News: Another win Dennis in USA Pro Challenge

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Two from two as BMC’s Rohan Dennis increases his lead at the USA Pro Challenge with a win in Time Trial; Tao Geoghegan Hart now leads Young Rider competition

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News: Another win Dennis in USA Pro Challenge
(Picture: PhotoSport International)

Team Press Release
8O3Y1974_USAPC15_Stg5_TT_Rohan_DENNIS_(Aus-BMC)_1st_PhSptThe BMC Racing Team’s winningest rider on the year powered his BMC timemachine TM01 to a 27-second victory over Rob Britton (Team SmartStop). BMC Racing Team’s Brent Bookwalter finished third, 31 seconds back, and sits firmly in second place, 44 seconds ahead of third-placed Britton.

“I might have won, but I really didn’t feel all that good out there,” Dennis said. “That was a harder effort than yesterday, but it was again amazing to ride through all those fans who came out to watch on the climb.”

Since finishing 38th on the race’s opening stage that was won by teammate Taylor Phinney, Dennis has won the past two stages and was runner-up on Tuesday and Wednesday.”

“He leads the overall classification, the sprints classification and the king of the mountain standings. Friday’s victory was his fifth individual win of the season and the team’s 29th, one shy of its team record, achieved in both the 2013 and 2014 seasons. The BMC Racing Team also leads the team classification.

Bookwalter said he tried to gauge his effort in the 13.5-kilometer race that featured the climb of Moonstone Road, where Dennis made the winning attack Thursday and hundreds of fans turned out to watch and cheer.

“I knew I couldn’t be red-lined on the climb,” Bookwalter said. “I tried to attack the climb and sort of went over my limit a few times. So I had to back off a bit on the flatter sections and then go harder on the steep parts. On the descent, I was trying to sporadically pedal to keep my speed up. But every three pedal strokes, I thought I was going to pass out. So I ended up having to coast for a lot of it.”

Phinney finished sixth, 39 seconds back, and rode his first time trial since winning the 2014 U.S. national time trial championship days before a bad crash would sideline him for the next 62 weeks.

Two days remain in the race. Saturday’s 164.5 km stage starts in Loveland and ends in Fort Collins. Sunday is a 109.7 km race that starts in Golden and finishes on a circuit in Denver.

The Brits
Tao Geoghegan Hart now leads the young rider competition after finishing 7th in the time trial whilst Hugh Carthy is now second, 15 seconds adrift. Geoghegan Hart finished 47 seconds slower than stage winner Dennis but with Hugh Carthy way down in 42nd place, 1.46 behind Dennis, it was Geoghegan Hart who took the Young riders leaders jersey off the shoulders of Carthy.

Geoghegan Hart also lept up to 6th overall whilst Carthy is now 9th on GC. Former Raleigh riders Rob Britton is now third overall and Lachlan Norris 7th after great rides from the Canadian and Aussie respectively. Britton was second on the stage only 27 seconds behind Dennis whilst Norris was one place ahead of fellow Aussie and record holder on the track, Jack Bobridge.

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