Tour of Utah 2017 – Stage 5 [FULL STAGE]

August 04, 2017

Tour of Utah 2017 – Stage 5 – Layton City – Bountiful : 180,2 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.

UnitedHealthcare’s Travis McCabe won stage 5 of the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah on Friday, sprinting to victory ahead of Marco Canola (Nippo-Vini Fantini) and Logan Owen (Axeon Hagens Berman).

A pair of late third-category climbs spurred attacks at the business end of the race, but things came together in the closing kilometres to set up the sprint in Bountiful. BMC Racing’s Joey Rosskopf pulled the reduced peloton into the finale with teammate Brent Bookwalter on his wheel, but as the fast finishers wound up to speed, Holowesko-Citadel’s Robin Carpenter quickly powered into the lead.

McCabe stayed patient, however, finally hitting out with around 250 metres to go. He surged to the front and held on to take the victory, with Canola pipping Owen for second and Carpenter settling for fourth.

Race leader Rob Britton (Rally Cycling) finished safely the bunch to maintain his grip on the race leader’s jersey.

McCabe said he nearly quit three times coming up the final climb, but he persevered to take the win.

“Coming into the climb it was hot with a bit of a tailwind, and that just makes that climb that much harder,” McCabe said. “Coming over the op on the last bit, I came off with about 200 metres to go with Logan. Fortunately I had Jonny Clark there to pace me back on. Him and Neilson Powless (Axon Hagens Berman) pretty much did the grunt work to bring Logan and I back on, and that was really hard.

“It was a pretty fast finish with that slight downhill and a tailwind coming into the finish,” McCabe said. “I was just patient and waited until 250 metres to go and opened it up and was the fastest one today, so I’m pretty proud. It was a stage that I’ve been targeting all year long really. I love Utah and I’ve done this now for the third year, and I know just how hard it is. So to get a win is pretty emotional. I’m quite Happy.

How it unfolded

The 185.4km fifth stage started out on flat roads before the first climb came 95 kilometres into the day. The biggest vertical challenge came in the two 14-kilometre finishing circuits that featured a punchy, Ardennes-like climb up the Bountiful Bench and then a fast descent to the line.

The flat roads didn’t facilitate an easy day for establishing a breakaway, however, as once again it took nearly 90 minutes for a move to go.

Eventually a 15-rider move escaped the peloton’s grasp about 60 kilometres into the race. In the group were Patrick Müller (BMC), Chris Jones (UnitedHealthcare), Justin Oien (Caja Rural), Diego Rubio Hernández (Caja Rural), Alan Marangoni (Nippo-Vini Fantini), Red Halilaj (Amore & Vita), David Galarreta (Amore & Vita), William Barta (Axeon Hagens Berman), Cortlan Brown (Hangar 15), Erik Stack (Hangar 15), John Murphy (Holowesko-Citadel), Andre Kasrilnikau (Holowesko-Citadel), Pierre-Andre Cote (Silber) and Guillaume Boivin (Israel Cycling Academy).

The advantage went up to 3:20 over 30 kilometres, and it hovered there as the riders entered Hill Air Force Base to the sound of F-35s in flight overhead. As the Rally-led chase started whittling into the lead, a group of four riders attacked from the break and set off toward Bountiful without the rest.

The new lead group included Boivin, Oien, Halilaj and Cote, who was knocked out of the group by a mechanical.

The breakaway was caught just before the race reached Bountiful, and UnitedHealthcare’s Lachlan Norris jumped away. He was quickly back in the fold after the first trip up Bountiful Bench before James Piccoli (Elevate-KHS) made his own move.

Piccoli, who was just 1:15 down on the general classification, built a 15-second gap as Rally’s Sepp Kuss hit the front to bring him back. Nippo-Vini Fantini’s Marco Canola attempted to bridge, stringing out the field behind him the second time up Bountiful Bench.

The GC group brought Piccoli and Canola back into the fold before the second KOM, where a select group of about a dozen riders made it over the top, including Britton, and then headed down toward the finish. Britton had two teamamtes, while Caja Rural put three riders in the move. Gavin Mannion (UnitedHealthcare) was also there, along with fellow GC riders TJ Eisenhart (Holowesko-Citadel) and Brent Bookalter

A chasing group that included McCabe caught the leaders in the closing kilometres, setting up the reduced bunch sprint, where McCabe proved fastest to the line.

