from CycleOps Power

Team Garmin-Chipotle's Danny Pate had an incredible ride in Sunday's Stage 15 of the Tour de France, getting into the race-winning break within the first 12 kilometers of the 183 kilometer stage.

In order to stay away from the field, he and his 3 breakaway companions had to keep their pace high and steady over the entire race distance, which included two major climbs - the Hors Categorie Col Agnel and the Categorie 1 Prato Nevoso.

For the first 15 minutes of the race, attacks and counter attacks ensued as teams tried to get their riders into a break. When the dust settled, it was the combination of Simon Gerrans (Crédit Agricole), Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Euskaltel - Euskadi), José Luis Arrieta Lujambio (AG2R La Mondiale), and Danny Pate who were able to break free from the peloton.

Once the break was established, it was a matter of keeping pace to stay away from the main field, and the 4 riders took turns at the front to keep the speed high. For Danny Pate, this meant holding an average of 296 watts, or 4.21 watts/kg for the entire 183 kilometers. Perhaps even more impressive is the averages that Pate was able to maintain on the two major climbs of the day. For the twenty-three-and-a-half uphill kilometers from the Chateau Queyres to Col Agnel, his 347 watts put him at an average of almost 5 watts per kg. Then, even after 163 kilometers of hard riding, Pate averaged 355 watts for the final 20 kilometer climb from Villanova Mondovi to the Finish - an average of over 5 watts per kg.

Danny Pate's efforts meant that his teammates, including 3rd-place Christian Vande Velde could sit comfortably in the field drafting off of other riders until the final climb to the finish. At that point, it was up to Christian to maintain pace with the lead GC riders. Although he moved into 5th on the GC after the stage, he remains within striking distance of the yellow jersey.