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Steamboat Springs — Normally, when Ben Day straps in for his Fly V Australia team, he tells his teammates what to do as team leader.

But Saturday, during the second day of the Steamboat Springs Stage Race - a 4.5-mile circuit race at Marabou Ranch - the pro cyclist had to do something a little different.

Void of teammates and knowing the bull's-eye was on him after taking Friday's time trial, Day decided to go out hard, ride hard and finish hard.

It worked, as Day finished more than four minutes ahead of Jon Tarkington with a time of 2 hours, 52 seconds to win the stage and maintain his overall lead by more than 4 minutes heading into today's Moots Road Race.

Even more impressive, Day rode the last eight laps of the 10-lap, 45-mile race alone.

"I'm here by myself and I have no teammates," Day said. "There are a few other guys that could take advantage of the right type of tactics against me. I just realized (Saturday) was a short enough race to hit it hard pretty early and do that all the way to the finish. People are either going to hack it or not."

Steamboat's Barkley Robinson was the top local finisher, in sixth, with a time of 2:07:13.

Robinson, who has dominated local mountain bike races the past three years, said it was good to get back on a road bike and compete. Robinson hadn't competed in a road race in more than three years. Steamboat's Ian Prichard finished 34th in a time of 2:22:19

Robinson was with the lead pack chasing Day for nine laps, before falling slightly back.

"It feels good. It's fun," Robinson said. "It's the first road race I've done in a while. It's quite a bit different than mountain biking. Road biking has those short and intense efforts over the climbs."

It wasn't all about winning Saturday. A group of a dozen or so students from the Rite of Passage school made the trip to Steamboat Springs to compete. The Rite of Passage school is a youth correctional facility in Denver. The school has classes, treatment programs and sports to help get troubled youths on the right path.

"It helped me not give up so easy on myself," said Alexander, a 16-year-old who has been cycling for more than a year. School rules prohibit publication of full names. "It's taught me a lot about myself and pushing myself to the limit."

Other men's winners Saturday included Mike Meyer in the 55-plus, 65-plus division; Mitch Westall in the 3 35-plus, 45-plus; Paul Rapinz in the 4 35-plus, 45-plus; Zane Godby in category 4 division; and Todd Neumarker in the category 4 division.

Louise Amelburu leads in the women's 45-plus division; Flora Duffy leads the 4 45-plus, 55-plus division; and Marilyn McDonald leads in the 1-2, 3 35-plus division.

Race action continues today with a Moots Road Race. Top-level divisions begin at 8 a.m. and feature 70 miles on a T-shaped course with 3,800 vertical feet of climbing. The course goes to Yampa Valley Regional Airport and then to Oak Creek and back on Routt County Road 33. Other categories begin at noon and ride 55 miles to the end of C.R. 27 and back. Both races begin on C.R. 33A.