American Kuss Reigns at Queen Stage of Tour of Utah and
Retains Overall Lead for Fourth Day
Showdown for General Classification Expected Sunday for
Grand Finale in Park City
SNOWBIRD, UTAH (Aug. 11, 2018) – Overall race leader Sepp Kuss (USA) of Team LottoNL-Jumbo soloed to victory on Stage 5 presented by University of Utah Health at the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah on Saturday. He accelerated away from an elite group of riders on the legendary six-mile climb of Little Cottonwood Canyon to win at Snowbird Resort in a time of 4 hours and two minutes.
The 23-year old American continued to wear the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies Overall Leader jersey since his emphatic victory in Payson on Stage 2, extending his lead in the General Classification (G.C.).
“I just decided to ride my own pace, it was easier than having to deal with jumping with everybody. I felt good and decided to make a decisive move and put everybody on the back foot, maybe. And it ended up working out again today. I'm really happy. It was really cool,” said Kuss, who high-fived fans packed along the finish line area in celebration as he crossed the line. “It's fun to be able to relate to the people watching the race and have a good time with them.”
Ben Hermans (BEL) of Israel Cycling Academy pushed Kuss with a solo chase on the final Hors Category climb, crossing the line 39 seconds back in second place. The battle for third place was taken by American Peter Stetina of Trek-Segafredo, who outmaneuvered a select group that included defending champion Rob Britton (CAN) of Rally Cycling, Jack Haig (AUS) of Mitchelton-Scott, 2015 Tour of Utah winner Joe Dombrowski (USA) of EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale and Dombrowski’s teammate Hugh John Carthy (GBR). Stetina crossed the line 1 minute and 18 seconds behind the winner.
“In the beginning, I was maybe smiling a little bit because there's no better feeling than just standing up on the pedals. Attacking is just really fun,” said Kuss. “Then when I got a gap and saw Ben Hermans was behind me and he's a really strong rider, I thought 'oh no, that's not who I want chasing me right now,' because he's a real engine. After that I was really hurting.”
As expected, Stage 5 presented by University of Utah Health brought major changes to the overall standings. Hermans surged from 11th place to second place, 1 minute and 21 seconds behind Kuss on G.C. Dombrowski and Carthy moved up to third and fourth place, respectively, a little more than two minutes back.
Neilson Powless (USA) of Team LottoNL-Jumbo, Tejay van Garderen (USA) of BMC Racing Team, Kyle Murphy (USA) of Rally Cycling and Gavin Mannion (USA) of UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team all dropped out of the Top 10 with one stage to go in "America's Toughest Stage Race.”
The Tour of Utah’s “Queen Stage” lived up to its reputation as one of cycling’s most exciting days in the saddle, with 9,975 feet of elevation gain and three Utah Office of Tourism King of the Mountain climbs. The 96.2-mile (154.6 km) stage began for the first time at Canyons Village in Park City.
A 10-rider breakaway saw its gap decrease from four to two minutes on the ascent of Guardsman Pass. After the blistering 15-mile descent of Big Cottonwood Canyon, lone escapee Kilian Frankiny (SUI) of BMC Racing Team had a 15-second lead with six miles (10 km) to go.
“I really like to ride here in Utah. It's really special with the altitude and the heat. At home, I live on 700 meters and that's already pretty high for the place that I live,” said Frankiny who is racing his third Tour of Utah.
Frankiny was awarded the Larry H. Miller Dealerships Most Aggressive Rider jersey. Kuss took over the Utah Office of Tourism KOM jersey. The Utah Sports Commission Sprint jersey remained with Travis McCabe (USA) of UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team. Alex Hoehn (USA) of Aevolo Cycling was voted America First Credit Union Fan Favorite, in the category of Best Climber. Finishing eighth place on the stage, Luis Villalobos (MEX) of Aevolo Cycling, jumped to seventh overall to become the WCF Insurance Best Young Rider.
After a one-year hiatus, Stage 6 presented by Utah Sports Commission brings back the overall finish to Park City on Sunday, Aug. 12. Historic Park City entertains the Tour for a ninth time, and a sixth time for the overall race finish. The route will pass through Kamas and Midway before the final attacks on the unrelenting asphalt of Empire Pass, encountering road pitches of 10 to 20 percent. The race doesn’t end at KOM, as the descent onto Upper Main Street in Park City could decide the winner of the Tour.
