August 21/13 21:37 pm - US Pro Challenge: Stage 3 report and results
Posted by Editoress on 08/21/13
Cannondale Pro Cycling's Peter Sagan Wins Stage 3 of the 2013 USA Pro Challenge
Lachlan David Morton of Team Garmin-Sharp Holds on to Leader Jersey
Stage 3 of the 2013 USA Pro Challenge took the riders on a 105.9-mile (170.429 km) route from one iconic ski town to another – Breckenridge to Steamboat Springs. Highlighted by a solo breakaway from veteran rider Jens Voigt (RadioShack Leopard Trek), the stage came down to an all-out spring to the finish, where 2013 Tour de France Sprint Jersey Winner Peter Sagan took his second stage win of the race. Lachlan David Morton (Team Garmin-Sharp) crossed the line with the peloton, holding onto the leader jersey heading into day four of the race.
The sprint
Podium
"It's always amazing to see what these guys are capable of," said Shawn Hunter, CEO of the USA Pro Challenge. "Between the stellar riding and the enthusiastic fans, this has been an incredible race so far. The crowds at the 2013 USA Pro Challenge continue to be humbling – we don't get the crowds that we do out of luck, it's because of the leadership in these communities and the remarkable racing from these world-class athletes."
Following an exciting and extremely competitive day of racing yesterday, the Pro Challenge began today in Breckenridge at 9,400 ft (2865 m). After completing three neutral laps around town, the riders began the downhill ride, hitting impressive speeds, to the first Nissan King of the Mountains (KOM) competition at Swan Mountain. Under a blue sky filled with beautiful clouds, the race started with several attacks, but nothing stuck. With fans lining the tight switchbacks, the riders neared the top with attacks flying left and right. Edward King (Cannondale Pro Cycling) pulled ahead and was followed over the top by Matt Cooke (Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home) and Voigt.
Taking advantage of the climb, Joshua Edmonson (Sky Procycling), Voigt, Villella, Tyler Wren (Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home) and Serghei Tvetcov (Jelly Belly p/b Kenda) created a gap and pulled away from the peloton heading toward the first Clif Bar sprint of the day in Silverthorne.
With a downhill approach to the sprint line, the riders reached speeds of 50 mph (80.47 kph) as Tvetcov catapulted over the line to take maximum points, followed by Voigt and Wren.
At ages ranging from 21 to 41, the breakaway riders continued to work together through the Feed Zone heading toward the next Clif Bar sprint line of the day in Kremmling. Showing his power and speed, Villella crossed the line first, followed by Tvetcov and Voigt.
On a straight and long road to the finish, the break continued to increase the gap, which got up to five minutes at one point. At just more than three hours into the stage, Voigt pulled away from the other four in an attempt to set himself up for the stage win and after several hard days of racing, they just weren't able to hang on.
Leading into the final Nissan KOM of the day at Rabbit Ears Pass, a category 2 climb, it was Voigt out front with the four chasers about two minutes behind and the peloton about two minutes behind them. Powering up the five-mile climb filled with fans who had been camping out all day, Voigt reached the top first, followed by his former breakaway companions Edmonson and Wren. Back in the peloton, the Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home riders ensured that current Nissan King of the Mountains Jersey wearer Cooke was set up to reach the top next to hang onto his lead.
On the descent, the chase was caught by the peloton, leaving only veteran rider Voigt out in front. But the final 10K would present a long, flat straight-away, where the peloton would have Voigt in their sight. With different teams taking turns at the front, they quickly brought the gap down and eventually caught Voigt.
"I was disappointed (about being caught), but it could have been worse," said Voigt. "I gave it a go. I saw it coming a little bit, but I was still disappointed."
The sprinters set up for the final dash to the line in Steamboat Springs and ultimately Sagan took the win, followed closely by Luka Mezgec (Team Argos-Shimano) and Ryan Anderson (Optum Presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies).
"I'm very happy about my stage win today and I want to thank all my teammates because they did great work," said Sagan. "For now I feel good and I think I can do well on these climbs."
The jerseys remained almost unchanged with Morton retaining the Smashburger Leader Jersey and the Colorado State University Best Young Rider Jersey; Sagan holding onto the Clif Bar Sprint Jersey; and Cooke keeping the Nissan King of the Mountains Jersey. Voigt was awarded the FirstBank Most Courageous Rider Jersey for his amazing solo effort during the stage.
