It was a beautiful day in Colorado Springs. The atmosphere was electric with excitement. The stage was set for the first ever Inaugural USA Pro Cycling Challenge. 130 riders started down the Garden of the Gods at 1:15pm MST at 1-2 minutes apart, with the last rider, 2011 Tour de France winner Cadel Evans finishing the time trial prologue around 4pm. Teams were able to pick the start times for their riders, strategically placing some in the large field of fellow riders. The largest crowds of fans gathered at the corner of Ridge Rd. and Pikes Peak as well as downtown near the finish.

Fans at the Ridge Rd/Pikes Peak corner

Fans catch riders at the finish line

Top finishers of the day were:

1st-Patrick Gretsch (GER) of HTC-Highroad at 8:27:00

2nd-Christian Vande Velde (USA) of Team Garmin-Cervélo at 8:29:02

3rd-Brent Bookwalter (USA) of BMC Racing Team at 8:31:04

• Quiznos Leader Jersey – Patrick Gretsch (GER) of HTC-Highroad
• Sheets Best Young Rider’s Jersey –Tejay Van Garderen (USA) of HTC-Highroad
• Exergy Most Aggressive Jersey – Danny Pate (USA) of HTC-Highroad

See more photos and videos of the Time Trial at UpaDowna on Facebook!