Team Novo Nordisk finished at its highest elevation to date when it raced up to Arapahoe Basin situated at 3289 meters on Stage 2 of the USA Pro Challenge.

Tuesday’s 185.5-kilometer stage featured three major climbs and saw the riders ascending most of the day. Nearly a dozen riders escaped on the climb up Rabbit Ears Pass and by the descent, they had maximized their gap to over five minutes. In addition to all of the climbing, the riders also had to tackle almost 22-km of dirt roads, which caused both the break and the peloton to splinter. After they had gone over Sierra Nevada, Nate Brown (Cannondale-Garmin) and Gregory Daniel (Axeon Cycling Team) attacked the break. Heading up the final long climb into Arapahoe Basin, Brown set off solo and looked like he’d hold on for the win. Yet an elite chase group caught Brown inside the final kilometer. Brent Bookwalter (BMC Racing Team) soloed to the win from this group and into the overall race lead.

“The altitude is really hard for me,” Team Novo Nordisk’s Charles Planet said. “I don’t really consider myself a climber, but I do focus on doing my best every single day. All I know right now is that I really want to do well this week.”

Brent Bookwalter (BMC Racing Team) finished six seconds ahead of teammate Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing Team) followed by Hugh Carthy (Caja Rural – Seguros RGA).

Team Novo Nordisk continues racing on Wednesday with Stage 3 of the USA Pro Challenge. The 163.2-km stage begins in Copper Mountain. The peloton heads over Independence Pass at 3,687 meters before finishing down in Aspen.