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Snowbird • When Andrew Talansky crossed the finish line here Saturday to take Stage 6 and the yellow jersey in the Tour of Utah, he was wet and exhausted despite seemingly cruising to the end of the race under clear blue skies.
That's because an unexpected thunderstorm, which hit midway through the race, drenched the cyclists, forcing them to finish in soaked jerseys.
An already notoriously difficult stage that climbs over 11,000 feet of elevation over 114 miles under normal conditions, Saturday's race added another layer of difficulty as 30-mph headwinds pushed back on uphill climbs and rain blurred the cyclist's vision of upcoming roads. Typically, the climbs on this stage offer tailwinds.
"Everyone was super frustrated at the bottom when it was a block headwind … it basically dulls everyone's swords and neutralizes it quite a bit," said TJ Eisenhart, who remains seventh overall in the general classification rankings heading into the final stage. "Eventually, it just comes to where it's one-on-one at the top and whoever the strongest is, wins."
Added Talansky: "Almost every day, you can count on a tailwind up Snowbird … except for the timing of this storm rolling through.
"When we hit the bottom of the climb, that was a little bit frustrating."
Not too long before the race ended, tourists and spectators who had been riding the tram and eating food outside under clear skies hours before, scattered back inside the resort center to avoid the chilling rain as it slowly passed over.
For the past week, cyclists from all over the world have ridden under red rocks near Zion National Park, zipped past stray cattle in 100-degree heat and climbed some of the steepest roads in the Wasatch range. It's been a week of extreme terrain and elevation changes.
But it wasn't until the Queen Stage began Saturday that cyclists truly began to feel the burn. The Snowbasin-to-Snowbird race is a fan favorite; it's also arguably the most difficult ride of the week. Those who were aiming to stay in the race for the overall general classification, were forced to max out their legs heading into the final stage.
Because of the challenges, Saturday's stage also squeezed out some of the toughest performances of the week. The consensus hope for teams in the running for a top ranking is that the Tour's overall leaders have enough left in the legs to finish strong in Sunday's concluding Stage 7 in Park City.
As Adrien Costa simply put it: "It's been a really good race so far and hopefully the legs are good tomorrow."
Cyclist almost falls
Tao Geoghegan Hart was disrupted while climbing during Saturday's stage. According to a Tour of Utah official, a TV motorcycle filming the stage slipped on loose asphalt, and both the rider and passenger fell and landed in the way of Hart. The TV motorcycle, which is not a volunteer, did not bump the cyclist.
Twitter: @HayDayKim —
Saturday's results
Stage 6, a 114-mile ride from Snowbasin Resort to Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort
Top 10 finishers
1 » Andrew Talansky, Cannondale-Drapac Pro Cycling, 4:47.03
2 » Darwin Atampuma, BMC Racing Team, 4:47.03
3 » Adrien Costa, Axeon Hagens Berman, 4:47.34
4 » David Morton, Jelly Belly, 4:47.34
5 » Rob Britton, Rally Cycling, 4:47.49
6 » Robbie Squire, Holowesko/Citadel, 4:48.04
7 » Joseph Rosskopf, BMC Racing Team, 4:48.15
8 » Riccardo Zoidl, Trek-Segafredo, 4:48.25
9 » Laurent Didier, Trek-Segafredo, 4:48.40
10 » Taylor Eisenhart, BMC Racing Team, 4:48.40