Tour of Utah 2018 – Prologue [FULL STAGE – Individual Time Trial]

August 06, 2018

Tour of Utah 2018 – Prologue – St. George – St. George : 5,3 km

The 2018 Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah will take place August 6-12. Host venues for 2018 include St. George, Cedar City, Payson City, Antelope Island State Park, Layton City, Salt Lake City, Canyons Village, Snowbird Resort and Park City. After moving the race back one week from its traditional dates, allowing European teams a full week of travel following the Tour de France, organisers secured five WorldTour teams for 2018, including BMC Racing, Trek-Segafredo, Mitchelton-Scott, EF Education First-Drapac and LottoNL-Jumbo. The route for the seven-day 2.HC race starts in the southern end of the state with the prologue time trial in St. George, and then makes its way north for the final day in Park City, which returns to the race after a one-year absence. A newly configured circuit in Salt Lake City is also on tap for 2018.

Fresh off the Tour de France, Tejay van Garderen led a BMC Racing podium sweep Monday during the prologue time trial at the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah, covering the 5.3km course in 6:27 to finish ahead of US time trial champion Joey Rosskopf and teammate Tom Bohli.

Starting last, van Garderen sprinted out of the start house and quickly set a pace that clearly looked to put him in with a good chance of taking the stage win. Setting the fastest time at the turnaround, van Garderen continued to press the pace on the descent to the finish.

“Pacing was certainly important today,” van Garderen said in the post-stage press conference.

“You started out uphill. The roads are wide, so it was deceiving,” he said. “The gradient was higher than people expected or what it looked like. You had to over-pace and then try to recover a little bit on the downhills. Over-pace on the way out and then you’re basically screaming at 75k an hour all the way to the finish line. You don’t want to blow up, but at the same time, you have to gauge your effort well.”

Rosskopf described the effort as “violent.”

“The prologue was short and sweet,” he said. “It was a pretty violent effort, just going as hard as you could over the climbs and then barely pedalling on the downhills. It wasn’t your normal pacing strategy, so there was a fair amount to think about out there for it being such a short course.”

Forecasts for temperatures in the 100s Fahrenheit never materialised, as the mercury climbed to only 94 degrees by the time van Garderen finished.

LottoNL-Jumbo also set themselves up well for the coming general classification battle, with Neilson Powless placing fourth and Pascal Eenkhoorn in fifth.

How it unfolded

The 5.3km time trial amidst the striking red rock geology in St. George, the fastest-growing city in the US, took place on an out-and-back course that started with a gentle 2km climb that gained about 60 metres of elevation. Riders hit a short descent to the turnaround, then climbed back up to a fast, non-technical downhill run to the finish.

Starting a minute apart, the riders began the day at 10 a.m. when temperatures had already climbed into the mid-80s Fahrenheit. The 303 Projects’s Cristhian Ravelo got things rolling, and he was quickly followed by 2017 top-10 riders Sepp Kuss (LottoNL-Jumbo) and Gavin Mannion (UnitedHealthcare).

Most of the teams chose to send their top riders out early to try and beat the heat, and the top times of the day started coming in fast. Starting seventh, Kuss set a top time of 6:44, but he was knocked out of the hot seat less than a minute later as Mannion came in at 6:40.

BMC Racing’s Bohli crossed the line with a time of 6:33 to take the lead, averaging 48.6 kph over the short course. UnitedHealthcare’s Serghei Tvetcov, who was third overall last year, came close to Bohli’s time and slotted into second place with a time of 6:38. EF Education First-Drapac’s Mike Woods came in with a time of 6:41.

Defending champion Rob Britton (Rally Cycling) came in with a time of 6:45, more than 11 seconds off the winning time. BMC’s Brent Bookwalter, starting 32nd, also wasn’t able to topple his teammate Bohli, coming in at 6:42 to slot in fifth at the time. Trek-Segafredo leader Peter Stetina set a time of 6:44 for a top 10 spot with 78 riders to finish.

LottoNL-Jumbo’s Powless, fourth overall last year, came in with the second-best time behind Bohli, clocking 6:34 to miss the lead by one second. Mitchelton-Scott’s Jack Haig kept up with his fellow GC contenders, coming in with a time of 6:42 for a top-10 spot at the time.

EF Education First-Drapac’s Will Clarke put in a top time, stopping the clock at 6:39 to slot into fourth with more than half of the field left to finish. Clarke’s teammate Joe Dombrowski, who won the overall in 2015, finished with a good time, clocking 6:40 to slot into fifth at the time. Dombrowski’s teammate Hugh Carthy came in just seven-tenths of a second slower.

LottoNL-Jumbo’s Eenkhoorn found the short course to his liking, stopping the clock at 6:38 for the third-best time with 43 riders remaining.

