Carter Jones finishes 8th Overall at the USA Pro Challenge

On the back of an impressive four top ten finishes, including a 4^th and 6^th on the first and third stages, respectively, Optum pro Carter Jones cemented his place as the top American GC rider in the domestic peloton. Were it not for a well-publicized neutralization on Stage 2 that resulted in a case of hypothermia for Jones, dropping him to 12^th overall, he likely would have finished in the top five on GC. Regardless, in the last weekend of racing, he attacked the elite group of GC men at the top of Hoosier pass on Stage 5, then improved 11 places on his 2013 performance in the Stage 6 Vail TT to finish 10^th on the day. Then, in the Stage 7 finale, he again made the final group of GC contenders and showed off his great form by coming out of the last turn first, leading out Optum sprinter Jesse Anthony and finished 10^th himself.

The 8^th in the UCI 2.HC USA Pro Challenge comes only two weeks after Carter finished 7^th on GC in the UCI 2.1 (and America’s toughest stage race) Tour of Utah and his May finish of 11^th on GC in the UCI 2.HC Tour of California. These high placings in America’s three premier UCI stage races have garnered Jones much attention in the press and make a strong argument that he is ready for a shot at the World Tour.