The USA Pro Challenge Stage 1 was a 97.6km circuit race in Aspen, Colorado. The seven day event, known as America's Race, began at an elevation of nearly 2,400 meters (8,000 feet), posing a substantial challenge to riders.
The route featured three 32.5km laps and despite late attacks from George Bennett (RadioShack Leopard) and Carter Jones (Bissell) it was the Slovakian sprinter, Peter Sagan, who took the win for Cannondale Pro Cycling.
Sagan's SRM file below illustrates the demands of racing in the Colorado Rocky Mountains and the powerful sprint effort needed for victory.
Peter Sagan, racing at approximately 75kg, crossed the line in 2:26:00 with an average power of over 247 watts. His average cadence was 73rpm with an average speed of 39kph. The short stage contained over 1,250 meters (4,100 ft) of climbing and required around 2,000 kilocalories.
"I felt very good," Sagan told Cycling News. "I think this helped me, and maybe it was key for the win today. It was hard, but the climbs were not very long. We did tempo and on the last loop we rode hard on the last climb."
Peter pushed 404 average watts on the final climb with a 94rpm average cadence. His max power in this segment was 1,003 watts with 103rpm cadence.
"Today everything went in the best way," Peter said. "We had to push hard to win and my teammates did a great job to manage the race. It wasn’t easy because the circuit was difficult and the stage short. In the finale I attacked to avoid any surprise, but no riders cooperated so I decided to save the legs and play my chance in the sprint. I’m really happy."
In the last 10km Peter averaged 355 watts and over 512 average watts in the final 250 meters. His max power during the sprint finish was over 1,200 watts at 50kph.
| Time | 2:26:00 min |
| AVG Power | 247.3 watts |
| AVG Heart rate | not available |
| AVG Speed | 38.61 kph |
| AVG Cadence | 73.0 rpm |
| ALT Gain | 1,256 meters |
| Distance | 97.6 kilometers |
| Energy | 2,235 kilojoules |
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