Robin Carpenter (Holowesko/Citadel Hincapie) celebrates winning after riding a long, hard fought two man breakaway, Stage 2, 2016 Tour of Utah. Photo by Dave Richards, daverphoto.com
Stage Victor Carpenter Takes Overall Lead at “America’s Toughest Stage Race”
By Lyne Lamoureux – August 2, 2016 – Torrey, Utah – American Robin Carpenter of Holowesko | Citadel Racing Team presented by Hincapie Sportswear accelerated away from his breakaway companion to win Stage 2 presented by America First Credit Union of the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah. Carpenter, who finished second in last year’s stage 2 in northern Utah, covered the 99-mile course from Escalante to Torrey in three hours and 56 minutes.
Ruben Companioni (Cuba) of Team Jamis finished second, just six seconds behind Carpenter. Travis McCabe (USA) of Holowesko | Citadel Racing Team presented by Hincapie Sportswear opened his sprint early to take the field sprint for third on the stage.
“Cycling is a funny sport. I was thinking maybe something could go wrong and I did not deserve the win. That is just my own personal insecurities coming out. Coming into the finish line after riding hard all day, I was so excited,” said Carpenter who claimed the Larry H. Miller Dealerships Overall Leader’s yellow jersey.
“The cliche words of happy does not even do it. I would have been okay just winning the stage. Taking the overall lead can’t really be described. It was combination of a lot of hard work and a lot of determination,” added Carpenter who plans on defending the lead Wednesday on Stage 3. “I am climbing really well this year. We’ll make the call to see what will make sense tomorrow. We are just proud that we took the jersey in a decisive fashion.”
Stage 2 Video Highlights:
“Today worked out as a good as it could be,” McCabe said. “We are in the yellow jersey now and I podiumed as well. I think we were a little disappointed about the way yesterday played out. It was a hard stage. I ended up fourth yesterday. Today during the race we had a pretty good idea he was going to take it. It was going to be battle between these two. The three of us have been racing together for the past year. We knew how strong Robin and Ruben were in the break. We knew the break was going to stick so we just took a seat back and saved it for the sprint. It was a tailwind again just like yesterday. I opened up a little early and held it to the line.”
Active in every break attempt of the day, including the 100-kilometer break with Carpenter, Companioni was awarded the Larry H. Miller Dealerships Most Aggressive Rider jersey. “The strategy today was to go into the break. I was not sure if the break would finish. It was a hard day but I am very happy,” the Team Jamis rider said.
Attacks flew from the start as the 117-rider peloton rolled out of Escalante, traveling along Scenic Byway 12, an All-American Road that rolls past scenic sandstone formations of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
Carpenter (Holowesko/Citadel Hincapie) and Campanioni (Jamis) hammer the final climb out on Teasdale Road before the finish of Stage 2, 2016 Tour of Utah. Photo by Dave Richards, daverphoto.com
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Carpenter (Holowesko/Citadel Hincapie) and Campanioni (Jamis) hammer the final climb out on Teasdale Road before the finish of Stage 2, 2016 Tour of Utah. Photo by Dave Richards, daverphoto.com
Carpenter explained, “It was pretty hard start. There were a lot of riders trying to get into breaks. This put Cannondale on edge. There were a couple of big break aways. Cannondale shut everything down I attacked but mostly to try to set up something for one of my teammates. It wasn’t really my intention to get into the breakaway. The course wasn’t super suitable for it. I got into the break with Ruben. We rode conservatively at first. The group gave us a too big of a time gap. This made our day pretty easy. It was a hard race but there was no question in the last hour we would not get caught.
McCabe added, “It was so hard to get into the break that you can see the last few breaks guys rolling off the front. People were just fatigued and tired because it was so hard. Robin was out there. He put his head down and just went. Ruben and he just got away and people didn’t think anything of it. It was perfect.”
The unrelenting course challenged riders with 9,435 feet of elevation, gain punctuated by the Utah Office of Tourism King of the Mountain climbs of Hogsback and Boulder Mountain. Carpenter and Companioni gained over seven minutes on the peloton after their escape on the lower slopes of Boulder Mountain.
Carpenter stated he didn’t know why they other teams were not chasing. “It’s hard to know what the other team’s strategy was. We saw BMC and other world teams go up the road. I believe it was to put pressure on Cannondale and to make them work because they have won this race for several years. They are the favorites with the defending champion. It made the race real tough. We had Travis in one really dangerous move with all of the teams represented so we were happy with that. Things kept re-shuffling and re-shuffling. It’s funny because after a day like this when everyone wants to be in the break, it ends up with just two of us in the break.”
Stage 2 Final Kilometers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OdWf3yN83I
Companioni was feeling the effort put into getting into the breakaway attempts. “We talked that the time we had was good and that I was tired. I asked him if he could help me more because I was very tired.
The duo held a four-minute lead as they started the second 17-mile finishing circuit in Torrey.
Canadian Matteo Dal-Cin of Silber Pro Cycling, who finished first and fourth on the two KOM climbs, will wear the Utah Office of Tourism King of the Mountain jersey on Wednesday. Finishing ninth on the stage, American and Pocatello, Idaho native Colin Joyce of Axeon Hagens Berman retained the Subaru Best Young Rider jersey. The America First Credit Union Fan Favorite jersey was awarded to Ryan Roth (CAN) of Silber Pro Cycling in the Most Loved Veteran category.
Stage 3 presented by America First Credit Union will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 3. This stage transitions from the red rock panoramas of southern Utah to the Wasatch Mountains of northern Utah for the longest stage of the week. Richfield, the seat of Sevier County, is the start for this 119-mile (191.5 km) road race. The first two-thirds of the route take the riders north through the rural communities of Sevier, Sanpete and Juab counties, with Sprint lines in Manti and Fountain Green. Then the riders will crest Mount Nebo, its peak sitting at 11,928 feet above sea level, the highest mountain in the Wasatch Range. The cyclists will summit the roadway at 9,300 feet for the one KOM on the day, then have a twisting and exhilarating 22-mile descent into the classic western town of Payson.
Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah Award Jerseys
Larry H. Miller Group of Companies Overall Leader jersey – Robin Carpenter (USA), Holowesko | Citadel Racing Team presented by Hincapie Sportswear
Utah Sports Commission Sprint jersey – Robin Carpenter (USA), Holowesko | Citadel Racing Team presented by Hincapie Sportswear
Utah Office of Tourism King of the Mountain jersey – Matteo Dal-Cin (CAN), Silber Pro Cycling
Subaru Best Young Rider jersey – Colin Joyce (USA), Axeon Hagens Berman
Larry H. Miller Dealerships Most Aggressive Rider jersey – Ruben Companioni (CUB), Team Jamis
America First Credit Union Fan Favorite jersey – Ryan Roth (CAN), Silber Pro Cycling
2016 Tour of Utah Stage 2 Top 10
1. CARPENTER Robin (USA), HOLOWESKO/CITADEL P/B HINCAPIE SPORTSWEAR – 3.56’48”
