Longest Stage of Tour of Utah was a Scorcher

04 August 2016

Race: Tour of Utah, Stage 3

Start/Finish: Richfield /Payson, Utah

Distance: 191.8 kilometers

Payson, Utah — Wednesday’s Stage 3 of the Tour of Utah headed into the Wasatch Mountains and featured the epic Mt. Nebo climb, which crested at nearly 2,745 meters. At 191.8 kilometers in length, the day served as the race’s longest and with temperatures reaching above 38°C/100°F, it was so far the hottest.

Five riders attacked immediately heading out of Richfield and Tom Zirbel (Rally Cycling) bridged up making the break six. The group hit a maximum gap of 3:40. Following the second intermediate sprint, Simon Pellaud (IAM Cycling) and Andrei Krasilnikau (Holowesko Citadel presented by Hincapie Sportswear) set off from this group. As the race reached the lower slopes of Mt. Nebo, all the early escapees were caught.

Immediately, Lachlan Morton (Jelly Belly presented by Maxxis) attacked and Andrew Talansky (Cannondale-Drapac Pro Cyling Team) grabbed his wheel. Adrien Costa (Axeon Hagens Berman) bridged up and the trio reached the summit together. The challenging climb splintered the chasing peloton in numerous groups while the technical descent into Payson saw the riders reaching speeds of around 90 km/h. With one kilometer remaining, Morton attacked and held on to solo to the win. All three of Team Novo Nordisk’s riders finished in the gruppetto.

“The altitude is no longer a problem; today was all about the climbing and the heat,” Team Novo Nordisk’s Gerd de Keijzer said. “I’m not someone who climbs well and that climb was killer even without the heat. I went through 17 bottles today.”

Team Novo Nordisk, the world’s first all diabetes pro cycling team, continues racing at the Tour of Utah on Thursday with Stage 4. The 154-km day begins in Lehi and features nearly no flat section before finishing in Kearns.

Results: