The finish for the opening stage at the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah resembled the end of a Boulder group ride as much it did a bid for victory in a UCI 2.HC race.
Boulder residents and close friends Kiel Reijnen (UnitedHealthcare), Alex Howes (Cannondale-Garmin) and Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing) battled down the finishing straight in Logan for the first stage win of the race and the right to wear the yellow jersey during Tuesday’s second stage. Reijnen eventually took the win, with Howes second and Phinney third.
Breakaway survivors Greg Daniel (Axeon Cycling) and Johan Van Zyl (MTN-Qhubeka) were up the road as the race hit the finishing circuits in Logan for two final laps. Reijnen and Howes jumped up to the two leaders, and Phinney soon followed.
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“Once we got on the circuit, I watched Kiel and Alex go up the road, and I had this flashback of sitting in the NBC booth last year at the USA Pro Challenge and actually calling that when they both went off the front of the first stage in Aspen, and I wanted to be there so badly last year because we all train together,” Phinney said.
“So I saw them go, and I was like, ‘Ah, man, you just gotta dig deep and you gotta get up there because you’re not going to be happy with yourself if you don’t,” Phinney said. “So my main goal was just to make it up to those two dudes and have a good time with them.”
Good times were definitely on the horizon as the fresh legs revived the lead group, which reopened the gap as the peloton hesitated. Reijnen said that although none of the three were going to sacrifice for the others, their friendship did provide a distinct advantage.
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