Results :
1 Travis McCabe (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 4:05:26
2 Marco Canola (Ita) Nippo – Vini Fantini
3 Logan Owen (USA) Axeon Hagens Berman
4 Robin Carpenter (USA) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Hincapie Sportswear
5 Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing Team
6 Serghei Tvetcov (Rou) Jelly Belly-Maxxis
7 Robert Britton (Can) Rally Cycling
8 Joey Rosskopf (USA) BMC Racing Team
9 Jhonatan Narvaez (Ecu) Axeon Hagens Berman
10 Adam De Vos (Can) Rally Cycling
11 Antonio Molina Canet (Spa) Caja Rural – Seguros RGA
12 Pierpaolo Ficara (Ita) Amore & Vita – SelleSMP p/b Fondriest
13 Gavin Mannion (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
14 Sepp Kuss (USA) Rally Cycling
15 Eder Frayre Moctezuma (Mex) Elevate – KHS Pro Cycling
16 Daniel Jaramillo (Col) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
17 Jonny Clarke (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
18 Taylor Eisenhart (USA) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Hincapie Sportswear
19 Giulio Ciccone (Ita) Bardiani CSF
20 Neilson Powless (USA) Axeon Hagens Berman
21 Chris Butler (USA) Caja Rural – Seguros RGA
22 Emerson Oronte (USA) Rally Cycling
23 Francisco Mancebo (Spa) Hangar 15 Bicycles
24 Manuel Sola Arjona (Spa) Caja Rural – Seguros RGA
25 Nigel Ellsay (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
26 Keegan Swirbul (USA) Jelly Belly-Maxxis
27 Ivan Santaromita (Ita) Nippo – Vini Fantini 0:00:07
28 Martin Elmiger (Swi) BMC Racing Team 0:00:27
29 Kilian Frankiny (Swi) BMC Racing Team
30 Luis Lemus (Mex) Israel Cycling Academy
31 Chad Beyer (USA) Hangar 15 Bicycles
32 Marco Zamparella (Ita) Amore & Vita – SelleSMP p/b Fondriest 0:00:50
33 Rob Squire (USA) Hangar 15 Bicycles 0:00:54
34 James Piccoli (Can) Elevate – KHS Pro Cycling
35 Kyle Murphy (USA) Cylance Cycling 0:01:35
36 Ruben Companioni (Cub) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Hincapie Sportswear 0:02:17
37 Silvan Dillier (Swi) BMC Racing Team 0:03:50
38 Simone Andreetta (Ita) Bardiani CSF
39 Evan Huffman (USA) Rally Cycling
40 Stephen Bassett (USA) Silber Pro Cycling 0:04:38
41 Jacob Rathe (USA) Jelly Belly-Maxxis 0:05:21
42 Lachlan Norris (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
43 Dennis van Winden (Ned) Israel Cycling Academy 0:06:10
44 Giacomo Berlato (Ita) Nippo – Vini Fantini 0:06:51
45 Alexander Hoehn (USA) Elevate – KHS Pro Cycling
46 Alex Aranburu Deva (Spa) Caja Rural – Seguros RGA
47 Gonzalo Serrano Rodriguez (Spa) Caja Rural – Seguros RGA
48 Tom Bohli (Swi) BMC Racing Team
49 Patrick Mueller (Swi) BMC Racing Team
50 Rui Oliveira (Por) Axeon Hagens Berman
51 Redi Halilaj (Alb) Amore & Vita – SelleSMP p/b Fondriest
52 Orlando Garibay (Mex) Cylance Cycling
53 Connor Brown (USA) Elevate – KHS Pro Cycling 0:07:46
54 Eric Marcotte (USA) Cylance Cycling 0:08:52
55 Cory Lockwood (USA) Elevate – KHS Pro Cycling 0:09:52
56 Cortlan Brown (USA) Hangar 15 Bicycles 0:09:59
57 Kaler Marshall (USA) Hangar 15 Bicycles
58 Tyler Williams (USA) Israel Cycling Academy
59 Sam Brand (GBr) Team Novo Nordisk
60 David Galarreta (Spa) Amore & Vita – SelleSMP p/b Fondriest
61 Fabio Calabria (Ita) Team Novo Nordisk
62 Rik Van Ijzendoorn (Ned) Team Novo Nordisk
63 Besmir Banushi (Alb) Amore & Vita – SelleSMP p/b Fondriest
64 Steve Fisher (USA) Hangar 15 Bicycles
65 Uri Martins Sandoval (Mex) Amore & Vita – SelleSMP p/b Fondriest
66 Alfredo Rodriguez Victoria (Mex) Elevate – KHS Pro Cycling
67 Joshua Berry (USA) Jelly Belly-Maxxis
68 Ulises Alfredo Castillo (Mex) Jelly Belly-Maxxis
