7 August, 2018, Cedar City, Utah (USA)
Tejay van Garderen, who took victory on yesterday’s prologue, successfully defended the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah leader’s jersey today after stage 1 came down to a bunch sprint that saw Brent Bookwalter power to fourth on the line.
Strong teamwork from van Garderen’s teammates saw the race leader well-positioned when the sprint was launched before he eventually crossed the line in the main bunch to secure a second day in the yellow jersey.
Earlier in the stage, the peloton, led by BMC Racing Team, chased down several opening moves before a four-rider breakaway was finally allowed to go clear after 17km, of the 162.5km out-and-back course.
The leaders quickly built up an advantage that was sitting at around five minutes on the early slopes of the first of two categorized climbs, the category one ascent to Cedar Breaks, which at around 25km long had pitches of up to 15% in places.
As the breakaway swept up the KOM points, the peloton had pulled the gap back to 4’30” and it continued to hover around four minutes on the descent towards the base of the second climb, the category four ascent up to the Bristlecone KOM.
After an increase in pace at the front of the bunch, the leaders’ advantage had been pulled back to inside three minutes on the lower slopes of the climb with Kilian Frankiny and stagiaire, Alexander Evans taking over the responsibility of setting the tempo in support of van Garderen, who was sat in the wheels of Joey Rosskopf and Bookwalter slightly further back.
It wasn’t long before the breakaway split and at the 55km to go mark, it was Daan Olivier (Team LottoNL-Jumbo) who was leading the race solo while behind his fellow leaders were beginning to be swept up by the rest of the field.
Olivier’s advantage had shrunk to 2’30” as he began the downhill run into the first of three laps of the 4.3km circuit around Cedar City and he was eventually caught and passed by Luis Lemus (Israel Cycling Academy) with 16km to go while the peloton sat just 15 seconds back.
With the race coming back together at the start of the first lap, the bunch sprint looked inevitable as the speed being set neutralized all late attacks and after a chaotic battle for position in the closing kilometers of the day, Travis McCabe (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling) took the win with Bookwalter showing his form to power to fourth on the line.
With van Garderen guided safely through the fast, furious and hectic finale, he continues to lead the General Classification two seconds ahead of McCabe and four seconds in front of teammate, Rosskopf.
Quotes From the Finish Line:
Tejay van Garderen:
“Our plan coming into today’s stage was to let a breakaway get up the road and to stop the attacks. We found a breakaway that we were comfortable with and then we let them get some time before establishing a chase. We were banking on a couple of sprinters’ teams coming in to help close the gap in the final so, that we didn’t have to do all the work today. We were able to keep things relatively under control on what was a hot and hard day.”
“It was a hard tempo today and I felt comfortable but I don’t think I will really know where my form is until some of the other GC guys start making moves and I will see how I respond to those.”
“We saw our two stagiaires working well on the front today and I like having them on the team. They are always really motivated and eager and willing to do whatever the task is. It is a great opportunity for them but it is also a great opportunity for us to not only teach them but to also get an extra helping hand in races like these.”
Brent Bookwalter:
“Coming into Utah I have felt good. I was able to enjoy some time at home which definitely helped me feel rejuvenated and helped me find the enjoyment of the sport as I started more specific preparation for this race. I was a little disappointed with yesterday’s prologue but historically I have always performed better during time trials on the TT bike rather than on the road bike.”
“Looking at today’s stage, the last three laps were definitely USA criterium style and maybe even more hectic as there was less control. On paper, there are some strong sprinters here but they didn’t show themselves today and no team thought it was worthwhile to take control. So, that made it a free for all and by that point, it was just me and Joey who were left to take the opportunity as everyone else had put in a full effort earlier on in the day. It was really a balance of looking after Tejay and trying to go for it. I had it in the back of my mind that if I could be in a good position on the final corners that I could go for the sprint. I just missed a podium position and the time bonus that comes with that, but even without that, I am still satisfied. To be committed to the race and in the thick of the action is encouraging and inspiring. I always say that I want to do a good performance every day whether that’s working for Tejay or trying to do something for myself.”
Sports Director, Jackson Stewart:
“It was a hard start with our guys defending the yellow jersey and trying to make sure that the right guys went in the breakaway and that we didn’t let any of the really strong climbers or too big of a group go clear as it would have been difficult to bring back. I think we did a really good job at the beginning and then Tejay got a flat tire at a bad moment and I think it was when we were bringing him back up to the bunch that those four guys were able to get away. They were all decent climbers and we didn’t necessarily want that but the guys controlled it well. It was a really hot and hard day and we didn’t get that much help but eventually, Trek-Segafredo started to work with us but it was a pretty big effort from the team today.”
“The sprinters’ teams didn’t really take over in the finish which made everything pretty chaotic at the end and I think it will be interesting to see how the next two sprint days pan out as we saw today that you can lose control really quickly. For us, Brent stepped up in the finish. He is so well-rounded and he normally always has a good sprint so he was free to try something in the final. He knows how to ride the bike well and just got beat on the line.”
Race Profile
The Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah
Stage 1: Cedar City > Cedar City, 162.5km
Top 3: 1. Travis McCabe (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team) 2. Alfredo Ulises Castillo (Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis) 3. Edwin Avila (Israel Cycling Academy)
BMC Racing Team Top 3: 4. Brent Bookwalter 19. Joey Rosskopf 34. Tejay van Garderen
