Tour of Utah 2016 – Stage 2 [FULL STAGE]

August 02, 2016
Tour of Utah 2016 – Stage 2 – Escalante – Torrey – 159,3 km

The Tour of Utah, officially the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah, is an annual multiday road cycling race; traversing the states of Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming. Since the 2011 edition, the tour holds UCI classification (2.1). Between five and six UCI ProTeams compete annually. Due to its altitude, distance, and weather conditions, the tour is nicknamed: “America’s Toughest Stage Race”. In 2010, only 71 of the initial 140 riders finished. After receiving 2.1 status in 2011, a stronger field participated; 88 of the initial 120 competitors finished. In September 2014, it was announced that the race was promoted to 2.HC status.

Robin Carpenter (Holowesko-Citadel) upped his ante during stage 2 at the 2016 Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah on Tuesday, going one better than his 2015 stage 2 runner-up finish and taking the win this year in Torrey.

Carpenter escaped the bunch 50km into the stage with Team Jamis rider Ruben Campanioni, and the duo held off the peloton for the next 109km, including two 27km finishing loops.

Carpenter’s teammate, Travis McCabe, won the field sprint more than two minutes later to round out the podium, while overnight leader Kristofer Dahl (Silber Pro Cycling) finished safely in the group but surrendered the yellow jersey.

“It wasn’t really my intention to get in the breakaway today because the course wasn’t super suitable for it, or it didn’t look like it, but then I got in there with Ruben and we just rode conservatively at first,” Carpenter said in the post-stage press conference.

“We were given too big of a time gap, which just made our day pretty easy,” he said. “It was a hard race, but there as no question for the last hour whether or not we were going to get caught.”

Campanioni said he started the stage with a plan to get into the breakaway. He made it into almost every move as the group was trying to establish the escape, and it paid off when he made it with Carpenter.

“I went as hard as I can, but I the finish was too hard,” he said. “But I’m happy.”

How it unfolded

While Monday’s opening stage was fairly straightforward, with a breakaway slipping away early and the survivors getting caught just a few kilometres from the finish, Tuesday’s 159km stage from Escalante to Torrey was anything but ordinary.

The stage included two categorised climbs: the category 3 ascent of the sprints at 44km and 104km also animated the day before two 17km finishing circuits.

The race started with a furious pace leaving Escalante, with the peloton nearing 64km/h as riders snaked across the road trying to escape. An eight-rider group eventually formed about 24km into the day, and that group was soon joined by two more riders. Cannondale-Drapac seemed determined not to let the group go, however, keeping the escapees about 30 seconds away.

“In some of these smaller races it’s pretty uncontrolled,” said Joe Dombrowski, the Cannondale-Drapac leader in Utah. “It’s a lot different than racing in the WorldTour, so guys that can ride good GC sometimes jump in breakaways, and we don’t really see that normally.”

“I talked to a couple of them, like, ‘Guys, we can’t let you go.’ They say they’re not in it for GC, but you see what happened today: you give those guys five minutes and then the race can be over. I know it was a little bit annoying at the start. It was annoying for us, and it was annoying for the bunch. Everyone just wants to let the break go and we can ride, but sometimes you have to be proactive.”

With the group so near the peloton, reshuffling was constant as riders were dropped from the break and others bridged up. The chase from Cannondale repeatedly brought promising-looking groups back before Frederic Brun (Fortuneo-Vital Concept), Robin Carpenter (Holowesko-Citadel) and Ruben Campanioni (Team Jamis) managed to peel away after the first intermediate sprint.

“It’s hard to say what the other team’s strategies were,” Carpenter said when asked why it took so long for a breakaway to stick. “We saw BMC going up the road and the other WorldTour teams going up the road, presumably to put pressure on Cannondale and make them work all week because they’ve won this race a number of years and they’re the favourites with the defending champion from last year. It made the race really tough.”

After 50km there were finally three riders up the road, but Brun quickly fell off the pace as the leaders started the climb up Boulder Mountain, leaving Carpenter and Campanioni to ride on alone. The peloton appeared to sense little threat from the duo, and the gap soon ballooned to a maximum of 7:30 at the second KOM 92km from the finish. That would prove to be a mistake.

“If they had known earlier what they know now,” Carpenter said, “seven minutes at the top of Boulder Mountain would have been untenable for everybody else.”

From there, the gap started coming down consistently, but the leaders still started the final two 27km circuits with a six-minute gap. Rally Cycling came to the front in hopes of setting up another sprint finish, with Trek-Segafredo adding horsepower to the chase as well.

The lead duo started the second loop with 4:38 over the peloton, and a second bunch sprint of the race started to look improbable. In the final lap, Cannondale came back the front, but by then it was too late and either Campanioni or Carpenter was going to take the stage win.

