Tour of Utah

14 August 2011 –  A final day of racing brought Team RadioShack’s Levi Leipheimer back to a familiar place in his former residence of Utah – the top step of the podium in the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah.  After taking the yellow jersey in Friday’s individual time trial, Leipheimer (37) and the riders of Team RadioShack worked tirelessly to protect his lead and give him a repeat performance in the race tagged as “America’s Toughest Stage Race”.   Today’s queen stage of racing had more than 11,000 vertical feet/ 3353 meters of climbing from Park City to the famous ski area of Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort.  Leipheimer won the general classification by 23-seconds to Sergio Henao.

Tour of Utah
Stage 4:  Salt Lake City, 129km/80mi
By Cathy Mehl

The Columbians have come to do some serious racing in Utah this week, making sure to be part of the action on every stage.  With three men in the day-long break, they had several cards to play and quite frankly, they played every one of them.  Today’s stage 4 in Salt Lake City was won by Gobernacion de Antioquia’s Janier Acevedo who attacked from the breakaway on the final climb to win the stage in front of Javier Megias Leal (Team Type 1-Sanofi) and his teammate Rubens Bertogliati.

12 August 2011 –  Defending champion Levi Leipheimer took the lead in the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah after finishing second in stage 3, an individual time trial near Salt Lake City. Stage winner was Tejay Van Garderen (HTC-Highroad). Leipheimer finished five seconds behind and teammate Jani Brajkovic finished 6th. Race leader Columbian Sergio Luis Henao dropped 1 minute and 15 seconds and lost his yellow jersey to Levi Leipheimer who now leads with 27 seconds to Jani Brajkovic, making it one-two for Team RadioShack on the overall. Earlier in the day a time trial win at the Eneco Tour by team rider Jesse Sergent made for a highly successful day of racing for The Shack.

Tour of Utah
Stage 2:  Lehi to Provo, 159.6km/99mi
By Cathy Mehl

A few crashes in the closing kilometers made for a tense finish in Provo at Thursday’s stage 2 of the Tour of Utah.  Team RadioShack riders made it through and the majority crossed the finish line with the big group of riders with New Zelander Jack Bauer (Endura Racing) taking the victory on the line.  Second and third went to Liquigas-Cannondale’s Elia Viviani and Jacob Keough of United Healthcare.  For the overall, Columbian Sergio Henao remains in the race lead but that could certainly change after tomorrow’s individual time trial.  Team riders Levi Leipheimer and Jani Brajkovic are poised to strike in the time trial, both close on time to Henao and both excelling in the discipline.

Enjoy the photos from Odgen's action-packed opening stage at the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah.

Tour of Utah
Stage 1:  Ogden, 182.9km/116mi
By Cathy Mehl

Team RadioShack’s Jani Brajkovic and defending champion Levi Leipheimer teamed up to make a run at the general classification in today’s stage one at the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah.  Attacking on the final climb, the duo from The Shack were joined by race leader Sergio Henao and his teammate Oscar Sevilla to chase down a tiring breakaway.  Jesse Anthony was the lone survivor from the break and tagged on to the merry band looking for time.  On the finish line Anthony (Kelly Benefit Strategies) took an impressive win with Henao (Gobernacion Indeportes Antioquia) in second and Spaniard  Sevilla of Gobernacion for  third.  Levi and Jani crossed in fourth and fifth and are 3rd and 5th on the GC.  

Photographer Brian Hodes captures the opening day of the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah. Set across a two-kilometer uphill course, 118 riders began the six-day quest across Utah, fittingly coined "America's Toughest Stage Race."