Tinkoff-Saxo’s Jesus Hernandez played an active role on stage 3 of USA Pro Challenge, as he went in the break, where the riders tackled the thin air of Independence Pass at 3.600m above sea level. The breakaway was ultimately caught and Kiel Reijnen sprinted to victory after a long descent.

Jesus Hernandez put in a dedicated effort on stage 3, where the Tinkoff-Saxo climber took on the thin air from the breakaway.

“We started the stage directly by taking on the Fremont Pass, which took us above 3,300 meters. 11 riders went away, among this group we had Jesus Hernandez, who was going well today. BMC, who has the leader’s jersey, kept the group in check and the break had around 3 minutes throughout the stage. As the group entered the final climb of Independence Pass, Didier and Bobridge went away, but the breakaway was doomed as BMC kept up the high pace and a lot of riders in the bunch entered the climb with fresh legs”, says Lars Michaelsen and adds:

“As the diminishing main bunch got closer to the final summit it had absorbed the breakaway that had split. Going over the top, we had Pires and Hernandez, who kept a high pace after a day in the break, in the second group that managed to bridge the gap on the final descent. They finished in a 33-man group, while we had Rovny and stagiaire Grossschartner in the next small group”.

After stage 3 of USA Pro Challenge, BMC’s Brent Bookwalter still holds the overall lead. Thursday’s stage 4 features 203 undulating kilometers that will challenge the riders with three categorized climbs, yet again at altitude.

“I think Jesus’ effort was positive as he had the legs and the dedication to ride actively in these tough conditions. Chris [Anker Sørensen] had a bad day and he chose to take it as easy as possible to lose time and save energy. Perhaps, we can have a go with him on one of the coming stages. Then, our stagiaire Felix Grossschartner is also doing a good race. He has been active and he has the qualities to nearly sit with the front group. We want to build on the positive aspects here in Colorado to, hopefully, secure a result”, finishes Lars Michaelsen.