Sweltering Time Trial at Altitude at Tour of Utah

02 August 2017

Race: Tour of Utah, Stage 3

Start/Finish: Big Cottonwood Canyon/Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah

Distance: 9 kilometers

Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah — Team Novo Nordisk transferred south from Ogden into scenic Big Cottonwood Canyon for Wednesday’s Stage 3 individual time trial. The riders raced against the clock on an uphill nine-kilometer course on their road bikes; time trial bikes were not allowed.

The challenging course featured a five percent average gradient and began at altitude. Riders climbed 525.8 meters and finished at 2,675 meters above sea level.

Rob Britton (Rally Cycling) laid down the fastest time with 18:30 and took the race lead from his teammate Sepp Kuss.

Gerd De Keijzer:

“Today was another really warm day, so hydration was important. Our coach gave us a good warm-up to get us prepared for the effort and I managed to hit my wattage aim out on course. During an uphill time trial, you need to find a pace that you can manage without crossing the limit because you can’t find anywhere to recover as you can in a flat time trial.”

Team Novo Nordisk, the world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling team, is currently competing in two races: Tour de Pologne and Tour of Utah. Thursday’s Stage 6 of the Tour de Pologne is an 189-km race from Wieliczka to Zakopane while Stage 4 of the Tour of Utah is considered a flat day starting and finishing in South Jordan City and featuring nearly a dozen short climbs across 203 kilometers.

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