His first notable result among the elite riders came in 1996 when he won the Dutch national title behind the derny.

He lost a minute and 14 seconds to the race's elite riders the next day, finishing 14th in the first true mountain stage.

Van Den Broeck finished with the elite riders in the race.

Van Den Broeck was on good form again the next day in a more mountainous stage, finishing with the elite riders again.

Niels Albert, 2008's U23 world champion, joined the ranks of the elite riders that season as well, giving Nys another opponent to deal with.

Tondó lost roughly two minutes to the race's elite riders at the finish, coming home 23rd and slipping to fifth overall as a result.

Sánchez did, however, stay ahead of the other elite riders in the race, gaining a minute on them and moving up to third in the overall classification.

Kass and other elite riders have been congregating for summer training in the snowfields on this 11,237-foot volcanic peak for more than a decade.

Today, there are about 50 horses and a team of elite riders, usually limited to 22.

The three medalists are among the world's elite riders.