Results from the third stage in Colorado
| Stage 3: Breckenridge to Steamboat Springs 170.4 km | |
| 1 Peter Sagan (Svk) Cannondale Pro Cycling | 4:04:18 |
| 2 Luka Mezgec (Slo) Team Argos-Shimano | |
| 3 Ryan Anderson (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | |
| 4 Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team | |
| 5 Alessandro Bazzana (Ita) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team | |
| 6 Edwin Avila (Col) Colombia | |
| 7 Martijn Verschoor (Ned) Team Novo Nordisk | |
| 8 Tony Gallopin (Fra) RadioShack Leopard | |
| 9 Tanner Putt (USA) Bontrager Cycling Team | |
| 10 Damiano Caruso (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling | |
| 11 Fred Rodriguez (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Kenda | |
| 12 Nic Hamlton (Can) Jelly Belly p/b Kenda | |
| 13 Rory Sutherland (Aus) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | |
| 14 Janier Alexis Acevedo Calle (Col) Jamis-Hagens Berman | |
| 15 Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team | |
| 16 Gregory Brenes Obando (CRc) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | |
| 17 Philip Deignan (Irl) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team | |
| 18 Christian Vandevelde (USA) Garmin-Sharp | |
| 19 Andreas Klöden (Ger) RadioShack Leopard | |
| 20 Andrea Peron (Ita) Team Novo Nordisk | |
| 21 Sean Mazich (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Kenda | |
| 22 Carter Jones (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling | |
| 23 Tom Zirbel (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | |
| 24 Javier Megias Leal (Esp) Team Novo Nordisk | |
| 25 Luis Romero Amaran (Cub) Jamis-Hagens Berman | |
| 26 Tom Danielson (USA) Garmin-Sharp | |
| 27 Mathias Frank (Sui) BMC Racing Team | |
| 28 Tiago Machado (Por) RadioShack Leopard | |
| 29 Benjamin Day (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team | |
| 30 Lachlan David Morton (Aus) Garmin-Sharp | |
| 31 Jonathan Clarke (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team | |
| 32 James Oram (NZl) Bontrager Cycling Team | |
| 33 Michael Schär (Sui) BMC Racing Team | |
| 34 Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing Team | |
| 35 Benjamin King (USA) RadioShack Leopard | |
| 36 Christopher Juul Jensen (Den) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | |
| 37 Nikodemus Holler (Ger) Team Argos-Shimano | |
| 38 Robinson Eduardo Chalapud (Col) Colombia | |
| 39 Kevin de Mesmaeker (Bel) Team Novo Nordisk | |
| 40 Darwin Atapuma (Col) Colombia | |
| 41 Stephen Cummings (GBr) BMC Racing Team | |
| 42 Lawson Craddock (USA) Bontrager Cycling Team | |
| 43 Patrick Gretsch (Ger) Team Argos-Shimano | |
| 44 Simon Geschke (Ger) Team Argos-Shimano | |
| 45 Julien Taramarcaz (Sui) BMC Racing Team | |
| 46 Nathan Wilson (USA) Bontrager Cycling Team | |
| 47 Antoine Duchesne (Can) Bontrager Cycling Team | |
| 48 Juan Pablo Suarez (Col) Colombia | |
| 49 David Lozano Riba (Esp) Team Novo Nordisk | |
| 50 Chun Kai Feng (Tpe) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | |
| 51 Kirk Carlsen (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling | |
| 52 Lawrence Warbasse (USA) BMC Racing Team | |
| 53 Jarlinson Pantano (Col) Colombia | |
| 54 Michael Rogers (Aus) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | |
| 55 Fabio Duarte (Col) Colombia | |
| 56 Tobias Ludvigsson (Swe) Team Argos-Shimano | |
| 57 James Driscoll (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman | |
| 58 Ryan Eastman (USA) Bontrager Cycling Team | |
| 59 Anders Lund (Den) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | |
| 60 Jason McCartney (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling | |
| 61 Morgan Schmitt (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Kenda | |
| 62 Ian Boswell (USA) Sky Procycling | |
| 63 Andrew Talansky (USA) Garmin-Sharp | |
| 64 Michael Olsson (Swe) Team Argos-Shimano | |
| 65 Tyler Wren (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman | |
| 66 Carson Miller (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman | |
| 67 Serghei Tvetcov (Mda) Jelly Belly p/b Kenda | |