Results :
1 Robin Carpenter (USA) Holowesko-Citadel Racing Team 3:56:48
2 Ruben Companioni (Cub) Team Jamis 0:00:06
3 Travis McCabe (USA) Holowesko-Citadel Racing Team 0:02:07
4 Kiel Reijnen (USA) Trek-Segafredo
5 David Tanner (Aus) IAM Cycling
6 Rick Zabel (Ger) BMC Racing Team
7 Marco Canola (Ita) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team
8 Logan Owen (USA) Axeon Hagens Berman
9 Colin Joyce (USA) Axeon Hagens Berman
10 Iuri Filosi (Ita) Nippo – Vini Fantini
11 Jacob Rathe (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
12 Ulises Alfredo Castillo Soto (Mex) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
13 Pierrick Naud (Can) Rally Cycling
14 Chad Beyer (USA) Lupus Racing Team
15 Stephen Bassett (USA) Team Jamis
16 Simon Pellaud (Swi) IAM Cycling
17 Darwin Atapuma (Col) BMC Racing Team
18 Hayden Mccormick (NZl) ONE Pro Cycling
19 Adrien Costa (USA) Axeon Hagens Berman
20 Neilson Powless (USA) Axeon Hagens Berman
21 Javier Megias (Spa) Team Novo Nordisk
22 Gregory Daniel (USA) Axeon Hagens Berman
23 Julien Loubet (Fra) Fortuneo – Vital Concept
24 Lawrence Warbasse (USA) IAM Cycling
25 Steven Tronet (Fra) Fortuneo – Vital Concept
26 Krists Neilands (Lat) Axeon Hagens Berman
27 Dion Smith (NZl) ONE Pro Cycling
28 Christopher Horner (USA) Lupus Racing Team
29 Eddie Dunbar (Irl) Axeon Hagens Berman
30 Fabian Lienhard (Swi) BMC Racing Team
31 Tao Geoghegan Hart (GBr) Axeon Hagens Berman
32 Andrew Talansky (USA) Cannondale-Drapac
33 Kristofer Dahl (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
34 Janier Alexis Acevedo Colle (Col) Team Jamis
35 Jonathan Clarke (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team
36 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team
37 Peter Stetina (USA) Trek-Segafredo
38 David Drouin (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
39 Riccardo Zoidl (Aut) Trek-Segafredo
40 Emerson Oronte (USA) Rally Cycling
41 Julien Bernard (Fra) Trek-Segafredo
42 Jonathan Dibben (GBr) Cannondale-Drapac
43 Nicolae Tanovitchii (Mda) Lupus Racing Team
44 Pier Paolo De Negri (Ita) Nippo – Vini Fantini
45 Joseph Chavarria (CRc) Lupus Racing Team
46 Joe Dombrowski (USA) Cannondale-Drapac
47 Alberto Bettiol (Ita) Cannondale-Drapac
48 Manuel Senni (Ita) BMC Racing Team
49 Robbie Squire (USA) Holowesko-Citadel Racing Team
50 Nicola Bagioli (Ita) Nippo – Vini Fantini
51 Alexander Cataford (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
52 Joseph Rosskopf (USA) BMC Racing Team
53 Rob Britton (Can) Rally Cycling
54 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Nippo – Vini Fantini
55 Marcel Aregger (Swi) IAM Cycling
56 John Hornbeck (USA) Holowesko-Citadel Racing Team
57 Matthew Busche (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team
58 Andrei Krasilnikau (Blr) Holowesko-Citadel Racing Team
59 Jacopo Mosca (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
60 Taylor Sheldon (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
61 Dylan Teuns (Bel) BMC Racing Team
62 Lachlan David Morton (Aus) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