Starting 100th and with just 17 riders left to finish, Rosskopf blistered the course with the new best time of 6:31, knocking his teammate Bohli into second place by just two seconds.

It was Rosskopf’s teammate, however, who stamped his authority on the race as van Garderen claimed the top spot by four seconds.

Results :
1 Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:06:27
2 Joey Rosskopf (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:00:04
3 Tom Bohli (Swi) BMC Racing Team 0:00:06
4 Neilson Powless (USA) LottoNL-Jumbo 0:00:07
5 Pascal Eenkhoorn (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo 0:00:11
6 Serghei Tvetcov (Rom) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
7 Nathan Brown (USA) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
8 Travis McCabe (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 0:00:12
9 Evan Huffman (USA) Rally Cycling
10 William Clarke (Aus) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
11 Koen Bouwmam (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo 0:00:13
12 Joe Dombrowski (USA) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
13 Gavin Mannion (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
14 Hugh Carthy (GBr) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
15 Daniel Jaramillo (Col) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 0:00:14
16 George Simpson (USA) Elevate-KHS
17 Michael Woods (Can) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
18 Jack Haig (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott 0:00:15
19 Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing Team
20 Adam Roberge (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
21 Brendan Canty (Aus) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
22 Kiel Reijnen (USA) Trek-Segafredo
23 Ruben Plaza (Spa) Israel Cycling Academy 0:00:17
24 Jan Maas (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo
25 Sepp Kuss (USA) LottoNL-Jumbo
26 Peter Stetina (USA) Trek-Segafredo
27 Ben Hermans (Bel) Israel Cycling Academy
28 Nicola Conci (Ita) Trek-Segafredo 0:00:18
29 Robert Britton (Can) Rally Cycling
30 Thomas Revard (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon 0:00:19
31 Kyle Murphy (USA) Rally Cycling
32 Nigel Ellsay (Can) Rally Cycling 0:00:20
33 Gage Hecht (USA) Aevolo
34 Bryan Steve Gomez Peñaloza (Col) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Arapahoe Resources
35 Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Hagens Berman Axeon
36 Tyler Williams (USA) Israel Cycling Academy
37 Pier-André Côté (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 0:00:21
38 Janier Alexis Acevedo Calle (Col) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
39 Nicolas Masbourian (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
40 Cameron Meyer (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott
41 James Piccoli (Can) Elevate-KHS
42 Nickolas Zukowsky (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
43 Kilian Frankiny (Swi) BMC Racing Team
44 Alex Hoehn (USA) Aevolo 0:00:22
45 Angus Lyons (Aus) Mobius Bridgelane 0:00:23
46 Sean Bennett (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon
47 Emile Jean (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 0:00:24
48 Sam Bewley (NZl) Mitchelton-Scott
49 Ruben Companioni (Cub) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Arapahoe Resources
50 Rob Power (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott
51 Samuel Bassetti (USA) Elevate-KHS 0:00:25
52 Luis Ricardo Villalobos Hernandez (Mex) Aevolo
53 Jack Burke (Can) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
54 Benjamin Wolfe (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 0:00:26
55 Cormac McGeough (Irl) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
56 Lucas Hamilton (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott
57 Eder Frayre Moctezuma (Mex) Elevate-KHS
58 Niklas Eg (Den) Trek-Segafredo 0:00:27
59 Maarten Wynants (Bel) LottoNL-Jumbo
60 TJ Eisenhart (USA) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Arapahoe Resources
61 Jordan Cheyne (Can) Elevate-KHS
62 Keegan Swirbul (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
63 Ivan Santaromita (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini 0:00:28
64 Imerio Cima (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini 0:00:29
65 Taylor Shelden (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
66 Charles Etienne Chretien (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 0:00:30
67 Morgan Schmitt (USA) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Arapahoe Resources
68 Daan Olivier (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo
69 Tyler Magner (USA) Rally Cycling
70 Jonathan Clarke (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 0:00:31
71 Ed Anderson (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon
72 Ulises Alfredo Castillo Soto (Mex) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
73 Brayan Stiven Sanchez Vergara (Col) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Arapahoe Resources
74 Michel Ries (Lux) Trek-Segafredo
75 Fernando Islas Lopez (Mex) Aevolo
76 Jesse Coyle (Aus) Mobius Bridgelane 0:00:32
77 Gregory Rast (Swi) Trek-Segafredo
78 Griffin Easter (USA) 303 Project
79 Danny Pate (USA) Rally Cycling
80 Maikel Zijlaard (Ned) Hagens Berman Axeon 0:00:33
81 Danick Vandale (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 0:00:34
82 Michael Rice (Aus) Hagens Berman Axeon
83 Freddy Ovett (Aus) BMC Racing Team
84 Isaiah Newkirk (USA) 303 Project
85 Andrei Krasilnikau (Blr) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Arapahoe Resources
86 Damiano Cima (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini 0:00:35
87 Joseph Lewis (Aus) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Arapahoe Resources
88 Alan Marangoni (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini
89 Tony Baca (Mex) 303 Project 0:00:36
90 Alexander Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team
91 Guy Sagiv (Isr) Israel Cycling Academy 0:00:37
92 Michael Hernandez (USA) Aevolo
93 Hamish Schreurs (NZl) Israel Cycling Academy
94 Lionel Mawditt (Aus) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 0:00:38
95 Emerson Oronte (USA) Rally Cycling
96 Flavio De Luna (Mex) 303 Project
97 Jonathan Brown (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon
98 Connor Brown (USA) Mobius Bridgelane 0:00:39
99 Jose Alfredo Rodriguez Victoria (Mex) Elevate-KHS
100 Bernat Font Mas (Spa) 303 Project 0:00:41
101 Ben Carman (Aus) Mobius Bridgelane
102 Laurent Gervais (Can) Aevolo 0:00:42
103 Peter Livingstone (Aus) Mobius Bridgelane 0:00:43
104 Sho Hatsuyama (Jpn) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini 0:00:44
105 Lance Haidet (USA) Aevolo 0:00:47
106 Laurent Didier (Lux) Trek-Segafredo 0:00:48
107 Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Arg) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
108 Cullen Easter (USA) 303 Project
109 Russell Finsterwald (USA) Mobius Bridgelane 0:00:49
110 Edwin Avila (Col) Israel Cycling Academy 0:00:50
111 Alex Howes (USA) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
112 Cristhian Ravelo Avila (Col) 303 Project 0:00:54
113 Simone Ponzi (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini 0:00:57
114 Luis Lemus (Mex) Israel Cycling Academy
115 Brian McCulloch (USA) Elevate-KHS 0:00:58
116 Brayan Chaves Rubio (Col) Mitchelton-Scott 0:01:00
117 Conor Murtagh (Aus) Mobius Bridgelane 0:01:07

