Today's stage: The queen stage. Independence Pass followed by a rainy descent into Aspen.
Who won today's stage? George Hincapie (BMC) took the stage win with a well-timed sprint from a small six man group after the Independence Pass descent.
What matters in the GC race? Tejay Van Garderen (HTC-High Road) took over the race lead by finishing second behind Hincapie and dropping previous race leader Levi Leipheimer (Radio Shack) on the descent. Hincapie is now second and third on the stage Tom Danielson (Garmin-Cervelo) is now in third overall. Leipheimer falls to fourth, but he is still within a minute of Van Garderen.
Biggest surprise: Van Garderen and Danielson got loose on the descent. There were issues with the television feed all day and the feed went out just as a group led by Cadel Evans (BMC) rejoined a four man leading group. When the feed returned, Van Garderen and Danielson had led a six man group clear of Leipheimer and Evans in the rain.
Biggest disappointment: Andy Schleck (Leopard-Trek) was dropped on the Independence Pass climb and once again will not win. Back at the Tour de France, I said Schleck should really race some of these smaller races to learn how to win. He isn't doing it here and it won't help him in the future. Remember that he has never won a stage race in his career despite his favorite status.
Other items of note: The feed issues today were caused by the plane carrying the satellite feed having ice on its wings so it had to depart the race for a little while... There was a large crash early on today. Among the headliners involved were Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale).
What is coming tomorrow? The dreaded uphill mountain time trial. Outside of the Giro d'Italia, riders don't see too many of these so it will be interesting to see how everyone reacts.
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