Featured Stories

Rob Britton Finishes Fifth at Tour of Utah – Most Aggressive Rider on Stage Seven

release by Rally Cycling

August 08, 2016 (Park City, Utah) – Canada’s Rob Britton again proved that he is one of the top riders in North America by climbing to fifth place overall at the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah. Along the way, Britton claimed the Most Aggressive Rider title for the final stage. The seven-day stage race covered 949-kilometers and featured over 53,000 ft of climbing. Starting in the majestic Zion National Park on Aug. 1, and concluding in the resort town of Park City, the Tour of Utah is known as America’s toughest stage race.

Jerseys (l-r) Costa (Best Young Rider), Eisenhart (Fan Favotite), Morton (Race Leader), Britton (Most Aggressive Rider), Reijnen (Sprinter)  ©  Cor Vos
“The peloton lost control over the top of Wolf Creek Ranch Road and the team went to the front to bring it back,” said Britton after the finish in Park City. “From there it was just a matter of who had the legs – Lachlan (Morton) was the strongest. All week I have felt good. I have put in a lot of work to be able to climb with these guys. It is a bit of uncharted territory for me so it is good to see those efforts paying off. The squad was amazing all week. From day one we rode as a team, we knew our objectives, and no one drifted off and did their own thing. You don’t finish top five overall in America’s toughest stage race without an incredible team around you. It’s pretty flattering to have this many guys riding for me.”

The first two stages were intended for the sprinters, but mountainous terrain put many of the top sprinters in trouble before the stage finales. Despite the team’s best efforts, the podium was elusive. It wasn’t until stage three on the ascent of Mount Nebo that the team’s hard work started to pay off and Britton was able to lay the foundation for his high overall finish. On the lower slopes of the climb, Lachlan Morton (Jelly Belly) powered off the front, with only Andrew Talansky (Cannondale-Drapac) able to follow. As the duo pulled away, Adrien Costa (Axeon-Hagens Berman) bridged across. Behind the leading trio, Britton combined forces with Darwin Atapuma (BMC) to give chase. On the descent into Payson, Britton and Atapuma were joined by Atapuma’s BMC teammates Tyler Eisenhart and Joey Rosskopf. Britton would cross the line in fifth and move into sixth overall heading into the second half of the race.

After riding in the breakaway during the sweltering heat of stage three, Tom Zirbel suffered on the climb of Mount Nebo and missed the time cut. It was a tough loss for the team and his strength and power were missed during stage four, a flat run from IM Flash to Kearns. In the finale Travis McCabe (Holowesko – Citadel) powered up the left side of the road to claim victory. Kiel Reijnen (Trek-Segafredo) was second with Sebastian Haedo (Jamis) in third. Eric Young crossed the line in fifth. Despite his impressive finish, two-time Tour of Utah stage winner Young was disappointed to have not taken the victory.

The team again rallied around Britton in stage five from Antelope Island National Park to Bountiful. Evan Huffman infiltrated the day’s breakaway before working for Britton on the tough finishing circuits with a steep climb to the top of Bountiful Bench. Towards the end of the stage, a small group formed at the front of the race and it would come down to a bunch finish. Britton made the group, stayed out of trouble and crossed the line in ninth, maintaining sixth overall heading into the queen stage from SnowBasin to Snowbird.

The team rode well to protect Britton throughout stage six but at the base of the ascent to Snowbird, Britton was isolated. Without teammates, he remained near the front, never dropping down further than fourth wheel. In the closing kilometers Atapuma attacked and quickly opened a gap. Talansky was the first to respond, and once he made contact with Atapuma, he went to the front and powered to the stage win and the overall lead. Britton held steady and limited his time losses, crossing the line fifth and moving up to fifth on the general classification.

The seventh and final stage was the last opportunity for Britton to move up the overall standings. Starting in Park City, the peloton faced the tough climb up Wolf Creek Ranch Road and the Hors Category Empire Pass. Early in the stage, the peloton tried to put pressure on Talansky and on the climb of Wolf Creek Ranch Road the race started to break apart. With Rosskopf in the breakaway, and just 20 seconds behind Britton on the general classification, Rally Cycling gave chase and neutralized the threat. As the peloton hit the base of Empire Pass, Morton went on the attack and quickly opened a 20 second gap.  Morton’s lead continued to increase while Britton again held steady. At the line in Park City, Morton claimed the stage and overall victory. Britton crossed the line in sixth, claiming the Most Aggressive Rider jersey and locking down fifth overall.

