August 08, 2018 (Payson City, Utah) – A powerful solo attack by Sepp Kuss (USA) of Team LottoNL-Jumbo lasted 32 miles 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.

Canada’s Michael Woods (EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale) had a strong day finishing 6th and moved up to 8th overall. Kuss covered the 88.6-mile course in 3 hours and 25 minutes. Crossing the line 29 seconds later was his teammate Neilson Powless (USA), who won the sprint for second place ahead of Rally Cycling’s Kyle Murphy (USA).

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 (kilometers) 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 (USA) of BMC Racing Team dropped from first to third, 25 seconds down. Murphy surged from 27th to fourth overall on G.C. Joe Dombrowski (USA) jumped up five spots to fifth overall, 38 seconds behind Kuss.

After a fast and furious start on Stage 2, Travis McCabe (USA) of 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 (USA) of 303 Project, the last rider from the six-man breakaway to bereeled in after 40 miles in the saddle, was awarded the Larry H. Miller Dealerships Most Aggressive Rider jersey. Gage Hecht (USA) of Aevolo Pro Cycling was voted America First Credit Union Fan Favorite, in the category of Most Promising Rookie. The Utah Office of Tourism King of the Mountain jersey stayed with Daan Olivier (NED) of 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.”

Stage 3 presented by America First Credit Union on Thursday, Aug. 9 is the longest stage of the week at 116.4 miles (188 km). A new start on the far end of Antelope Island State Park takes place at the Garr Ranch. It is the third time the Tour has started on the island. After a wind-swept seven miles over the causeway to cross the Great Salt Lake’s Farmington Bay to the mainland, the race will serpentine through Davis County to the new finish in Layton City. There are three Sprint lines in Davis County, once in Syracuse and twice in Farmington. One short, steep KOM up the Bountiful Bench could be the launching pad for a late breakaway. On the return stretch from Bountiful, the race will pass through Hill Air Force Base for a second year. After five circuits through Layton Commons Park, a stage winner will be crowned on North Wasatch Drive across from the park.

The Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah is free to all spectators, making professional cycling one of the most unique professional sports in the world today. The Tour of Utah remains a 2.HC-rated stage race on the UCI America Tour, making it one of the premier events for professional cycling teams in North America. It is also one of the prominent road cycling events that is also part of USA Cycling’s Pro Road Tour.

