Having been disappointed with his performance in the Tour of Utah, Matthew Busche gained a lot of confidence by his performance in the first mountain stage of the USA Pro Challenge. The American is now fourth overall and hopes to strike in today's queen stage.

The 169.7-kilometer stage two from Aspen to Crested Butte trekked up and over the dirt roads of Kebler Pass, followed by a technical descent into Crested Butte where a short, but steep finish climb to Mt. Crested Butte awaited.   

The rain began to fall near the top of Kebler Pass turning the dirt to mud, and caused the officials to neutralize the race at the top of the climb. By the time the riders were stopped and notified it was closer to the bottom, and only nine kilometers remained.

“I don’t think the riders had any idea that there was a neutralization supposedly from the top through the dirt descent," Matthews Busche said. "When we came back onto the pavement with only nine kilometers to go the dangerous part was over, but they still stopped us. 

"There was a little protest from the field – the guys were shaking and shivering, and close to hypothermia – it was a pretty good circus today. Today is a good example of where radios would be nice and beneficial. They want to neutralize for safety, and I understand that, but I am not sure it was the best choice today. It was special circumstances for sure.”

When the race restarted the last of a 12-man breakaway, Robin Carpenter of Hincapie Sportswear Development Team, was granted back his 45-second advantage, which he quickly built to 80 seconds in the last plummet before the final ascent. He held on to take a courageous and well-earned victory by a mere six seconds.

Behind the chaos continued.

The peloton, which had split over the top of the climb and on the slick descent, joined in the neutral and were allowed to restart together. Riders were cold, wet and miserable and some close to hypothermic while team directors scrambled to find any bit of clothing they had in the cars for riders to don. The ones further behind had nothing; they were left to fend for themselves (Markel Irizar and Hayden Roulsten arrived to the finish wet and frozen, conditions ripe for hypothermia).

It was little surprise that on the run-in to the finish everything shattered again.

Fränk Schleck crashed on the ice-like downhill road (he would get up to finish bruised and battered, but with no big injuries) while Matthew Busche and Jens Voigt held on to the front group.

With one kilometer to go Alex Howes (Garmin-Sharp) and Tejay van Garderen (BMC) attacked to finish second and third respectively, while Matthew Busche finished seconds later in sixth place (+17”).  Voigt rolled across in 15th (+31”)

“When they restarted us, it was crazy," Busche said. "I don’t know how big the gap to [Carpenter] was supposed to be, they said 45 seconds but all of sudden he had one minute twenty! The peloton kind of agreed we would go neutral but at the same time we had to keep this guy close – I didn’t know where he was in the GC. So we still raced downhill and when we came to the final climb I did not know if we were racing or not.

"And then Tejay [van Garderen] attacked with a kilometer to go, and obviously I had to try and follow. I chased hard and at the end I was jumped by Hermans and Danielson. It was kind of a circus at the end today. But I am feeling good – and hopefully that bodes well for tomorrow and the TT in Vail.  For the rest of the days I just have to stay out of trouble.”

The day all began with a 12-man breakaway that formed late in the race, just before the first climb to McClure Pass, but with the looming uphill finish in Crested Butte - the first GC test of the weeklong race – the peloton was committed to catching the escapees and giving the overall contenders their first clash of the USA Pro Challenge.

Kebler Pass abetted the chase, first splitting the breakaway to six riders, then to three, and finally to one - Robin Carpenter - while BMC Racing did the rest as they led the fierce pace behind. Then the skies opened and changed the game.

By the finish Carpenter pulled off the dramatic win, Alex Howes was crowned the new overall race leader, and Busche had moved into fourth overall, only 13 seconds back. It was a disorganized show raced under miserable and dangerous conditions, but thankfully ended with Trek Factory Racing's overall GC goal still intact.

“For most of the day it was a nice race actually, it was going well for us, and then the rain started and the temperature dropped from 28 degrees to 14 [celcius]," sports director Kim Andersen said. "Fränk was cold and both Fränk and Riccardo were dropped a little on the downhill, but there was actually a neutral at the top of Kebler, but no one slowed down. They were telling us on the radio, but we had no way to tell our riders. By the time they stopped everyone it was on the asphalt again and it did not make sense any more.

"I do think the neutral was a good decision, riders’ safety is first and foremost, but they should have taken times at the top and restarted with the same gaps after the neutral.”