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Hermans Scorches Final Climb to Win Stage 3 and
Retain Lead at 2019 Tour of Utah
Israel Cycling Academy Rider Claims Back-to-Back Victories
NORTH SALT LAKE, UTAH (Aug. 15, 2019) – Using the final kilometer as a launch pad, Ben Hermans of Israel Cycling Academy accelerated away from his main competitors for a masterful solo victory on Stage 3 presented by BYUtv Thursday at the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah. The Belgian claimed his second stage victory in two days in a time of 3 hours and 20 seconds, and increased his overall lead in the seven-day event, known as “America’s Toughest Stage Race.”
Biding his time on the tough 85.9-mile (138.3 kilometer) course, Hermans used the steep incline on the third and final finishing circuit in North Salt Lake to launch his attack. He quickly caught and passed the final two riders up the road, Kyle Murphy (USA) of Rally UHC Cycling and Lawson Craddock (USA) of EF Education First, to continue alone to the finish line.
“Our team was under pressure, but we never lost control of the race. Our team was really strong and I didn't have to do much until the last kilometer. On the last kilometer, I made a good attack for 30 seconds and I could make a gap. This was enough for a stage win,” Hermans said. “I only was thinking about the win in the last kilometer. (In) the last two kilometers, I saw that all the guys were pretty empty and I still had really powerful legs.”
Murphy held on for second place, crossing the line seven seconds back. Niklas Eg (DEN) of Trek-Segafredo was third, eight seconds behind Hermans.
“I wanted to win so bad, but Hermans is just a machine. I’m happy,” said Murphy, who was awarded the Larry H. Miller Dealerships Most Aggressive Rider jersey for his efforts.
The fourth day of racing provided bright sunshine with unrelenting high temperatures and 5,895 feet of elevation gain. Stage 3 presented by BYUtv started at Antelope Island State Park, which sits on the largest island in the Great Salt Lake. Fast and furious racing marked the first half of the race until finally a break of six riders was able to escape the 102-rider field. The final riders were reeled in with five kilometers to go on the stage.
Craddock made the first decisive attack from the shattered peloton, bringing Murphy with him. The pair continued ahead to catch and pass the remaining riders from the original breakaway. It was Hermans who launched the final attack to drop his closest challenger in the General Classification, James Piccoli (CAN) of Elevate-KHS Pro Cycling, then catch and pass Craddock and Murphy for the win.
Hermans increased his lead in the General Classification (G.C.) to 44 seconds over Piccoli, and 1 minute and 6 seconds on Eg. Murphy moved up two spots to fourth overall, 1 minute and 46 seconds down. Finishing 10th on the stage, João Almeida (POR) of Hagens Berman Axeon, remained in seventh overall, and retained the WCF Insurance Best Young Rider jersey.
“It's not in the pocket, there are three stages to go. You can always have bad luck or a bad moment,” Hermans stated. “For the moment, it looks really good. I never underestimate my contenders. I will still have to look at Piccoli.”
Alex Howes (USA) of EF Education First was part of the break and took top points in all three KOM of the day to claim the Utah Office of Tourism King of the Mountain jersey.
“It was pretty flat the first part of the stage. It was super fast. We were coming off the island just ripping along. You could tell that a lot of people wanted to be in the breakaway,” said Howes, who was wearing the Stars-and-Stripes jersey for the first time this summer as U.S. Pro Road Race National Champion. “Our team in particular, we wanted to put a little bit of pressure on Israel Cycling Academy and make sure that Ben was really up to snuff to hold the jersey, and he certainly seems to be.”
Finishing sixth on the stage, Craddock claimed the Utah Sports Commission Sprint leader jersey. A four-time stage winner in Utah, Travis McCabe (USA) of Worthy Pro Cycling, was voted the America First Credit Union Fan Favorite in the Best Sprinter category.
Stage 4 presented by America First Credit Union returns to downtown Salt Lake City for the 12th time in Tour history on Friday. The traditional circuit course is back for a third time with the start/finish line on East Capitol Boulevard next to the Utah State Capitol. The peloton will make eight circuits on Friday, beginning at 5:55 p.m. MT.
The Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah is free to all spectators, making professional cycling one of the most unique sports in the world today. The Tour of Utah is a internationally sanctioned as a 2.HC-rated stage race on the UCI America Tour, and is part of USA Cycling’s Pro Road Tour. More information about the Tour of Utah can be found by visiting www.tourofutah.com, as well as social channels Facebook (tourofutah), Twitter (tourofutah), Instagram (thetourofutah) and YouTube (tourofutah).
RESULTS AND STANDINGS
www.tourofutah.com/race/results
Stage 3 p/b BYUtv - Top 10
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION (After Stage 3)
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 2019 event will be held Aug. 12-18, covering 477 miles of racing and 37,882 feet of elevation gain. Now in its 15th 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 can be found by visiting www.tourofutah.com.
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Rep. Ken Ivory to Resign from Utah House
Salt Lake City, Utah – Representative Ken Ivory will resign from the Utah House of Representatives on August 19, 2019. Ivory has accepted a new job, which will require his full time and attention.
“On behalf of the entire Utah House of Representatives, I want to thank Rep. Ivory for his years of service and leadership,” said Speaker Brad Wilson. “He has been an important part of this institution for nearly a decade and it is hard to imagine what the House will look like without him. While we will greatly miss his friendship and dedication, we wish him and his family the very best as they move forward to this new chapter of their lives."
Rep. Ivory was elected to the Utah House of Representatives in November 2010. During his time in the Utah Legislature, Rep. Ivory has proven to be an expert on many complex issues including protecting victims and children against sexual abuse, state-federal relations, and public lands. Rep. Ivory currently serves on the following committees or commissions: House Revenue Taxation Committee, House Transportation Committee, Transportation Interim Committee, and Commission on Federalism.
“It has been one of the greatest honors of my life to serve in the Utah House. During my time, I’ve been blessed to work with amazing leaders across the political spectrum to help make this State the best place to live, work, receive an education, and raise a family.” said Rep. Ivory. “I'm grateful to the constituents who entrusted me to represent them. And I promise to continue serving in whatever capacity I can.”
The Salt Lake County Republican Party will now establish a process for choosing a replacement to be submitted to Governor Herbert for appointment.
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