General Classification after Prologue :
1 Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:06:27
2 Joey Rosskopf (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:00:04
3 Tom Bohli (Swi) BMC Racing Team 0:00:06
4 Neilson Powless (USA) LottoNL-Jumbo 0:00:07
5 Pascal Eenkhoorn (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo 0:00:11
6 Serghei Tvetcov (Rom) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 0:00:11
7 Nathan Brown (USA) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale 0:00:11
8 Travis McCabe (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 0:00:12
9 Evan Huffman (USA) Rally Cycling 0:00:12
10 William Clarke (Aus) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale 0:00:12
11 Koen Bouwmam (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo 0:00:13
12 Joe Dombrowski (USA) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale 0:00:13
13 Gavin Mannion (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 0:00:13
14 Hugh Carthy (GBr) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale 0:00:13
15 Daniel Jaramillo (Col) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 0:00:14
16 George Simpson (USA) Elevate-KHS 0:00:14
17 Michael Woods (Can) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale 0:00:14
18 Jack Haig (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott 0:00:15
19 Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:00:15
20 Adam Roberge (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 0:00:15
21 Brendan Canty (Aus) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale 0:00:15
22 Kiel Reijnen (USA) Trek-Segafredo 0:00:15
23 Ruben Plaza (Spa) Israel Cycling Academy 0:00:17
24 Jan Maas (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo 0:00:17
25 Sepp Kuss (USA) LottoNL-Jumbo 0:00:17
26 Peter Stetina (USA) Trek-Segafredo 0:00:17
27 Ben Hermans (Bel) Israel Cycling Academy 0:00:17
28 Nicola Conci (Ita) Trek-Segafredo 0:00:18
29 Robert Britton (Can) Rally Cycling 0:00:18
30 Thomas Revard (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon 0:00:19
31 Kyle Murphy (USA) Rally Cycling 0:00:19
32 Nigel Ellsay (Can) Rally Cycling 0:00:20
33 Gage Hecht (USA) Aevolo 0:00:20
34 Bryan Steve Gomez Peñaloza (Col) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Arapahoe Resources 0:00:20
35 Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Hagens Berman Axeon 0:00:20
36 Tyler Williams (USA) Israel Cycling Academy 0:00:20
37 Pier-André Côté (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 0:00:21
38 Janier Alexis Acevedo Calle (Col) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 0:00:21
39 Nicolas Masbourian (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 0:00:21
40 Cameron Meyer (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott 0:00:21
41 James Piccoli (Can) Elevate-KHS 0:00:21
42 Nickolas Zukowsky (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 0:00:21
43 Kilian Frankiny (Swi) BMC Racing Team 0:00:21
44 Alex Hoehn (USA) Aevolo 0:00:22
45 Angus Lyons (Aus) Mobius Bridgelane 0:00:23
46 Sean Bennett (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon 0:00:23
47 Emile Jean (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 0:00:24
48 Sam Bewley (NZl) Mitchelton-Scott 0:00:24
49 Ruben Companioni (Cub) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Arapahoe Resources 0:00:24
50 Rob Power (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott 0:00:24
51 Samuel Bassetti (USA) Elevate-KHS 0:00:25
52 Luis Ricardo Villalobos Hernandez (Mex) Aevolo 0:00:25
53 Jack Burke (Can) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 0:00:25
54 Benjamin Wolfe (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 0:00:26
55 Cormac McGeough (Irl) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 0:00:26
56 Lucas Hamilton (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott 0:00:26
57 Eder Frayre Moctezuma (Mex) Elevate-KHS 0:00:26
