Tom Danielson (USA) of Team Garmin-Sharp attacked on the Empire Pass climb, bolting away from General Classification (G.C.) leader Chris Horner (USA) of RADIOSHACK LEOPARD TREK, and clinched the overall win at the 2013 Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah today. Danielson entered the final day of the six-day UCI 2.1-rated stage race tied with Horner, who crossed the finish line one minute and 39 seconds behind his former teammate to place second overall at the Tour of Utah.
“I owed it to myself to try to be that person that I want to be, and just take the bulls by the horn and do it,” Danielson said about his race tactics today when he finished third on Stage Six presented by VLCM and Barracuda Networks. “I’m really proud, I dedicate that win to my teammates who have basically stuck with me the last years, tried to help me do that many times and I didn’t do it so I’m very happy to finally do it.”
Francisco Mancebo (Spain) of 5-hour ENERGY presented by Kenda Racing Team attacked multiple times on the 78-mile stage and won Stage Six presented by VLCM and Barracuda Networks in Park City. Mancebo, the 2009 Tour of Utah champion, crossed the finish line just ahead of Jamis-Sutter Home’s Janier Acevedo (Colombia). With his second place finish on the stage, Acevedo vaulted himself onto the podium for third overall on G.C.
Historic Park City saw a huge turnout of spectators lining Main Street for the start of the final stage today at midday. Crowds continued to grow all day while the peloton crested the Wolf Creek Ranch and Empire Pass summits and finished just before 4 p.m. mountain time, having conquered 7,633 feet of vertical gain. Of the 122 professional cyclists that began the week in Brian Head on August 6, 91 completed the 586-mile stage race today.
Orica-GreenEDGE’s Michael Matthews (Australia), who won two stages this week, was part of the early breakaway. He took both field sprints in Kamas and Midway and took ownership of the XO Communications Sprint leader’s jersey.
The Subaru Best Young Rider jersey was won by Garmin-Sharp’s Lachlan Morton (Australia). Bissell Cycling Team’s Michael Torckler (New Zealand) retained the Ski Utah King of the Mountain jersey. Mancebo, who was a part of just about every breakaway in the race, was awarded the Vivint Most Aggressive Rider jersey following his Stage Six victory. RADIOSHACK LEOPARD TREK had four riders finish 11th or better on G.C. and was recognized as the best team after the six days of racing.
The 2013 Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah expanded to Southern Utah for the first time this year, showcasing the iconic red rock scenery of the region. The success of the 2013 race opens more doors for the future, said Steve Miller, President of Miller Sports Properties.
“It’s been a really exciting race. The race just keeps getting better every year,” Miller said. “Nobody can win on day one, nobody can win it on day two. They have to race all week long to win the Tour of Utah, so they have to race hard through all six stages. You can have a great day and you can win a stage, but that’s not going to win the race for you. This year, I think everything came together in terms of community support going down South was a huge success for us.”
Photo courtesy Garmin-Sharp