| 68 Alex Hagman (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Kenda | |
| 69 Joonas Henttala (Fin) Team Novo Nordisk | |
| 70 Richie Porte (Aus) Sky Procycling | |
| 71 Kanstantsin Siutsou (Blr) Sky Procycling | |
| 72 Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling | |
| 73 Jens Voigt (Ger) RadioShack Leopard | |
| 74 Yann Huguet (Fra) Team Argos-Shimano | |
| 75 Nariyuki Masuda (Jpn) Cannondale Pro Cycling | |
| 76 Phillip Gaimon (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling | |
| 77 David Millar (GBr) Garmin-Sharp | |
| 78 Matt Cooke (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman | |
| 79 Ian Burnett (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Kenda | |
| 80 Connor O'Leary (USA) Bontrager Cycling Team | |
| 81 Hayden Roulston (NZl) RadioShack Leopard | |
| 82 Thomas Dekker (Ned) Garmin-Sharp | |
| 83 Andy Schleck (Lux) RadioShack Leopard | |
| 84 Rohan Dennis (Aus) Garmin-Sharp | |
| 85 David Zabriskie (USA) Garmin-Sharp | |
| 86 Jesper Hansen (Den) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | |
| 87 Marsh Cooper (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | |
| 88 Juraj Sagan (Svk) Cannondale Pro Cycling | |
| 89 Fabio Calabria (Aus) Team Novo Nordisk | |
| 90 Chad Beyer (USA) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | |
| 91 Ben Jacques-Maynes (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman | |
| 92 Bruno Pires (Por) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | |
| 93 Danny Pate (USA) Sky Procycling | |
| 94 Christopher Baldwin (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling | |
| 95 Jonathan Patrick McCarty (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling | |
| 96 Edward King (USA) Cannondale Pro Cycling | |
| 97 Christoper Butler (USA) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | |
| 98 George Bennett (NZl) RadioShack Leopard | all s.t. |
| 99 Thomas Damuseau (Fra) Team Argos-Shimano | 3:34 |
| 100 Davila Luis (Mex) Jelly Belly p/b Kenda | s.t. |
| 101 Ryota Nishizono (Jpn) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | 0:00 |
| 102 Gang Xu (Chn) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | s.t. |
| 103 Julio Camacho (Col) Colombia | 3:34 |
| 104 Nathan Brown (USA) Bontrager Cycling Team | |
| 105 Joshua Edmondson (GBr) Sky Procycling | both s.t. |
| 106 Timothy Duggan (USA) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | 0:00 |
| 107 Craig Lewis (USA) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | 03:37 |
| 108 Christopher Jones (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team | |
| 109 Davide Villella (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling | both s.t. |
| 110 Jeffry Louder (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team | 0:00 |
| 111 Lucas Euser (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team | s.t. |
| 112 Alessandro De Marchi (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling | 3:59 |
| 113 Thomas Soladay (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | 4:02 |
| 114 Kiel Reijnen (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team | 0:00 |
| 115 Jesse Anthony (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | |
| 116 Alex Candelario (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | both s.t. |
| 117 Jeremy Vennell (NZl) Bissell Pro Cycling | 8:52 |
| 118 Michael Torckler (NZl) Bissell Pro Cycling | s.t. |
| 119 Michael Friedman (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | 0:00 |
| 120 Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling | s.t. |
| DNS Joseph Lloyd Dombrowski (USA) Sky Procycling | |
| GC | |
| 1 Lachlan David Morton (Aus) Garmin-Sharp | 11:35:40 |
| 2 Mathias Frank (Sui) BMC Racing Team | 0:02 |
| 3 Peter Sagan (Svk) Cannondale Pro Cycling | 0:11 |
| 4 Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team | s.t. |
| 5 Lawson Craddock (USA) Bontrager Cycling Team | 0:18 |
| 6 Tom Danielson (USA) Garmin-Sharp | 0:29 |
| 7 Darwin Atapuma (Col) Colombia | 0:35 |
| 8 Damiano Caruso (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling | 0:41 |
| 9 Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team | |
| 10 Tony Gallopin (Fra) RadioShack Leopard | |
