It was overcast and cool most of the day with some rain along the 202km course. Tom Danielson was in a break that included a Colombian rider, Hincapie, and two Liquigas riders. Danielson and the Colombian broke away from the group but were caught.
Tyler Farrar won the stage, just ahead of a small group that included Fred Rodriguez.
Tom Danielson didn’t end up winning the stage but finished well and got the KOM jersey.
Stage 1 of the 2012 USA Pro Cycling Challenge kicked off at 10 am in Durango, Colorado. Durango is such a cycling hub, that numerous mountain bike legends were on hand to share in the enthusiasm. Ruthie Mathes, Ned Overend and John Tomac were at the start as well as thousands of fans.
Lots of the favorites were called to the line before the start. That included Phinney, Leipheimer, Duggan, Basso, Danielson, Hincapie, Van Garderen, Evans, Zabriske, and Nibali.
They did 3 laps of downtown Durango before heading out on Hwy 160 towards Telluride.