63 Tanner Putt (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team
64 Angus Morton (Aus) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
65 James Oram (NZl) ONE Pro Cycling
66 Alexandr Braico (Mda) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
67 Kevin Ledanois (Fra) Fortuneo – Vital Concept
68 Jonathan Fumeaux (Swi) IAM Cycling
69 Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Arg) Team Jamis
70 Laurent Didier (Lux) Trek-Segafredo
71 Elie Gesbert (Fra) Fortuneo – Vital Concept
72 Taylor Eisenhart (USA) BMC Racing Team
73 Alessandro Bisolti (Ita) Nippo – Vini Fantini
74 Eric Marcotte (USA) Team Jamis
75 Daniel Jaramillo (Col) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team
76 Brayan Stiven Sanchez Vergara (Col) Team Jamis
77 Tom Zirbel (USA) Rally Cycling
78 Jean-Marc Bideau (Fra) Fortuneo – Vital Concept
79 Richard Handley (GBr) ONE Pro Cycling
80 Bryan Lewis (USA) Lupus Racing Team
81 Barry Miller (USA) Lupus Racing Team
82 Frederic Brun (Fra) Fortuneo – Vital Concept
83 Evan Huffman (USA) Rally Cycling
84 Ryan Roth (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
85 Benjamin King (USA) Cannondale-Drapac
86 Alex Howes (USA) Cannondale-Drapac
87 David Gaona Vazquez (Mex) Nippo – Vini Fantini 0:02:23
88 Matthieu Jeannes (Fra) Lupus Racing Team
89 Luis Romero Amaran (Cub) Team Jamis 0:02:26
90 Andzs Flaksis (Lat) Holowesko-Citadel Racing Team 0:02:37
91 Jordan Cheyne (Can) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 0:02:40
92 Eugenio Alafaci (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
93 Joshua Berry (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 0:03:02
94 Daniel Eaton (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team 0:03:10
95 Francis Mourey (Fra) Fortuneo – Vital Concept 0:03:15
96 Thomas Vaubourzeix (Fra) Lupus Racing Team
97 Joseph Lewis (Aus) Holowesko-Citadel Racing Team 0:02:07
98 Christopher Jones (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team 0:04:35
99 Tom Bohli (Swi) BMC Racing Team 0:05:55
100 Stephen Clancy (Irl) Team Novo Nordisk 0:06:31
101 Danny Pate (USA) Rally Cycling 0:09:22
102 Kyle Murphy (USA) Team Jamis
103 Nigel Ellsay (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 0:09:44
104 Phillip Gaimon (USA) Cannondale-Drapac
105 Adam De Vos (Can) Rally Cycling 0:12:05
106 Matteo Dal-Cin (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
107 Keijzer Gerd De (Ned) Team Novo Nordisk
108 Nicolas Masbourian (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
109 Julian Arredondo (Col) Trek-Segafredo
110 Benjamin Perry (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 0:17:18
111 Eric Young (USA) Rally Cycling 0:19:08
OTL Samuel Williams (GBr) ONE Pro Cycling 0:22:12
OTL Yuma Koishi (Jpn) Nippo – Vini Fantini 0:23:12
OTL Justin Mottier (Fra) Fortuneo – Vital Concept
OTL Rik Van Ijzendoorn (Ned) Team Novo Nordisk
OTL Miguel Bryon (USA) Holowesko-Citadel Racing Team
OTL Brian Kamstra (Ned) Team Novo Nordisk
DNF George Harper (GBr) ONE Pro Cycling