69 Guy Niv (Isr) Israel Cycling Academy
70 Andrei Krasilnikau (Bel) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Hincapie Sportswear
71 Adam Roberge (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
72 Manuel Senni (Ita) BMC Racing Team
73 Umberto Poli (Ita) Team Novo Nordisk
74 Will Barta (USA) Axeon Hagens Berman
75 Michael Rice (Aus) Axeon Hagens Berman
76 Jonny Brown (USA) Axeon Hagens Berman
77 Andzs Flaksis (Lat) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Hincapie Sportswear
78 Justin Oien (USA) Caja Rural – Seguros RGA
79 Miguel Angel Benito Diez (Spa) Caja Rural – Seguros RGA
80 Yuma Koishi (Jpn) Nippo – Vini Fantini
81 Jordan Cheyne (Can) Jelly Belly-Maxxis
82 Taylor Sheldon (USA) Jelly Belly-Maxxis
83 Luca Wackermann (Ita) Bardiani CSF
84 Guillaume Boivin (Can) Israel Cycling Academy
85 Mihkel Raim (Est) Israel Cycling Academy
86 Chris Jones (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
87 Angus Morton (Aus) Jelly Belly-Maxxis
88 Oscar Clark (USA) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Hincapie Sportswear 0:12:49
89 Marco Bernardinetti (Ita) Amore & Vita – SelleSMP p/b Fondriest 0:15:34
90 Alan Marangoni (Ita) Nippo – Vini Fantini
91 John Murphy (USA) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Hincapie Sportswear 0:16:05
92 Pier-Andre Cote (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
93 Emile Jean (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
94 Bryan Lewis (USA) Cylance Cycling
95 Ty Magner (USA) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Hincapie Sportswear
96 Vincenzo Albanese (Ita) Bardiani CSF 0:16:35
97 Lorenzo Rota (Ita) Bardiani CSF
98 Nickolas Zukowsky (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
99 Paolo Simion (Ita) Bardiani CSF
100 Simone Velasco (Ita) Bardiani CSF
101 Joseph Schmaltz (USA) Elevate – KHS Pro Cycling
102 Damiano Cima (Ita) Nippo – Vini Fantini
103 Colin Joyce (USA) Rally Cycling
104 Chris Lawless (GBr) Axeon Hagens Berman
105 Daniel Turek (Cze) Israel Cycling Academy
106 Brian McCulloch (USA) Elevate – KHS Pro Cycling
107 Chris Winn (Aus) Hangar 15 Bicycles
108 Janier Acevedo (Col) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
109 Sebastian Haedo (Arg) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
110 Gerd Keijzer (Ned) Team Novo Nordisk
111 Diego Rubio Hernandez (Spa) Caja Rural – Seguros RGA
112 Marc Antoine Soucy (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
113 Stephen Clancy (Irl) Team Novo Nordisk
114 Reid McClure (Can) Team Novo Nordisk
115 Andres Diaz (Col) Cylance Cycling
116 Julien Gagne (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
117 Karl Menzies (Aus) Cylance Cycling
118 Danny Pate (USA) Rally Cycling
119 Scott Law (Aus) Cylance Cycling
120 Eric Young (USA) Rally Cycling
121 Erik Slack (USA) Hangar 15 Bicycles
122 Aviv Yechezkel (Isr) Israel Cycling Academy
123 Simone Sterbini (Ita) Bardiani CSF

General Classification after Stage 5 :
1 Rob Britton (Can) Rally Cycling 17:21:21
2 Gavin Mannion (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team 0:00:26
3 Serghei Tvetcov (Rom) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 0:00:28
4 Neilson Powless (USA) Axeon Hagens Berman 0:00:38
5 Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:00:44
6 Taylor Eisenhart (USA) Holowesko-Citadel Racing Team 0:00:58
7 Robin Carpenter (USA) Holowesko-Citadel Racing Team 0:00:59
8 Jonathan Clarke (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team 0:01:00
9 Sepp Kuss (USA) Rally Cycling 0:01:02
10 Ficara Pierpaolo (Ita) Amore & Vita – Selle SMP 0:01:13