With 2,800 meters of vertical climbing and 170 kilometers in length the stage aptly named the ‘Monster’ will have a big say in who is crowned the worthy winner on the 2010 SRAM Tour of the Gila.
The General Classification of the 2010 race has a similar look and feel as the 2009 race with Levi Leipheimer and his teammate Lance Armstrong leading the charge with Fly V australia’s Phil Zajicek gunning for the podium. In 2010 the field is arguably deeper both in numbers and quality with added protagonists in the form of Garmin’s Zabriskie and Danielson staking their claim for the overall and podium honours.
With 2 minutes separating the first 5 riders as the face up to the Monster it is anybody’s race.
The 2009 Monster will be fresh in the mind of Zajicek as he prepares he’s 2010 assault on a Gila podium spot. Currently Phil is in fourth position at 1.14 from the race lead and a meager 15 seconds from 2nd place.
In 2010 Team climbers Darren Lill and Jai Crawford will support Phil. With such small time gaps and the Monster to challenge anything is possible.
With Leipheimer, Armstrong, Zabriskie and Danielson intent on securing much needed results ahead of the Amgen Tour of California tomorrow’s Moster stage will have added bite. The battle lines have been drawn and the protagonists identified with three major climbs and a quality field this stage will provide fireworks and a worthy winner.
Can Phil make the jump ahead of the PRO Tour teams and repeat his podium performance of 2009?
The finishing climb of Pinos Altos in 2009 provided Phil with a launch pad to slay two giants of the sport when he out foxed and out punched Leipheimer and Armstrong. In the 2010 Monster stage there is more complexity to the Podium and the overall General Classification with both Garmin and Radio Shack riders in contention and a supporting cast of North America’s best all wanting to impress.
The Tour of the Gila has produced an epic race even ahead of the Monster stage, Stage 1 finished with a brutal climb, Stage 2 was savaged by relentless winds, the TT was buffeted by those same winds and the criterium was super fast.
It’s now left to see who is standing atop of the podium after the Gila Monster has bared its might.
General classification after Stage 4;
1 Levi Leipheimer (Team Radio Shack) 7:47:39
2 Tom Danielson (Garmin Transitions) 0:00:59
3 David Zabriskie (Garmin Transitions) 0:01:04
4 Phillip Zajicek (Fly V Australia) 0:01:14
5 Luis Amaran (Jamis Sutter Home p/b Colavita) 0:02:02