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 AND STANDINGS
www.tourofutah.com/race/results
Stage 5 presented by University of Utah Health
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION (After Stage 5) - Top 10
AWARD JERSEYS
WCF Insurance Best Young Rider - Luis Villalobos (MEX), Aevolo Cycling
Larry H. Miller Dealerships Most Aggressive Rider – Kilian Frankiny (SUI), BMC Racing Team
America First Credit Union Fan Favorite – Alex Hoehn (USA), Aevolo Cycling
About the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah
The Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah, referred to as "America's Toughest Stage RaceTM," is a week-long, professional cycling stage race for the best men’s teams in the world. The 2018 event will be held Aug. 6-12, covering 548 miles of racing and 43,780 feet of elevation gain. Now in its 14th year, the event was elevated in 2015 as a 2.HC-rated UCI stage race, making it one of the premier events in North America. The Tour of Utah is owned by Larry H. Miller Sports & Entertainment. More information about the Tour of Utah, host venues and professional teams can be found by visiting www.tourofutah.com, as well as social channels Facebook (tourofutah), Twitter (tourofutah), Instagram (thetourofutah) and YouTube (tourofutah).
Honestly Looking at Family Values
by Wim Laven
691 words
A recent look at the GOP’s platform on immigration was quite heartbreaking; they want to break up and damage good families. I thought about the people I know, mothers and fathers who’d be deported—if Donald Trump gets his way—and dozens of kids left behind. I took a deeper look at what he’d like to do with legal immigration and felt like crying: if Donald could, he’d have deported my mother.
I think I’d be safe. I’m a U.S. citizen born abroad, but, despite a whole career of service to the communities she’d spent decades living in, my mother—the greatest woman I’ve ever known—would not be allowed in Trump’s vision for America. We’re white and his visionmight not apply to her; his focus has been on people with darker skin and from specific countries. Still, knowing my own mother was an immigrant makes Trump’s treatment of immigrant and refugee mothers of any color feel quite personal to me.
Like thousands of other mothers who hope to come to the US, my mother has never been in a gang or done anything illegal. She was a psychiatric nurse. She took a legal pathway to citizenship, but as best as I can tell she is exactly the kind of person (estimates suggest 20 million immigrants would be impacted) the Trump-led GOP plan would target. Trump doesn’t want a human face on immigration, that is why he calls the targets of his plans “animals” and the GOP leaders back him up. When he says: “You wouldn’t believe how bad these people are. These aren’t people, these are animals, and we’re taking them out of the country at a level and at a rate that’s never happened before.” It is a nefarious GOP trick; when he is challenged for his racist statement the GOP can accuse Democrats of defending criminals and wanting “open borders.”
Dirty tricks are old strategy. During the Red Scare of McCarthyism paranoia was created by releasing information on the number of communists pushing subversive policies in Congress. During this scare the numbers changed on a regular basis, and people were left debating “how many are there?” But the truth turned out to be that it was all manufactured. It is similar to the chicanery used in connecting the Democratic party to its racist history. The Democratic party had to undergo a serious evolution to break from being the party of the KKK and resistance to the Republican party’s reconstruction in order to become the party of civil rights and equality, but it did. The underhanded ploy is making the 1916 Democratic party association to the Klan more important than the Klans endorsement of Trump in 2016.
We must put the real faces to the story and force the GOP to be honest just like Democrats had to be forthcoming about its racist inequality in the 1960’s. It isn’t easy, but it is honest. Blocking mothers from immigrating to our land is just wrong. All the falsehoods smearing a handful of hateful cases onto thousands of law-abiding families won’t wash to anyone who looks with clear and critical eyes at the facts and at the family values we claim to possess.
It is time for Republicans to go through a period like Democrats did. The GOP needs to evolve to stop supporting the hateful policies, rhetoric, and vision of the divisive president. The GOP could use a Kennedy moment, in 1963 JFK said: "One hundred years of delay have passed since President Lincoln freed the slaves, yet their heirs, their grandsons, are not fully free. They are not yet freed from the bonds of injustice. They are not yet freed from social and economic oppression." It outraged many white southerners, but the country needed to progress toward equality. Anyone who honestly believes in family values needs to be in the streets using nonviolent resistance to protect these families and good people being threatened. Nobody gets off easy, this is too important. A strong message needs to be sent and it would be great if conservatives would share in the message of an American Dream and freedom for everyone.
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Wim Laven, syndicated by PeaceVoice, is a doctoral candidate in International Conflict Management at Kennesaw State University, he teaches courses in political science and conflict resolution, and is on the Governing Council of the International Peace Research Association.
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Belgian Philipsen Ignites Crowd with Stage 4 Photo Finish
Win in Salt Lake City
Overall General Classification Lead Retained by Kuss on Eve of Queen Stage Battle
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH (Aug. 10, 2018) – Jasper Philipsen (BEL) of Hagens Berman Axeon grabbed the line in a thrilling photo finish to win Stage 4 presented by Zions Bank at the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah. In a fast and furious circuit race in downtown Salt Lake City, the 20-year-old Belgian claimed his first victory in the United States in a time of 2 hours and 35 seconds.