“In general we were just trying to look after Rob,” said Team Director Patrick McCarty after the final stage in Park City. “He has been riding great all week, so we just wanted to keep everything equal into the last climb. The race was ridiculously fast from the gun so we just stuck to the plan. The guys really stepped up. There were a couple of situations out there where things really started to go sideways and the guys knocked it out of the park. Rob had a great ride to finish 5th overall in a race of this caliber. The entire team rode well this week. Danny (Pate), Emerson (Oronte), Evan (Huffman), Eric (Young) Adam (De Vos) and Pierrick (Naud) rode selflessly the entire race. It was a strong team effort.”

Results

1. Lachlan David Morton (Aus) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 3:08:07
2. Adrien Costa (USA) Axeon Hagens Berman 00:31
3. Darwin Atapuma (Col) BMC Racing Team 00:50
4. Andrew Talansky (USA) Cannondale-Drapac 01:51
5. Joe Dombrowski (USA) Cannondale-Drapac 01:53
6. Rob Britton (Can) Rally Cycling 02:03
7. Manuel Senni (Ita) BMC Racing Team 02:35
8. Laurent Didier (Lux) Trek-Segafredo 03:15
9. Joseph Rosskopf (USA) BMC Racing Team 03:36
10. Alberto Bettiol (Ita) Cannondale-Drapac 03:49
11. Robbie Squire (USA) Holowesko-Citadel Racing Team 03:51
12. Taylor Eisenhart (USA) BMC Racing Team 04:02
13. Riccardo Zoidl (Aut) Trek-Segafredo 04:08
14. Tao Geoghegan Hart (Gbr) Axeon Hagens Berman 04:12
15. Dylan Teuns (Bel) BMC Racing Team 04:59
16. Janez Brajkovic (Slo) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team
17. Hayden Mccormick (NZl) ONE Pro Cycling 06:08
18. Alex Howes (USA) Cannondale-Drapac 06:30
19. Julien Bernard (Fra) Trek-Segafredo
20. Frederic Brun (Fra) Fortuneo-Vital Concept 06:32
21. Julien Loubet (Fra) Fortuneo-Vital Concept 06:34
22. Christopher Horner (USA) Lupus Racing Team 06:38
23. Jonathan Clarke (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team
24. Eddie Dunbar (Irl) Axeon Hagens Berman 07:07
25. Lawrence Warbasse (USA) IAM Cycling 09:11
26. Brayan Stiven Sanchez Vergara (Col) Team Jamis 09:29
27. Benjamin King (USA) Cannondale-Drapac 09:37
28. Bryan Lewis (USA) Lupus Racing Team
29. Joseph Chavarria (CRc) Lupus Racing Team 09:39
30. Nicolae Tanovitchii (Mda) Lupus Racing Team 09:46
31. Javier Megias (Esp) Team Novo Nordisk 10:08
32. David Drouin (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 10:11
33. Christopher Jones (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team 10:54
34. Damiano Cunego (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini 11:15
35. Dion Smith (NZl) ONE Pro Cycling 12:53
36. Chad Beyer (USA) Lupus Racing Team
37. Robin Carpenter (USA) Holowesko-Citadel Racing Team 13:06
38. Simon Pellaud (Sui) IAM Cycling 13:30
39. Marcel Aregger (Sui) IAM Cycling
40. Jonathan Dibben (Gbr) Cannondale-Drapac 13:57
41. Jean-Marc Bideau (Fra) Fortuneo-Vital Concept 14:22
42. Thomas Vaubourzeix (Fra) Lupus Racing Team
43. Elie Gesbert (Fra) Fortuneo-Vital Concept 14:33
44. Matthew Busche (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team 14:39
45. Janier Alexis Acevedo Colle (Col) Team Jamis 16:02
46. Krists Neilands (Lat) Axeon Hagens Berman 17:42
47. Andzs Flaksis (Lat) Holowesko-Citadel Racing Team
