Queen Stage

Marked as the queen stage in the Tour of Utah, today didn't disappoint. The action was on from the start. Our team did a great job being involved, too. In the first big separation of the day, we had three guys, Ben, Thomas, and Oliver. Garmin chased hard to bring back the group. When it was finally reeled back in, a few guys had slipped off the front of the original group, Ben being one of them. He did a great job representing us all day in the break.

For the rest of us, it was all day on the Garmin train just waiting for the action to explode on the ascent to Snowbird. The team did a great job protecting Chris, George, and me until the final climb. When we hit the base, it was time to go to work. Chris covered an early attack, which definitely upped the pace. Then Peter Stetina set a hard tempo and thinned the group considerably, but I wasn't looking back, so I don't know exact numbers. Around 5km from the top, Levi made an attack, which created the final explosion. George jumped onto the chase immediately, and I followed with a slightly delayed response. I settled into my own rhythm and gave chase for the rest of the climb. I closed the gap, but couldn't make the catch. At the end, I finished 7th and moved to 3rd on gc.

Tomorrow is the final stage, and it will provide more excitement. It is short but very difficult. The final climb will take 45ish minutes and create a huge explosion in the field. We'll give it another shot tomorrow hoping to get the stage win and/or the gc title. Send us climbing vibes!