Tejay van Garderen of the BMC Racing Team spoke with the media after his strong finish in Stage 19, in which he placed 7th overall. Garderen dedicated his performance to the victims of the recent shooting tragedy in Aurora, Colorado. The 23-year-old cyclist has adopted Boulder, Colorado, as his second home having spent the early part of his career on the Team 5280 Magazine developmental squad of the Garmin-Sharp cycling team.
Garderen is currently in the lead for the White Jersey, awarded annually to the top young Tour rider. Here is a look at the White Jersey classifications heading into the final leg of the 2012 Tour de France, courtesy of LeTour.com:
| RANK | NAT | RIDER | RIDER NO. | TEAM | TIMES | GAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | USA | VAN GARDEREN Tejay | 9 | BMC RACING TEAM | 84h 37' 35'' | |
| 2. | FRA | PINOT Thibaut | 146 | FDJ-BIGMAT | 84h 43' 48'' | + 06' 13'' |
| 3. | NED | KRUIJSWIJK Steven | 152 | RABOBANK CYCLING TEAM | 85h 43' 23'' | + 01h 05' 48'' |
| 4. | EST | TAARAMAE Rein | 81 | COFIDIS LE CREDIT EN LIGNE | 85h 54' 07'' | + 01h 16' 32'' |
| 5. | ESP | IZAGUIRRE INSAUSTI Gorka | 34 | EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI | 85h 58' 15'' | + 01h 20' 40'' |
| 6. | ESP | VALLS FERRI Rafael | 128 | VACANSOLEIL-DCM | 86h 04' 12'' | + 01h 26' 37'' |
| 7. | SVK | SAGAN Peter | 57 | LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE | 86h 05' 17'' | + 01h 27' 42'' |
| 8. | GER | NERZ Dominik | 55 | LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE | 86h 08' 43'' | + 01h 31' 08'' |
| 9. | NOR | BOASSON HAGEN Edvald | 102 | SKY PROCYCLING | 86h 19' 14'' | + 01h 41' 39'' |
| 10. | ITA | MALACARNE Davide | 28 | TEAM EUROPCAR | 86h 23' 41'' | + 01h 46' 06' |
SB Nation Denver is your source for 2012 Tour de France updates on Team Garmin-Sharp, and be sure to visit cycling blog Podium Cafe as well.