“I never had a greater result in the U.S. before,” said Philipsen, who finished a close second on Thursday in Layton at Stage 3 presented by America First Credit Union. “After yesterday, I started to believe in it. Today everything came together. Just a few millimeters, that made a difference again and I'm happy it's on my side today.”
In a hard-fought sprint, two-time Tour of Utah stage winner Travis McCabe (USA) of UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team took second place, a tire-width difference from another victory. Trek-Segafredo's Kiel Reijnen (USA), who has won stages at the Tour of Utah in 2015 and 2016, finished third.
Overall race leader Sepp Kuss (USA) of Team LottoNL-Jumbo finished 10th and retained the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies Overall Leader jersey. With little change in the overall standings, Kuss continued to hold a 19-second lead over his teammate, Neilson Powless (USA), and a 25-second margin over Tejay van Garderen (USA) of BMC Racing Team.
Huge crowds turned out along the 68.4-mile course, including Reservoir Park near the University of Utah and under the iconic Eagle Gate on State Street leading to the Utah State Capitol. The 108 riders tackled 10 laps of the 6.8-mile downtown circuit for a total of 5,500 feet of elevation gain. A group of 15 riders escaped immediately, but Team LottoNL-Jumbo controlled the pace to keep the breakaway close. The hot temperatures and the unrelenting change in the race profile took its toll on the field, with 57 riders finishing in the main group.
“This is my second time in a circuit race downtown in Salt Lake City and I think both times here the crowds have been super impressive. You can't ask for a better backdrop,” said Reijnen. “We want to put on a show for the fans. It’s more fun for us when everyone is out cheering us on. We definitely race at 110 percent when we know the circuit like we did today.”
McCabe started his sprint first on the uphill drag on North Main Street, but Philipsen was able to catch him. The two dueled to the end with a bike throw to seal the deal for Philipsen. Just a day before, it was McCabe who beat Philipsen to the line.
“Jasper (Philipsen) got me on the line, it came down to a bike throw. I think it was pretty exciting for everyone to watch when you race for 115 k (kilometers) and it comes down to 15 millimeters. That's how it is. (I’m) happy with second,” said McCabe, who continued to hold the Utah Sports Commission Sprint jersey.
Very active in the breakaway for the second day in a row, Australian Jonny Clarke of UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team was awarded the Larry H. Miller Dealerships Most Aggressive Rider jersey. Also in the breakaway, Utah-native Taylor “TJ” Eisenhart of Holowesko-Citadel p/b Arapahoe Resources was voted the America First Credit Union Fan Favorite, in the category of Most Fashionable. Powless remained in the WCF Insurance Best Young Rider jersey.
Stage 5 presented by University of Utah Health on Saturday, Aug. 11, hails the return of the notorious “Queen Stage," with 9,975 feet of elevation gain. The penultimate day of the Tour of Utah will feature 94.8 miles (152.6 km) of racing from a new start at Canyons Village in Park City to the signature finish at Snowbird Resort.
The undulating terrain of Summit County includes an early KOM at Jordanelle Reservoir, a sprint at Wolf Creek Ranch, and a two-mile stretch of dirt road on Democrat Alley. The route then goes through historic Park City for a second sprint line of the day and the ascent of the Category 1 KOM at Guardsman Pass. A blistering 15-mile descent of Big Cottonwood Canyon leads to the Salt Lake Valley below and a short traverse along Wasatch Boulevard. Then it is on to the Hors Category climb up Little Cottonwood Canyon, the signature six-mile battle across gradients of eight to 12 percent to the finish line at Snowbird Resort. The race has finished at Snowbird Resort 11 times, and only twice has the winner of the stage worn the winner’s jersey at the end of the week.
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 AND STANDINGS
www.tourofutah.com/race/results
Stage 4 presented by Zions Bank
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION (After Stage 4) - Top 10
AWARD JERSEYS
About the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah
The Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah, referred to as "America's Toughest Stage RaceTM," is a week-long, professional cycling stage race for the best men’s teams in the world. The 2018 event will be held Aug. 6-12, covering 548 miles of racing and 43,780 feet of elevation gain. Now in its 14th year, the event was elevated in 2015 as a 2.HC-rated UCI stage race, making it one of the premier events in North America. The Tour of Utah is owned by Larry H. Miller Sports & Entertainment. More information about the Tour of Utah, host venues and professional teams can be found by visiting www.tourofutah.com, as well as social channels Facebook (tourofutah), Twitter (tourofutah), Instagram (thetourofutah) and YouTube (tourofutah).
