Garderen, Jens Voigt, Rory Sutherland, Martijn Vershchoor, and Tom Danielson attended the pre-race press conference on Sunday, August 20, and provided a few glimpses into what to expect in the next week of racing.
Chris Froome on adjusting to the Colorado elevations…
“It’s been quite a pleasant surprise coming over here, and a major adjustment in terms of the altitude. You feel better as the days go on, but it adds a whole new dimension to the race. I’ve never done a race at this kind of altitude before.”
Peter Sagan on racing in the United States…
“I’m very happy to return to America. After the Tour of California and the Tour de France, I’ve come here for the altitude preparation. I was here for two weeks before the race and after just two days, I really understood that it’s difficult to race here under these conditions. I hope I prepared well, because I want to do well and help my teammates.”
Richie Porte on riding in the USA Pro Challenge…
“After the Tour de France, and the second year running that Team Sky ProCycling has won, we enjoyed our last month without a lot of time on the bike. Obviously, after the Tour de France, we had a pretty big after-party. I haven’t been doing the full gas effort, but I’ve been riding my bike.”
Jens Voigt on his Stage 4 win during the 2012 USA Pro Challenge…
“My job in a lot of races is to cover the early breakaways. The Garmin team had very aggressive tactics and there were a few of us out there, so I knew one of us had to be with them. I thought, ‘it’s now or never…this is the moment to go.’ I attacked the group and then I see our director who said, ‘Jens it’s a long way.’ I said, ‘trust me it’s all good,’ and it all worked out in the end. It was a little daring, but I cannot beat everyone on the last sprint, so I have to go the long and hard way.”
Tom Danielson on the key to winning the USA Pro Challenge…
“I think the key is a strong team. As you saw last year, we were super aggressive. The course really favored an aggressive approach and this year is similar. You have to either control other people being aggressive or be aggressive yourself. It’s a very strong field this year with Sky Procycling and the Tour de France Champion. You have to be careful…you can’t do crazy stuff. We’ll be as strong as we can be, and we’ll try to be as smart as possible as well.”
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