48. Neilson Powless (USA) Axeon Hagens Berman
49. Andrei Krasilnikau (Blr) Holowesko-Citadel Racing Team
50. Ruben Companioni (Cub) Team Jamis
51. Jacopo Mosca (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
52. Marco Canola (Ita) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team
53. Nicolas Masbourian (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
54. Alexander Cataford (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
55. Steven Tronet (Fra) Fortuneo-Vital Concept
56. Jonathan Fumeaux (Sui) IAM Cycling
57. Angus Morton (Aus) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 18:52
58. Kiel Reijnen (USA) Trek-Segafredo
59. Logan Owen (USA) Axeon Hagens Berman
60. Matthieu Jeannes (Fra) Lupus Racing Team 19:18
61. Rick Zabel (Ger) BMC Racing Team 22:10
62. Iuri Filosi (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini
63. Tom Bohli (Sui) BMC Racing Team
64. Fabian Lienhard (Sui) BMC Racing Team
65. Nicola Bagioli (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini
66. Alessandro Bisolti (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini
67. Evan Huffman (USA) Rally Cycling
68. Tanner Putt (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team
69. Danny Pate (USA) Rally Cycling
70. Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Arg) Team Jamis
71. Colin Joyce (USA) Axeon Hagens Berman 22:20
72. Francis Mourey (Fra) Fortuneo-Vital Concept 22:24
73. Emerson Oronte (USA) Rally Cycling 23:07
74. Barry Miller (USA) Lupus Racing Team 23:19
75. James Oram (NZl) ONE Pro Cycling 25:01
76. Richard Handley (Gbr) ONE Pro Cycling
77. Phillip Gaimon (USA) Cannondale-Drapac
78. Taylor Sheldon (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
79. Pierrick Naud (Can) Rally Cycling
80. Alexandr Braico (Mda) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 25:13
81. Stephen Clancy (Irl) Team Novo Nordisk 25:45
82. Stephen Bassett (USA) Team Jamis 25:55
83. Daniel Eaton (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team 26:05
84. Keijzer Gerd De (Ned) Team Novo Nordisk 26:09
85. Pier Paolo De Negri (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini
86. Travis McCabe (USA) Holowesko-Citadel Racing Team 26:16
87. Ulises Alfredo Castillo Soto (Mex) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 26:26
88. Eric Young (USA) Rally Cycling 26:27
89. Kyle Murphy (USA) Team Jamis
90. Daniel Jaramillo (Col) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team 26:32
91. David Gaona Vazquez (Mex) Nippo-Vini Fantini 26:44
DNF David Tanner (Aus) IAM Cycling
DNF Peter Stetina (USA) Trek-Segafredo
DNF Kevin Ledanois (Fra) Fortuneo-Vital Concept
DNF Joseph Lewis (Aus) Holowesko-Citadel Racing Team
DNF Eric Marcotte (USA) Team Jamis
DNF Luis Romero Amaran (Cub) Team Jamis
DNF Jordan Cheyne (Can) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
DNF Joshua Berry (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
DNF Jacob Rathe (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
DNF Adam De Vos (Can) Rally Cycling
DNF Kristofer Dahl (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
DNF Matteo Dal-Cin (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
DNF Ryan Roth (Can) Silber Pro Cycling

