STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Possible, but difficult. Preparation required, sure, but also a small dose of luck.
That’s the way Jonathan Vaughters, CEO of the Boulder-based Garmin-Cervelo team, describes the opportunity for winnowing the 11-second gap between his leading rider, Christian VandeVelde, and RadioShack’s Levi Leipheimer, who is wearing the overall leader’s jersey at the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. There are just two stages remaining in the week-long race.
“Levi’s team has been burned up chasing every breakaway,” Vaughters said. “When he’s in a situation where he’s by himself, you can create a dynamic where he can’t follow the attacks. That’s what we have to.”
RadioShack riders stayed toward the front much of the race Friday to defend their top rider. They were joined later by Team Liquigas Cannondale, which eventually positioned one of its riders, Italian Elia Viviani, for the stage win.
“In the last 20 kilometers, (we wanted) to go to the front,” Viviani said. “Sunday for me will be another good day for me.”
Thousands of people — packed four and five deep — lined Lincoln Avenue through town, stood on rooftops and clung to light poles to watch the riders barrel toward the finish. Race CEO Shawn Hunter estimated more than 100,000 people came out between the start in Avon and Steamboat Springs.
Leipheimer remains in the overall lead at 13 hours, 28 minutes, 43 seconds, with VandeVelde 11 seconds back. The top five, all Americans, remained the same with HTC-Highroad’s Tejay Van Garderen at 17 seconds back, and Boulder’s Tom Danielson of Garmin-Cervelo at 21 seconds behind. George Hincapie, racing for BMC, is 53 seconds back.
“Team RadioShack, they did a great job today,” Leipheimer said. “They’re motivated, I’m motivated. One day down, two to go. I really want to win.”
Garmin-Cervelo played it safe inside the peloton Friday, tucking behind other riders to draft and to save its efforts for today’s attacks on Leipheimer and the RadioShack team. Expect those to come over the 9,426-foot Rabbit Ears Pass or on the climb up Swan Mountain Road outside of Breckenridge.
“If I were my competitors, I would attack,” Leipheimer said. “That’s what I’m expecting (today).”
Sunday’s route from Golden, up Lookout Mountain and into Denver presents another chance for Garmin-Cervelo.
“I’m sure it’s going to be aggressive,” Leipheimer said of the ascent up Lookout, a climb whose record belongs to Danielson. “The fan support will motivate the riders. I can’t predict what’s going to happen, but it’ll be tough.”
Garmin-Cervelo will have to hope Leipheimer finds himself apart from his team as he did atop Independence Pass on Wednesday.
“In either one of the last two stages, you can take an opportunity like that,” Vaughters said of his team’s chances of claiming the yellow jersey. “You can’t always pick out when that opportunity arrives. You’ve just got to race very aware and make very quick decisions.”
Daniel Petty: dpetty@denverpost.com or