Results

1. Sepp Kuss (USA) LottoNL-Jumbo 3:25:58
2. Neilson Powless (USA) LottoNL-Jumbo 00:29
3. Kyle Murphy (USA) Rally Cycling
4. Luis Ricardo Villalobos Hernandez (Mex) Aevolo 00:32
5. Ben Hermans (Bel) Israel Cycling Academy
6. Michael Woods (Can) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
7. Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing Team
8. Jack Haig (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott
9. Gavin Mannion (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
10. Keegan Swirbul (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
11. Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team
12. Joe Dombrowski (USA) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
13. Hugh Carthy (Gbr) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
14. Sean Bennett (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon 01:27
15. Robert Britton (Can) Rally Cycling 01:49
16. Peter Stetina (USA) Trek-Segafredo
17. Joey Rosskopf (USA) BMC Racing Team
18. Nathan Brown (USA) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
19. Alex Hoehn (USA) Aevolo 03:34
20. Freddy Ovett (Aus) BMC Racing Team
21. Angus Lyons (Aus) Mobius Bridgelane
22. Eder Frayre Moctezuma (Mex) Elevate-KHS
24. TJ Eisenhart (USA) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Arapahoe Resources
25. Daniel Jaramillo (Col) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
26. Serghei Tvetcov (Rom) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
27. Ed Anderson (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon
28. Nicola Conci (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
29. Ivan Santaromita (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini
30. Jack Burke (Can) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
31. Nickolas Zukowsky (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
32. Evan Huffman (USA) Rally Cycling
33. Thomas Revard (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon 09:58
35. Isaiah Newkirk (USA) 303 Project 10:13
36. Emerson Oronte (USA) Rally Cycling
37. Cullen Easter (USA) 303 Project
38. Peter Livingstone (Aus) Mobius Bridgelane
39. Kilian Frankiny (Sui) BMC Racing Team
40. Gage Hecht (USA) Aevolo 12:04
41. Nicolas Masbourian (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
42. Brayan Stiven Sanchez Vergara (Col) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Arapahoe Resources
43. Ruben Plaza (Esp) Israel Cycling Academy
44. Flavio De Luna (Mex) 303 Project
45. Bernat Font Mas (Esp) 303 Project
46. Rob Power (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott
47. Pascal Eenkhoorn (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo 13:03
48. Edwin Avila (Col) Israel Cycling Academy
49. Sho Hatsuyama (Jpn) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini
50. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Hagens Berman Axeon
51. Laurent Didier (Lux) Trek-Segafredo
53. Lionel Mawditt (Aus) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 16:27
54. Lucas Hamilton (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott
55. Brendan Canty (Aus) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
56. Connor Brown (USA) Mobius Bridgelane
57. Simone Ponzi (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini
58. Adam Roberge (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
59. Damiano Cima (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini
60. Niklas Eg (Den) Trek-Segafredo
61. Russell Finsterwald (USA) Mobius Bridgelane
62. Maikel Zijlaard (Ned) Hagens Berman Axeon 20:02
63. Gregory Rast (Sui) Trek-Segafredo
64. Imerio Cima (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini
65. William Clarke (Aus) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
66. Ulises Alfredo Castillo Soto (Mex) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
67. Guy Sagiv (Isr) Israel Cycling Academy
68. Sam Bewley (Nzl) Mitchelton-Scott
69. Jonathan Brown (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon
70. Lance Haidet (USA) Aevolo
71. Michael Hernandez (USA) Aevolo
72. Janier Alexis Acevedo Calle (Col) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
73. Travis McCabe (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
74. Tony Baca (Mex) 303 Project
75. Michael Rice (Aus) Hagens Berman Axeon
76. Jonathan Clarke (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
77. Hamish Schreurs (Nzl) Israel Cycling Academy
78. Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Arg) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
79. Maarten Wynants (Bel) LottoNL-Jumbo
80. Jan Maas (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo
81. Alan Marangoni (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini
82. Brian McCulloch (USA) Elevate-KHS
83. Danick Vandale (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
84. Joseph Lewis (Aus) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Arapahoe Resources
85. Koen Bouwmam (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo
86. Tyler Williams (USA) Israel Cycling Academy
87. Alex Howes (USA) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
88. Alexander Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team
89. Laurent Gervais (Can) Aevolo
90. Jordan Cheyne (Can) Elevate-KHS
91. Tyler Magner (USA) Rally Cycling
92. Charles Etienne Chretien (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
93. Daan Olivier (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo
94. Emile Jean (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
95. Kiel Reijnen (USA) Trek-Segafredo
96. Pier-André Côté (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
97. Danny Pate (USA) Rally Cycling
98. Nigel Ellsay (Can) Rally Cycling
99. Cameron Meyer (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott
100. Taylor Shelden (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
101. Andrei Krasilnikau (Blr) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Arapahoe Resources
102. Brayan Chaves Rubio (Col) Mitchelton-Scott
103. Samuel Bassetti (USA) Elevate-KHS
104. Morgan Schmitt (USA) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Arapahoe Resources
105. Benjamin Wolfe (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
106. Ruben Companioni (Cub) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Arapahoe Resources
107. Luis Lemus (Mex) Israel Cycling Academy
108. Cormac McGeough (Irl) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
109. Jesse Coyle (Aus) Mobius Bridgelane 20:15
110. George Simpson (USA) Elevate-KHS 20:02
DSQ Tom Bohli (Sui) BMC Racing Team

