Today's stage: Downhill run into Steamboat Springs. A day for the sprinters, the few who made the journey to this mountainous race.
Who won today's stage? Elia Viviani (Liquigas-Cannondale) took the stage in a bunch sprint after being setup perfectly by his teammates.
What matters in the GC race? Nothing at all. There were no changes in the top 10. Levi Leipheimer (Radio Shack) remains the leader, followed by Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Cervelo) and Tejay Van Garderen (HTC-High Road).
Biggest surprise: Like in the Vuelta a Espana this morning, nothing at all This stage looked for all to see like a sprint finish and it played out as such.
Biggest disappointment: None. The closest thing to a disappointment was that the peloton nearly let the breakaway stay away. There were also no crashes of note (unlike the Vuelta) or really anything outside of any expectations.
Other items of note: Viviani also took over the Green Points jersey with his stage win. While he won't gain points tomorrow, he is a possible winner on Sunday in Denver and is our likely winner in the classification.
What is coming tomorrow? A mostly uphill stage going to Breckenridge. I expect a select group sprinting to the finish together. All GC guys. Could look very much like the end of the Independence Pass stage on Wednesday.
Update from the Vuelta: Earlier in the day, there was a big crash at the Vuelta. Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Cervelo) is most likely withdrawing from that race. In addition, overall contenders Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) and Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) were caught and suffered minor injuries along with Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD).
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