April 20/17 14:23 pm - Tour of the Gila: Men stage 2 results, Dal-Cin GC leader

Posted by Editoress on 04/20/17
 

Eric Young Sprints to Victory in Stage Two, Matteo Dal-Cin Holds Overall Lead
Rally Cycling captured its second straight win today at the Tour of the Gila with Eric Young sprinting to victory in the race’s second stage. In addition to making it two straight wins for the team, it was the third time Young has won the Inner Loop Road Race. Stage one winner Matteo Dal-Cin finished in the peloton and maintained his overall lead. The men's squad continues to lead the Team Classification.

Stage 2 photo gallery

“It was a good day,” said Young after taking the stage victory. “The guys rode well all day, managing the break and keeping Matteo’s leader’s jersey safe. I felt decent all day and wanted to go for the win. Danny (Pate), Colin (Joyce), and Sepp (Kuss) made sure the breakaway stayed close, and in the final few kilometers, Adam (de Vos) made some tremendous efforts to keep me in a good position. I’m euphoric to win the Inner Loop Road Race again. It is one of my favorites, and it's even more special today as it comes the day after Matteo’s excellent performance yesterday. The time trial is tomorrow, which will be critical for the overall. Hopefully, we can continue our success!”

The Inner Loop Road Race is a longstanding tradition at the Tour of the Gila, beginning and ending in Ft. Bayard, just outside of Silver City. The stage saw a strong four-man breakaway go clear early on the Category 1 climb of Pinos Altos. Despite the harsh terrain, the peloton was aggressive throughout the day, and the breakaway never gained a large advantage. With a sprint finish inevitable, most riders in the breakaway laid down arms with only one rider pushing forward. With Young a likely candidate for his third stage victory, Rally Cycling pushed on to reel in the move in time for the finishing sprint.

“Things again went well for us today," said Team Director Pat McCarty. “The guys were on point from the beginning, and we took responsibility when needed. It was a fast start, and eventually there was a pretty active group of four off the front about halfway through the stage. We pulled it back close enough so the major general classification threats sat up and came back to the peloton. We kept it controlled over the final climb and at a reasonable pace for Eric. UnitedHealthcare put together a good final lead out, but Eric was able to come around everyone before the line.”
Rally Cycling report

Results from the second stage in in New Mexico