General classification after stage 2 :
1 Robin Carpenter (USA) Holowesko-Citadel Racing Team 7:03:51
2 Ruben Companioni (Cub) Team Jamis 0:00:12
3 Kristofer Dahl (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 0:02:12
4 Colin Joyce (USA) Axeon Hagens Berman 0:02:17
5 Travis McCabe (USA) Holowesko-Citadel Racing Team 0:02:19
6 Rick Zabel (Ger) BMC Racing Team
7 Simon Pellaud (Swi) IAM Cycling 0:02:20
8 Evan Huffman (USA) Rally Cycling 0:02:22
9 David Tanner (Aus) IAM Cycling 0:02:23
10 Logan Owen (USA) Axeon Hagens Berman
11 Ulises Alfredo Castillo Soto (Mex) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
12 Marco Canola (Ita) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team
13 Pierrick Naud (Can) Rally Cycling
14 Stephen Bassett (USA) Team Jamis
15 Chad Beyer (USA) Lupus Racing Team
16 Hayden Mccormick (NZl) ONE Pro Cycling
17 Neilson Powless (USA) Axeon Hagens Berman
18 Dion Smith (NZl) ONE Pro Cycling
19 Tao Geoghegan Hart (GBr) Axeon Hagens Berman
20 Adrien Costa (USA) Axeon Hagens Berman
21 Julien Loubet (Fra) Fortuneo – Vital Concept
22 Javier Megias (Spa) Team Novo Nordisk
23 Christopher Horner (USA) Lupus Racing Team
24 Darwin Atapuma (Col) BMC Racing Team
25 Lawrence Warbasse (USA) IAM Cycling
26 Krists Neilands (Lat) Axeon Hagens Berman
27 Eddie Dunbar (Irl) Axeon Hagens Berman
28 Janier Alexis Acevedo Colle (Col) Team Jamis
29 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team
30 Robbie Squire (USA) Holowesko-Citadel Racing Team
31 Gregory Daniel (USA) Axeon Hagens Berman
32 Emerson Oronte (USA) Rally Cycling
33 Manuel Senni (Ita) BMC Racing Team
34 Joseph Rosskopf (USA) BMC Racing Team
35 Tanner Putt (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team
36 Alberto Bettiol (Ita) Cannondale-Drapac
37 Kevin Ledanois (Fra) Fortuneo – Vital Concept
38 David Drouin (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
39 Andrew Talansky (USA) Cannondale-Drapac
40 Jacob Rathe (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
41 Nicolae Tanovitchii (Mda) Lupus Racing Team
42 Joseph Chavarria (CRc) Lupus Racing Team
43 Riccardo Zoidl (Aut) Trek-Segafredo
44 Jonathan Clarke (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team
45 Peter Stetina (USA) Trek-Segafredo
46 Joe Dombrowski (USA) Cannondale-Drapac
47 Nicola Bagioli (Ita) Nippo – Vini Fantini
48 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Nippo – Vini Fantini
49 Iuri Filosi (Ita) Nippo – Vini Fantini
50 Matthew Busche (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team
51 Kiel Reijnen (USA) Trek-Segafredo
52 Alex Howes (USA) Cannondale-Drapac
53 Alexander Cataford (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
54 Rob Britton (Can) Rally Cycling
55 Julien Bernard (Fra) Trek-Segafredo
56 Alexandr Braico (Mda) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
57 Jonathan Fumeaux (Swi) IAM Cycling
58 John Hornbeck (USA) Holowesko-Citadel Racing Team
59 Dylan Teuns (Bel) BMC Racing Team
60 Brayan Stiven Sanchez Vergara (Col) Team Jamis
61 Benjamin King (USA) Cannondale-Drapac
62 Taylor Sheldon (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
63 Angus Morton (Aus) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
64 Lachlan David Morton (Aus) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
65 Jonathan Dibben (GBr) Cannondale-Drapac
66 Laurent Didier (Lux) Trek-Segafredo
67 Jean-Marc Bideau (Fra) Fortuneo – Vital Concept
68 Andrei Krasilnikau (Blr) Holowesko-Citadel Racing Team
69 James Oram (NZl) ONE Pro Cycling
70 Frederic Brun (Fra) Fortuneo – Vital Concept
71 Daniel Jaramillo (Col) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team
72 Alessandro Bisolti (Ita) Nippo – Vini Fantini
73 Elie Gesbert (Fra) Fortuneo – Vital Concept
74 Bryan Lewis (USA) Lupus Racing Team
75 Taylor Eisenhart (USA) BMC Racing Team
76 Barry Miller (USA) Lupus Racing Team
77 Richard Handley (GBr) ONE Pro Cycling
78 Ryan Roth (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
79 Luis Romero Amaran (Cub) Team Jamis 0:02:42
80 Eugenio Alafaci (Ita) Trek-Segafredo 0:02:56
81 Marcel Aregger (Swi) IAM Cycling 0:03:08
82 David Gaona Vazquez (Mex) Nippo – Vini Fantini 0:03:09
83 Francis Mourey (Fra) Fortuneo – Vital Concept 0:03:31
84 Thomas Vaubourzeix (Fra) Lupus Racing Team
85 Fabian Lienhard (Swi) BMC Racing Team 0:03:36
86 Jacopo Mosca (Ita) Trek-Segafredo 0:03:43
87 Matthieu Jeannes (Fra) Lupus Racing Team 0:04:27
88 Christopher Jones (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team 0:04:51
89 Daniel Eaton (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team 0:05:58
90 Steven Tronet (Fra) Fortuneo – Vital Concept 0:07:01
91 Pier Paolo De Negri (Ita) Nippo – Vini Fantini
92 Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Arg) Team Jamis
93 Eric Marcotte (USA) Team Jamis
94 Tom Bohli (Swi) BMC Racing Team 0:07:24
95 Andzs Flaksis (Lat) Holowesko-Citadel Racing Team 0:07:31
96 Jordan Cheyne (Can) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 0:07:34
97 Joshua Berry (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 0:07:56
98 Phillip Gaimon (USA) Cannondale-Drapac 0:10:00
99 Nigel Ellsay (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
100 Tom Zirbel (USA) Rally Cycling 0:11:34
101 Joseph Lewis (Aus) Holowesko-Citadel Racing Team
102 Matteo Dal-Cin (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 0:12:19
103 Julian Arredondo (Col) Trek-Segafredo 0:12:21
104 Nicolas Masbourian (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
105 Danny Pate (USA) Rally Cycling 0:14:16
106 Benjamin Perry (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 0:17:34
107 Adam De Vos (Can) Rally Cycling 0:21:32
108 Stephen Clancy (Irl) Team Novo Nordisk 0:21:36
109 Eric Young (USA) Rally Cycling 0:24:02
110 Kyle Murphy (USA) Team Jamis 0:24:26
111 Keijzer Gerd De (Ned) Team Novo Nordisk 0:27:10