August 3/17 16:23 pm - Tour of Utah: Britton Holds Onto Yellow Jersey after Stage 4

Posted by Editoress on 08/3/17
 

Britton Holds Onto Yellow Jersey at Utah

John Murphy (Holowesko-Citadel Racing Team p/b Hincapie Sportswear) surged past the field in a wild west sprint finish to win Stage 4 at the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah, on Thursday. Covering 125 miles (201 km) of high desert before a climatic finish in South Jordan City, Murphy crossed the line in four hours and 22 minutes.

On Murphy's wheel for second was Alfredo Rodriguez (Elevate-KHS Pro Cycling). Mihkel Raïm (Israel Cycling Academy) finished third. Raïm, who captured the first intermediate sprint in Cedar Fort, takes over the Utah Sports Commission Sprint jersey.

"We had control with 3K (kilometres) to go. Our boys were on the front and it was looking good. We knew that (the finish line) was a long way from the last turn. A little hole opened up in the last 150 metres and I was able to get through it and do my sprint. I'm super happy to win at Utah. This is awesome," said Murphy, a 10-year veteran in the pro peloton.

It is the second stage win for the Holowesko-Citadel team, with Ty Magner (USA) capturing Stage 1 presented by America First Credit Union in Logan. Murphy added, "We were very happy already with Stage 1 with Ty and the yellow jersey, so that's why you didn't see us take control. We gambled a little on today's stage."

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Canada's Rob Britton of Rally Cycling continued for a second day in the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies Overall Leader jersey, finishing safely in the bunch in South Jordan. The overall leaderboard remained unchanged for the General Classification - Britton retains a 26-second lead over Gavin Mannion (USA) of UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team and a 28-second margin on Serghei Tvetcov (ROM) of Jelly Belly Pro Cycling p/b Maxxis.

Riders in the 124-rider field battled each other and the scalding temperatures through the Rush Valley, passing the Oquirrh Mountains . Dynamic and chaotic racing marked the first hour and a half until the six-rider breakaway was finally established. Two of those riders, Lorenza Rota of Bardiani CSF and Gonzalo Serrano Rodriguez of Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, jumped from the break with 27 miles to go in a desperate but doomed dash for victory. The sprinters teams took over on the two finishing circuits back in South Jordan, with 77 riders in the final bunch sprint. Rota was awarded the Larry H. Miller Dealerships Most Aggressive Rider jersey for his efforts.

Eric Young (USA) of Rally Cycling, who sprinted to two stage wins at this race in 2014 and 2015, was voted America First Credit Union Fan Favorite for Stage 4 presented by Workfront, in the category of Best Sprinter. Jacob Rathe (USA) of Jelly Belly Cycling presented by Maxxis retains the Utah Office of Tourism King of the Mountain jersey and Neilson Pawless (USA) of Axeon Hagens Berman Cycling Team will continue in the WCF Insurance Best Young Rider jersey.

Stage 5 presented by Zions Bank returns to Davis County on Friday, August 4th, for a third consecutive year. New for 2017 will be an inaugural stage start in Layton. The 112-mile course will roll through Hill Air Force Base for the first time, passing the Hill Aerospace Museum. After two crushing climbs across the Bountiful Bench, each designated with a Utah Office of Tourism KOM, the 4,200-feet of climbing of the stage will end on Main Street in Bountiful.

Jerseys
Leader: Rob Britton (Rally Cycling)
Sprinter: Mihkel Raim (Israel Cycling Academy)
KoM: Jacob Rathe (Jelly Belly-Maxxis)
Best Young Rider: Neilson Powless (Axeon Hagens Berman)
Most Aggressive: Lorenzo Rota (Bardiani CSF)
Fan Favourite: Eric Young (Rally Cycling)
Top Team: BMC Racing Team

Photo Gallery

Results from the fourth stage in Utah