| 11 Rory Sutherland (Aus) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | |
| 12 Gregory Brenes Obando (CRc) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | |
| 13 Janier Alexis Acevedo Calle (Col) Jamis-Hagens Berman | |
| 14 Christopher Baldwin (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling | |
| 15 Lucas Euser (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team | all s.t. |
| 16 Carter Jones (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling | 0:46 |
| 17 Christian Vandevelde (USA) Garmin-Sharp | |
| 18 Javier Megias Leal (Esp) Team Novo Nordisk | |
| 19 Philip Deignan (Irl) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team | |
| 20 Michael Schär (Sui) BMC Racing Team | |
| 21 George Bennett (NZl) RadioShack Leopard | all s.t. |
| 22 Christoper Butler (USA) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | 0:57 |
| 23 Tanner Putt (USA) Bontrager Cycling Team | 0:59 |
| 24 Andreas Klöden (Ger) RadioShack Leopard | |
| 25 Kiel Reijnen (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team | both s.t. |
| 26 Nathan Wilson (USA) Bontrager Cycling Team | 1:04 |
| 27 Tiago Machado (Por) RadioShack Leopard | 1:22 |
| 28 James Oram (NZl) Bontrager Cycling Team | s.t. |
| 29 Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing Team | 1:24 |
| 30 Thomas Dekker (Ned) Garmin-Sharp | |
| 31 Jesse Anthony (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | both s.t. |
| 32 Andy Schleck (Lux) RadioShack Leopard | 1:29 |
| 33 Chad Beyer (USA) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | 1:34 |
| 34 Tom Zirbel (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | 1:46 |
| 35 Bruno Pires (Por) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | 2:13 |
| 36 Ian Boswell (USA) Sky Procycling | 2:43 |
| 37 Jeffry Louder (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team | 2:47 |
| 38 Robinson Eduardo Chalapud (Col) Colombia | 2:57 |
| 39 Alex Hagman (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Kenda | 3:35 |
| 40 Lawrence Warbasse (USA) BMC Racing Team | 3:45 |
| 41 Serghei Tvetcov (Mda) Jelly Belly p/b Kenda | 5:58 |
| 42 Michael Rogers (Aus) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | 6:04 |
| 43 Juan Pablo Suarez (Col) Colombia | 6:18 |
| 44 Edwin Avila (Col) Colombia | 6:27 |
| 45 Morgan Schmitt (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Kenda | 6:28 |
| 46 Andrew Talansky (USA) Garmin-Sharp | s.t. |
| 47 Jesper Hansen (Den) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | 6:43 |
| 48 Michael Friedman (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | 7:15 |
| 49 Stephen Cummings (GBr) BMC Racing Team | 7:22 |
| 50 Benjamin Day (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team | 7:36 |
| 51 Tyler Wren (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman | s.t. |
| 52 Christopher Jones (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team | 8:17 |
| 53 Phillip Gaimon (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling | 8:32 |
| 54 Luis Romero Amaran (Cub) Jamis-Hagens Berman | 10:17 |
| 55 Antoine Duchesne (Can) Bontrager Cycling Team | s.t. |
| 56 Sean Mazich (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Kenda | 10:58 |
| 57 Joonas Henttala (Fin) Team Novo Nordisk | |
| 58 Edward King (USA) Cannondale Pro Cycling | both s.t. |
| 59 Davide Villella (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling | 11:13 |
| 60 David Zabriskie (USA) Garmin-Sharp | 11:14 |
| 61 James Driscoll (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman | 12:16 |
| 62 Jens Voigt (Ger) RadioShack Leopard | s.t. |
| 63 Kirk Carlsen (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling | 12:40 |
| 64 Fabio Duarte (Col) Colombia | 14:59 |
| 65 Ben Jacques-Maynes (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman | s.t. |
| 66 Matt Cooke (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman | 15:07 |
| 67 Danny Pate (USA) Sky Procycling | 15:57 |
| 68 Nikodemus Holler (Ger) Team Argos-Shimano | 16:08 |
| 69 Jonathan Clarke (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team | |
| 70 Tobias Ludvigsson (Swe) Team Argos-Shimano | |