GC after Stage 2

1. Sepp Kuss (USA) LottoNL-Jumbo 7:49:37
2. Neilson Powless (USA) LottoNL-Jumbo 00:21
3. Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team 00:25
4. Kyle Murphy (USA) Rally Cycling 00:37
5. Joe Dombrowski (USA) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale 00:38
6. Gavin Mannion (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
7. Hugh Carthy (Gbr) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
8. Michael Woods (Can) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale 00:39
9. Jack Haig (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott 00:40
10. Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing Team
11. Ben Hermans (Bel) Israel Cycling Academy 00:42
12. Luis Ricardo Villalobos Hernandez (Mex) Aevolo 00:50
13. Keegan Swirbul (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 00:52
14. Sean Bennett (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon 01:43
15. Joey Rosskopf (USA) BMC Racing Team 01:46
16. Nathan Brown (USA) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale 01:53
17. Peter Stetina (USA) Trek-Segafredo 01:59
18. Robert Britton (Can) Rally Cycling 02:00
19. Evan Huffman (USA) Rally Cycling 03:37
20. Serghei Tvetcov (Rom) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 03:38
21. Daniel Jaramillo (Col) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 03:41
22. Nicola Conci (Ita) Trek-Segafredo 03:45
23. Nickolas Zukowsky (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 03:48
24. Alex Hoehn (USA) Aevolo 03:49
25. Angus Lyons (Aus) Mobius Bridgelane 03:50
26. Jack Burke (Can) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 03:52
27. Eder Frayre Moctezuma (Mex) Elevate-KHS 03:53
28. TJ Eisenhart (USA) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Arapahoe Resources 03:54
29. Ivan Santaromita (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini 03:55
30. Ed Anderson (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon 03:58
31. Griffin Easter (USA) 303 Project 05:08
32. Thomas Revard (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon 10:10
33. Kilian Frankiny (Sui) BMC Racing Team 10:27
34. Isaiah Newkirk (USA) 303 Project 10:40
35. Emerson Oronte (USA) Rally Cycling 10:44
36. Peter Livingstone (Aus) Mobius Bridgelane 10:49
37. Michel Ries (Lux) Trek-Segafredo
38. Cullen Easter (USA) 303 Project 10:54
39. Ruben Plaza (Esp) Israel Cycling Academy 12:14
40. Gage Hecht (USA) Aevolo 12:17
41. Nicolas Masbourian (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 12:18
42. Rob Power (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott 12:21
43. Brayan Stiven Sanchez Vergara (Col) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Arapahoe Resources 12:28
44. Flavio De Luna (Mex) 303 Project 12:35
45. Bernat Font Mas (Esp) 303 Project 12:38
46. Pascal Eenkhoorn (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo 13:07
47. Sho Hatsuyama (Jpn) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini 13:40
48. Edwin Avila (Col) Israel Cycling Academy 13:42
49. Brendan Canty (Aus) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale 16:35
50. Lucas Hamilton (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott 16:46
51. Niklas Eg (Den) Trek-Segafredo 16:47
52. Damiano Cima (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini 16:55
53. Connor Brown (USA) Mobius Bridgelane 16:59
54. Russell Finsterwald (USA) Mobius Bridgelane 17:09
55. Michel Ries (Lux) Trek-Segafredo 17:17
56. Travis McCabe (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 19:54
57. Koen Bouwmam (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo 20:08
58. Kiel Reijnen (USA) Trek-Segafredo 20:10
59. Jan Maas (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo 20:12
60. Nigel Ellsay (Can) Rally Cycling 20:15
61. Janier Alexis Acevedo Calle (Col) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 20:16
62. Cameron Meyer (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott
63. Ulises Alfredo Castillo Soto (Mex) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 20:19
64. Ruben Companioni (Cub) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Arapahoe Resources
65. Freddy Ovett (Aus) BMC Racing Team
66. Maarten Wynants (Bel) LottoNL-Jumbo 20:22
67. Jordan Cheyne (Can) Elevate-KHS
68. Daan Olivier (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo 20:24
69. Charles Etienne Chretien (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 20:25
70. Jonathan Clarke (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 20:26
71. William Clarke (Aus) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale 20:27
72. Samuel Bassetti (USA) Elevate-KHS
73. Danick Vandale (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 20:29
74. Michael Rice (Aus) Hagens Berman Axeon
75. Tony Baca (Mex) 303 Project 20:31
76. Alexander Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team
77. Hamish Schreurs (Nzl) Israel Cycling Academy 20:32
78. Jonathan Brown (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon 20:33
79. Imerio Cima (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini 20:41
80. Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Arg) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 20:43
81. George Simpson (USA) Elevate-KHS 21:38
82. Alex Howes (USA) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale 21:40
83. Benjamin Wolfe (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 22:23
84. Alan Marangoni (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini
85. Luis Lemus (Mex) Israel Cycling Academy 22:24
86. Taylor Shelden (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 22:26
87. Brayan Chaves Rubio (Col) Mitchelton-Scott 22:57
88. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Hagens Berman Axeon 29:34
89. Laurent Didier (Lux) Trek-Segafredo 30:02
90. Lionel Mawditt (Aus) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 31:35
91. Fernando Islas Lopez (Mex) Aevolo 32:02
92. Tyler Williams (USA) Israel Cycling Academy 36:33
93. Pier-André Côté (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 36:34
94. Emile Jean (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 36:37
95. Sam Bewley (Nzl) Mitchelton-Scott
96. Cormac McGeough (Irl) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
97. Gregory Rast (Sui) Trek-Segafredo 36:45
98. Andrei Krasilnikau (Blr) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Arapahoe Resources 36:47
99. Michael Hernandez (USA) Aevolo 36:49
100. Guy Sagiv (Isr) Israel Cycling Academy 36:50
101. Lance Haidet (USA) Aevolo 37:00
102. Brian McCulloch (USA) Elevate-KHS 37:11
103. Adam Roberge (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 37:49
104. Morgan Schmitt (USA) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Arapahoe Resources 41:39
105. Tyler Magner (USA) Rally Cycling
106. Danny Pate (USA) Rally Cycling 41:41
107. Maikel Zijlaard (Ned) Hagens Berman Axeon 41:42
108. Joseph Lewis (Aus) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Arapahoe Resources 41:44
109. Laurent Gervais (Can) Aevolo 41:51
110. Jesse Coyle (Aus) Mobius Bridgelane 41:54