Megias Sprints To Eighth on Tour of Utah Stage 5

06 August 2016

Race: Tour of Utah, Stage 5

Start/Finish: Antelope Island State Park /Bountiful, Utah

Distance: 182.6 kilometers

Bountiful, Utah — Team Novo Nordisk’s Javier Megias scored the team’s first top 10 at this year’s Tour of Utah when he finished eighth on Stage 5.

Friday’s 182.6-kilometer long race featured four categorized climbs before a downhill finish into Bountiful. Frederic Brun (Fortuneo-Vital Concept) attacked right from the gun and soon 10 riders bridged up. The 11-rider break started to splinter as the race reached the finishing circuits around Bountiful. Several riders attacked but by the final lap, the race came together with an elite front group of 30 riders that included Megias. Various riders attacked throughout the fast and technical descent into Bountiful but by the finishing stretch, Megias was in second position. Several riders were able to overtake him in the final meters with Kiel Reijnen (Trek-Segafredo) taking the win.

“I made it up to the first group and it all came together for the finish. I was second with 50 meters to go,” Team Novo Nordisk’s Javier Megias said. “I finished top 10 but I obviously would like to do better. I was completely empty by the time I reached the line. I am still feeling good so my focus is on stages this weekend.”

Team Novo Nordisk, the world’s first all diabetes pro cycling team, continues racing at the Tour of Utah on Saturday with Stage 6. The 183.1-km stage serves as the Queen Stage for the seven-day race. The riders begin in Snowbasin Resort, descend Trappers Loops and cross through twisting, rural roads through Morgan and Summit County. The real race begins heading up the 11-km Guardsmans Pass with a summit of nearly 3,000 meters. Following a fast and technical descent, the day ends with a summit finish up to Snowbird.

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