August 8/18 18:19 pm - The Larry H.Miller Tour of Utah: Woods 6th on Stage 2

Posted by Editoress on 08/8/18
 

A powerful solo attack by Sepp Kuss (Team LottoNL-Jumbo) lasted 32 miles (51 km) from the slopes of Mount Nebo for a thrilling win on Stage 2 at the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah on Wednesday. The victory in downtown Payson City put the 23-year-old in the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies overall leader’s jersey.

Kuss covered the 88.6-mile (143km) course in 3 hours and 25 minutes. Crossing the line 29 seconds later was his teammate Neilson Powless, who won the sprint for second place ahead of Rally Cycling’s Kyle Murphy.

Kuss attacked and passed the dwindling peloton on the steep, lower slopes of Mount Nebo, the highest mountain in the Wasatch Range of Utah. He was alone at the top, 9,300 feet above sea level at the Utah Office of Tourism King of the Mountain climb and held off a hard-charging chase group on the exhilarating 23-mile descent to the finish.

"At the beginning of the climb, I felt really strong. Pete Stetina (Trek-Segafredo) made a little surge, maybe three or four k into the climb. I followed that, and still felt pretty good and the gap kept going. I just kept going at a reasonable speed. It was not the most pleasant experience out there in the headwind, but (I was) happy to make it to the finish line," explained Kuss, who had a one-minute lead on the chasing group of elite riders as he crested Mount Nebo.

Making its seventh appearance at the Tour of Utah, the legendary Mount Nebo stage brought major changes to the 2018 overall leaderboard. The victory gives Kuss a 21-second General Classification (G.C.) lead over Powless. Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing Team) dropped from first to third, 25 seconds down. Murphy surged from 27th to fourth overall on G.C. Joe Dombrowski (EF-Drapac pb Cannondale) jumped up five spots to fifth overall, 38 seconds behind Kuss.

The Utah Office of Tourism King of the Mountain jersey stayed with Daan Olivier (Team LottoNL-Jumbo) and Powless is back in the WCF Insurance Best Young Rider jersey.

"Sepp is definitely the strongest guy in the race right now, that's insane," said Powless. "I was incredibly happy, at a loss for words. You don't get to celebrate when you finish second very often, but when your teammate finishes first and you come in across the line next, that's about as special as it gets."

After a fast and furious start on Stage 2, Travis McCabe (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team) claimed the first intermediate sprint in front of historic Peteetneet Museum in Payson, and retained the Utah Sports Commission Sprint jersey. Griffin Easter (303 Project), the last rider from the six-man breakaway to be reeled in after 40 miles in the saddle, was awarded the Larry H. Miller Dealerships Most Aggressive Rider jersey. Gage Hecht (Aevolo Pro Cycling) was voted America First Credit Union Fan Favorite, in the category of Most Promising Rookie.

Top Canadian was Michael Woods (EF-Drapac pb Cannondale) in 6th at 32s back and is now 8th overall at 39s back.

Results from the third stage in Utah

The Larry H.Miller Tour of Utah: van Garderen Wins Prologue

The Larry H.Miller Tour of Utah: Stage 1 results