August 4/14 21:58 pm - Tour of Utah: Stage 1

Posted by Editoress on 08/4/14
 

Belkin-Pro Cycling’s Moreno Hofland (Netherlands) sprinted to victory in front of a fast-charging peloton to take the overall lead at the 2014 Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah. Hofland outkicked Team Smartstop’s Jure Kocjan (Slovenia) and Team Lampre-Merida’s Andrea Palini (Italy), who finished second and third respectively, for the Stage 1 presented by Zions Bank finish in Cedar City.

Celebrating its 10th edition, this year’s Tour of Utah has expanded to seven days of racing, August 4-10. The UCI 2.1-rated stage race began in Cedar City today with 122 riders, representing 24 countries, traveling a record 753 miles across Utah and Wyoming. The course offers a total of  57,863 feet of vertical gain for the week.

“It was my first race since I had a bad crash in the Tour of California (in May),” Holfand said. “So I didn’t know what to expect. But I felt very good and I am happy to get the win. It is my first time in a race leader’s jersey, so I am very happy.”

Stage 1 presented by Zions Bank began in historic downtown Cedar City amid sunny but windy conditions and covered 113.5 miles. The stage featured two Ski Utah King of the Mountain climbs, including a Category 1 climb over the 10,453-foot summit outside Cedar Breaks National Monument. After a second climb over the Bristlecone Summit at 9,626 feet and the 20-mile descent down Cedar Canyon, the peloton caught a breakaway of five riders. Enthusiastic crowds greeted the full peloton for three downtown circuits though Utah’s Festival City.

Second place finisher Kocjan will wear the Utah Sports Commission Sprint jersey on Tuesday. Robin Carpenter (USA) of Hincapie Sportswear Development Team animated the race from the start, leading the one-time breakaway.  Carpenter took the points for the two Ski Utah King of the Mountain climbs and will wear the KOM jersey on Tuesday.

Results from the first stage in Cedar City, Utah