Final GC

1. Lachlan David Morton (Aus) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 27:12:49
2. Adrien Costa (USA) Axeon Hagens Berman 01:09
3. Andrew Talansky (USA) Cannondale-Drapac 01:39
4. Darwin Atapuma (Col) BMC Racing Team 01:57
5. Rob Britton (Can) Rally Cycling 04:00
6. Joseph Rosskopf (USA) BMC Racing Team 05:59
7. Taylor Eisenhart (USA) BMC Racing Team 06:52
8. Joe Dombrowski (USA) Cannondale-Drapac 07:16
9. Robbie Squire (USA) Holowesko-Citadel Racing Team 08:38
10. Laurent Didier (Lux) Trek-Segafredo
11. Manuel Senni (Ita) BMC Racing Team 09:00
12. Tao Geoghegan Hart (Gbr) Axeon Hagens Berman 10:36
13. Janez Brajkovic (Slo) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team 10:57
14. Jonathan Clarke (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team 13:18
15. Christopher Horner (USA) Lupus Racing Team 14:01
16. Dylan Teuns (Bel) BMC Racing Team 14:10
17. Julien Loubet (Fra) Fortuneo-Vital Concept 15:07
18. Riccardo Zoidl (Aut) Trek-Segafredo 17:36
19. Eddie Dunbar (Irl) Axeon Hagens Berman 17:46
20. Nicolae Tanovitchii (Mda) Lupus Racing Team 19:01
21. Alex Howes (USA) Cannondale-Drapac 19:29
22. Julien Bernard (Fra) Trek-Segafredo 19:53
23. Hayden Mccormick (NZl) ONE Pro Cycling 21:27
24. Lawrence Warbasse (USA) IAM Cycling 22:39
25. Joseph Chavarria (CRc) Lupus Racing Team 24:04
26. Robin Carpenter (USA) Holowesko-Citadel Racing Team 24:23
27. Chad Beyer (USA) Lupus Racing Team 28:06
28. Benjamin King (USA) Cannondale-Drapac 28:36
29. Damiano Cunego (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini 32:06
30. Angus Morton (Aus) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 34:03
31. David Drouin (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 34:19
32. Janier Alexis Acevedo Colle (Col) Team Jamis 36:40
33. Neilson Powless (USA) Axeon Hagens Berman 38:49
34. Matthew Busche (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team 40:31
35. Simon Pellaud (Sui) IAM Cycling 40:53
36. Alberto Bettiol (Ita) Cannondale-Drapac 43:21
37. Javier Megias (Esp) Team Novo Nordisk 44:35
38. Kiel Reijnen (USA) Trek-Segafredo 45:02
39. Jacopo Mosca (Ita) Trek-Segafredo 46:53
40. Brayan Stiven Sanchez Vergara (Col) Team Jamis 48:28
41. Jean-Marc Bideau (Fra) Fortuneo-Vital Concept 49:23
42. Emerson Oronte (USA) Rally Cycling 50:22
43. Daniel Jaramillo (Col) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team
44. Alexander Cataford (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 51:05
45. Elie Gesbert (Fra) Fortuneo-Vital Concept 51:08
46. Evan Huffman (USA) Rally Cycling 53:35
47. Christopher Jones (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team 54:32
48. Taylor Sheldon (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 57:19
49. Logan Owen (USA) Axeon Hagens Berman 58:11
50. Jonathan Fumeaux (Sui) IAM Cycling 58:20
51. Marco Canola (Ita) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team 58:47
52. Bryan Lewis (USA) Lupus Racing Team 59:32
53. Alessandro Bisolti (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini 1:00:30
54. Rick Zabel (Ger) BMC Racing Team 1:01:53
55. Frederic Brun (Fra) Fortuneo-Vital Concept 1:05:07
56. Andrei Krasilnikau (Blr) Holowesko-Citadel Racing Team 1:06:02
57. Krists Neilands (Lat) Axeon Hagens Berman 1:06:48
58. Dion Smith (NZl) ONE Pro Cycling 1:07:13
59. Nicola Bagioli (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini 1:08:07
60. Ruben Companioni (Cub) Team Jamis 1:09:07
61. Marcel Aregger (Sui) IAM Cycling 1:12:41
62. Barry Miller (USA) Lupus Racing Team 1:13:15
63. Travis McCabe (USA) Holowesko-Citadel Racing Team 1:13:37
64. Andzs Flaksis (Lat) Holowesko-Citadel Racing Team 1:16:11
65. Thomas Vaubourzeix (Fra) Lupus Racing Team 1:16:29
66. Daniel Eaton (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team 1:17:51
67. Fabian Lienhard (Sui) BMC Racing Team 1:19:48
68. Colin Joyce (USA) Axeon Hagens Berman 1:20:30
69. Steven Tronet (Fra) Fortuneo-Vital Concept 1:20:49
70. Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Arg) Team Jamis 1:20:52
71. Tanner Putt (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team 1:21:30
72. Matthieu Jeannes (Fra) Lupus Racing Team 1:22:44
73. Francis Mourey (Fra) Fortuneo-Vital Concept 1:23:01
74. Tom Bohli (Sui) BMC Racing Team 1:23:36
75. Stephen Bassett (USA) Team Jamis 1:24:21
76. Jonathan Dibben (Gbr) Cannondale-Drapac 1:24:34
77. Phillip Gaimon (USA) Cannondale-Drapac 1:25:30
78. Nicolas Masbourian (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 1:28:36
79. Iuri Filosi (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini 1:30:11
80. Alexandr Braico (Mda) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 1:33:19
81. Pier Paolo De Negri (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini 1:35:45
82. Danny Pate (USA) Rally Cycling 1:36:43
83. David Gaona Vazquez (Mex) Nippo-Vini Fantini 1:36:48
84. Ulises Alfredo Castillo Soto (Mex) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 1:37:03
85. Pierrick Naud (Can) Rally Cycling 1:40:35
86. James Oram (NZl) ONE Pro Cycling 1:41:04
87. Richard Handley (Gbr) ONE Pro Cycling 1:41:05
88. Stephen Clancy (Irl) Team Novo Nordisk 1:55:35
89. Kyle Murphy (USA) Team Jamis 1:56:01
90. Eric Young (USA) Rally Cycling 1:58:43
91. Keijzer Gerd De (Ned) Team Novo Nordisk 2:02:05





Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.


Pedal Magazine