Oss Rewarded For His Exceptional Work With Stage Win
Team Liquigas-Cannondale finished off the USA Pro Cycling Challenge with an impressive stage win by Daniel Oss, the team's third straight. After twice leading out teammate Elia Viviani to stage wins, this time Oss would provide such a strong leadoff after the final corner that Viviani's burst of speed wasn't necessary. The two crossed the line in first and second, finishing a great week of racing for the Italian team.
The win is Oss' second as a pro, after last year's Tour of the Veneto victory in front of teammate Peter Sagan. The hard-rock loving Venetian crossed the line and gave his trademark metal horns salute to the immense, Tour de France type crowd in downtown Denver.
"I take a great satisfaction for this win," confirmed Oss. "It's the result of a huge effort, lots of conviction and harmony of an incredible team. The day didn't start very well. It was hot and humid and there was a high pace from the start as there were lots of breakaway attempts. Going into the final circuit, we had to bring back a group of four, then we were joined up front by the rest of the guys to keep a high speed and deny any late breaks. Elia and I continued on together, always with an eye on each other, to repeat our other finishes with one modification: at the sprint, I launched myself while Elia left a gap. Finally, I can raise my arms to the sky!"
Oss was joined on the podium by Viviani, who also won the green jersey competition for classification on points. In addition, Tim Duggan won the orange jersey for most aggressive rider of the day to round out a great week of racing in Colorado.
