Sutherland takes 3rd in Gila Stage 2; Landis goes on the attack

Bayard, NM - Rory Sutherland benefited from teammate Floyd Landis’ presence in the main break of Stage 2 of the SRAM Tour of the Gila to take a strong 3rd place in the stage behind winner Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Colavita/Sutter Home).

A determined Landis helped establish the four-rider break on the technical Sapillo Springs descent. The quartet stayed away for some 47 miles of the 80-mile stage, building up a lead that reached nearly five and a half minutes at one point.

“Our intent was to make Mellow Johnny’s work today,” said directeur sportif Mike Tamayo. “We wanted to be aggressive and put some pressure on them. It’s a long race, and a hard one to defend a lead with just two teammates.

Ben Jacques-Maynes (Bissell) made a bid to bridge to the lead quartet, a move that Bradley White covered. Along with a rider from Fly V, the chase group built a gap of three minutes on the main bunch, but they were caught with 15km to go. With 5 km remaining in the stage and the break down to three riders, Shawn Milne (Team Type 1) put in an attack that Landis marked.

With Landis up front, the rest of the OUCH Presented by Maxxis squad got a free ride, while the Astana trio of Lance Armstrong, Chris Horner and race leader Levi Leipheimer - all racing under the Mellow Johnny’s banner - spearheaded the chase, along with Kelly Benefit Strategies and Bissell.

When it became apparent that Landis was going to be caught inside 2km to go, the team’s focused shifted, and OUCH Presented by Maxxis began to set up to deliver Sutherland for the sprint.

“We tried to put Rory in position to win the sprint, but there were still a few pure sprinters left in the bunch coming to the line,” Tamayo said.

Sutherland’s 3rd place finish followed his 7th place in the opening Mogollon Road Race, which Leipheimer won to take the race lead. Sutherland earned a four-second time bonus, which moved him to 1:32 behind the three-time Tour of California winner.

Floyd Landis leads the break during stage 2 at Tour of the Gila

Sutherland will look to move up the general classification Friday during the 16-mile individual time trial. The out-and-back course climbs over 6,394-foot Little Burrito Pass twice.

Official Results

Photo: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us