Groundhog day for Van Avermaet at USA Pro Challenge

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In what appears to be groundhog day for cycling fans in America, Peter Sagan has taken another sprint victory at a UCI stage race, this time racking up his second stage out of three so far this week at the USA Pro Challenge.

For BMC’s Greg Van Avermaet, it’s also a case of déjà-vu. Near misses have been common for the 28-year-old Belgian in the last couple of weeks. He finished second three times in a row at the Tour of Utah a fortnight ago and now he has a second and a fourth to his name thus far in Colorado.

For BMC’s lead sprinter, however, it’s nothing to be too concerned about. It’s just a matter of getting the timing right and the rest will come.

"I couldn't wait any longer and went too early – with 250 (metres) to go – so then it's normal that some guys come over you," he said. "I'm a little bit disappointed. I will have to wait a little bit longer, then I'll maybe get closer. But it was good to be up there again.

"We tried to be there in the end," added Van Avermaet. "It was good that we tried. It wasn't perfect, but it's getting better and better. "

BMC assistant director Jackson Stewart was pleased with the way the race unfolded, claiming that the small five man break was just what they were looking for. The small group allowed them to sit back and conserve whilst the yellow jersey team of Garmin Sharp defended Lachlan Morton's lead.

"I think some teams were hoping that we would defend a little bit, but we didn't have anything concrete to defend yet," he said. "It was a perfect day. That small group went and the other teams controlled it and we just had to stay out of trouble."

The USA Pro Challenge continues with a difficult stage 4 finishing with two tough climbs coming into Beaver Creek.