| 71 Michael Olsson (Swe) Team Argos-Shimano | |
| 72 Hayden Roulston (NZl) RadioShack Leopard | |
| 73 Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling | |
| 74 Marsh Cooper (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | |
| 75 Ryota Nishizono (Jpn) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | |
| 76 Alex Candelario (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | all s.t. |
| 77 Juraj Sagan (Svk) Cannondale Pro Cycling | 16:41 |
| 78 Simon Geschke (Ger) Team Argos-Shimano | 17:50 |
| 79 Ryan Eastman (USA) Bontrager Cycling Team | |
| 80 Nariyuki Masuda (Jpn) Cannondale Pro Cycling | |
| 81 Fabio Calabria (Aus) Team Novo Nordisk | all s.t. |
| 82 Joshua Edmondson (GBr) Sky Procycling | 18:29 |
| 83 Julio Camacho (Col) Colombia | 18:33 |
| 84 David Lozano Riba (Esp) Team Novo Nordisk | 19:18 |
| 85 Benjamin King (USA) RadioShack Leopard | 19:30 |
| 86 Alessandro de Marchi (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling | 19:33 |
| 87 Craig Lewis (USA) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | 19:45 |
| 88 Ryan Anderson (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | 19:49 |
| 89 Alessandro Bazzana (Ita) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team | |
| 90 Fred Rodriguez (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Kenda | |
| 91 Chun Kai Feng (Tpe) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | |
| 92 Christopher Juul Jensen (Den) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | |
| 93 Gang Xu (Chn) Champion System Pro Cycling Team | all s.t. |
| 94 Thomas Damuseau (Fra) Team Argos-Shimano | 21:24 |
| 95 Julien Taramarcaz (Sui) BMC Racing Team | 21:29 |
| 96 Nic Hamlton (Can) Jelly Belly p/b Kenda | 21:31 |
| 97 Patrick Gretsch (Ger) Team Argos-Shimano | |
| 98 David Millar (GBr) Garmin-Sharp | |
| 99 Rohan Dennis (Aus) Garmin-Sharp | |
| 100 Timothy Duggan (USA) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | all s.t. |
| 101 Connor O'Leary (USA) Bontrager Cycling Team | 22:33 |
| 102 Davila Luis (Mex) Jelly Belly p/b Kenda | 22:52 |
| 103 Kevin de Mesmaeker (Bel) Team Novo Nordisk | 24:12 |
| 104 Carson Miller (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman | |
| 105 Jarlinson Pantano (Col) Colombia | |
| 106 Ian Burnett (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Kenda | |
| 107 Jonathan Patrick McCarty (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling | all s.t. |
| 108 Martijn Verschoor (Ned) Team Novo Nordisk | 25:54 |
| 109 Luka Mezgec (Slo) Team Argos-Shimano | |
| 110 Kanstantsin Siutsou (Blr) Sky Procycling | |
| 111 Richie Porte (Aus) Sky Procycling | all s.t. |
| 112 Nathan Brown (USA) Bontrager Cycling Team | 26:07 |
| 113 Michael Torckler (NZl) Bissell Pro Cycling | 28:11 |
| 114 Thomas Soladay (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | 28:14 |
| 115 Jeremy Vennell (NZl) Bissell Pro Cycling | 28:41 |
| 116 Anders Lund (Den) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | 29:02 |
| 117 Jason McCartney (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling | 29:11 |
| 118 Yann Huguet (Fra) Team Argos-Shimano | |
| 119 Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling | both s.t. |
| 120 Andrea Peron (Ita) Team Novo Nordisk | 29:21 |
Jerseys
• Smashburger Leader Jersey – Lachlan David Morton (AUS) Team Garmin-Sharp
• Clif Bar Sprint Jersey – Peter Sagan (SVK) Cannondale Pro Cycling
• Nissan King of the Mountains Jersey – Matt Cooke (USA) Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home
• FirstBank Most Courageous Rider Jersey – Jen Voigt (GER) RadioShack Leopard Trek
• Colorado State University Best Young Rider Jersey – Lachlan David Morton (AUS) Team Garmin-Sharp
Fatal error: Uncaught Error: Object of class PDO could not be converted to string in /home/canadiancyclistcom/canadiancyclist.com/public/modules/news.php:544 Stack trace: #0 /home/canadiancyclistcom/canadiancyclist.com/public/modules/news.php(533): getrelatedgallery() #1 /home/canadiancyclistcom/canadiancyclist.com/public/dailynews.php(58): getDailyNewsArticle() #2 {main} thrown in /home/canadiancyclistcom/canadiancyclist.com/public/modules/news.php on line 544