58 Niklas Eg (Den) Trek-Segafredo 0:00:27
59 Maarten Wynants (Bel) LottoNL-Jumbo 0:00:27
60 TJ Eisenhart (USA) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Arapahoe Resources 0:00:27
61 Jordan Cheyne (Can) Elevate-KHS 0:00:27
62 Keegan Swirbul (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 0:00:27
63 Ivan Santaromita (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini 0:00:28
64 Imerio Cima (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini 0:00:29
65 Taylor Shelden (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 0:00:29
66 Charles Etienne Chretien (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 0:00:30
67 Morgan Schmitt (USA) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Arapahoe Resources 0:00:30
68 Daan Olivier (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo 0:00:30
69 Edwin Avila (Col) Israel Cycling Academy 0:00:30
70 Tyler Magner (USA) Rally Cycling 0:00:30
71 Jonathan Clarke (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 0:00:31
72 Ed Anderson (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon 0:00:31
73 Ulises Alfredo Castillo Soto (Mex) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 0:00:31
74 Brayan Stiven Sanchez Vergara (Col) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Arapahoe Resources 0:00:31
75 Michel Ries (Lux) Trek-Segafredo 0:00:31
76 Fernando Islas Lopez (Mex) Aevolo 0:00:31
77 Jesse Coyle (Aus) Mobius Bridgelane 0:00:32
78 Gregory Rast (Swi) Trek-Segafredo 0:00:32
79 Griffin Easter (USA) 303 Project 0:00:32
80 Danny Pate (USA) Rally Cycling 0:00:32
81 Maikel Zijlaard (Ned) Hagens Berman Axeon 0:00:33
82 Danick Vandale (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 0:00:34
83 Michael Rice (Aus) Hagens Berman Axeon 0:00:34
84 Freddy Ovett (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:00:34
85 Isaiah Newkirk (USA) 303 Project 0:00:34
86 Andrei Krasilnikau (Blr) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Arapahoe Resources 0:00:34
87 Damiano Cima (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini 0:00:35
88 Joseph Lewis (Aus) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Arapahoe Resources 0:00:35
89 Alan Marangoni (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini 0:00:35
90 Tony Baca (Mex) 303 Project 0:00:36
91 Alexander Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:00:36
92 Guy Sagiv (Isr) Israel Cycling Academy 0:00:37
93 Michael Hernandez (USA) Aevolo 0:00:37
94 Hamish Schreurs (NZl) Israel Cycling Academy 0:00:37
95 Lionel Mawditt (Aus) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 0:00:38
96 Emerson Oronte (USA) Rally Cycling 0:00:38
97 Flavio De Luna (Mex) 303 Project 0:00:38
98 Jonathan Brown (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon 0:00:38
99 Connor Brown (USA) Mobius Bridgelane 0:00:39
100 Jose Alfredo Rodriguez Victoria (Mex) Elevate-KHS 0:00:39
101 Bernat Font Mas (Spa) 303 Project 0:00:41
102 Ben Carman (Aus) Mobius Bridgelane 0:00:41
103 Laurent Gervais (Can) Aevolo 0:00:42
104 Peter Livingstone (Aus) Mobius Bridgelane 0:00:43
105 Sho Hatsuyama (Jpn) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini 0:00:44
106 Lance Haidet (USA) Aevolo 0:00:47
107 Laurent Didier (Lux) Trek-Segafredo 0:00:48
108 Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Arg) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 0:00:48
109 Cullen Easter (USA) 303 Project 0:00:48
110 Russell Finsterwald (USA) Mobius Bridgelane 0:00:49
111 Alex Howes (USA) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale 0:00:50
112 Cristhian Ravelo Avila (Col) 303 Project 0:00:54
113 Simone Ponzi (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini 0:00:57
114 Luis Lemus (Mex) Israel Cycling Academy
115 Brian McCulloch (USA) Elevate-KHS 0:00:58
116 Brayan Chaves Rubio (Col) Mitchelton-Scott 0:01:00
117 Conor Murtagh (Aus) Mobius Bridgelane 0:01:07