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2015 Tour of Utah Stage 3: Logan Owen nabs sprint win, Reijnen retains lead

Axeon's Logan Owen (USA) powered to victory out of a reduced peloton in Wednesday's third stage of the 2015 Tour of Utah in Bountiful.

August 5, 2015
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Axeon’s Logan Owen (USA) powered to victory out of a reduced peloton in Wednesday’s third stage of the 2015 Tour of Utah in Bountiful. Kiel Reijnen kept the race lead for the third day and leads four riders by four seconds.

The stage started on Antelope Island in Salt Lake with four categorized climbs on the route. Two Hincapie riders and an ex-Hincapie racer, Joey Rosskopf of BMC, initiated a six-man breakaway before the first intermediate sprint of the day. South African Johann Van Zyl (MTN-Qhubeka) took the intermediate sprint in Hooper. Race leader Reijnen’s UnitedHealthcare and Airgas-Safeway drove the peloton.

The first climb was one that the race descended Tuesday, the Cat. 2 North Ogden Divide. The sextet started the ascent with a 3:30 gap to the bunch. Van Zyl rushed up the grade to take the maximum KOM and take over the white and blue mountains jersey.

Dutchman Wouter Wippert of Drapac crossed the intermediate sprint in Eden first and then the fugitives headed towards the next climb at Trappers Loop. Again, it was Van Zyl labouring to be first over the Cat. 3. A big peloton crash on the Trappers Loop descent delayed a large part of the pack and forced American road champion Matthew Busche (Trek) to withdraw.

It was 48-km until the penultimate climb, the first of two clambers up the Temple grade. The rolling terrain and headwind unhitched Wippert from the break. In fact, only a quartet remained out front for the first ascent of Temple. Kiwi Dion Smith (Hincapie) bolted on his breakmates, but Rosskopf made the juncture and then dispatched Smith.

Rosskopf, last year’s King of the Mountains, only held a slight gap at the top of Temple. Ten riders flared out from the peloton in pursuit of the BMC man. Rosskopf entered the second 15-km circuit still in front. Lachlan Norris (Australia/Drapac) bridged to Rosskopf on the Temple.

Norris shook off Rosskopf but he received company near the peak including Optum’s Canadian Michael Woods. Fourteen riders coalesced on the peak and then started to attack one another on the plateau. Eritrean Natnael Berhane (MTN-Qhubeka) pulled clear but was brought back before the 5-km descent to Bountiful.

Forty-riders plummeted, with UnitedHealthcare trying to get organized at the front. Smith tried his luck from 1.5-km out, but he was hauled back in the final 500-metres. Owen found the right slot and eked out a win over Brent Bookwalter (USA/BMC). Woods was the top Canadian in 16th.

Thursday’s stage from Soldier Hollow to Heber Valley contains the formidable Cat. 2 Wolf Creek Pass.

2015 Tour of Utah Stage 3
1) Logan Owen (USA/Axeon) 4:12:40
2) Brent Bookwalter (USA/BMC) s.t.
3) Edwin Avila (Colombia/Colombia) s.t.

2015 Tour of Utah GC
1) Kiel Reijnen (USA/UnitedHealthcare) 12:58:59
2) Alex Howes (USA/Cannondale-Garmin) +0:04
3) Jure Kocjan (Slovenia/Team SmartStop) s.t.