Bauer Wins Super Fast Stage 2 of the 2011 Tour of Utah

By Jared Eborn

PROVO — It was hot and boy, was it ever fast.

Stage 2 of the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah saw temperatures in the mid-90s and a pace that also set the asphalt on fire as Jack Bauer of the Endura Racing team pulled away down the final few hundred meters for the win.

Bauer’s victory came as he and the peloton chased down a solo attack from HTC-Highroad’s Tejay Van Garderen over the final 5k of the race and a pair of crashes threatened to send the race leaders out of contention.

Gobernacion de Antioquia’s Sergia Henao managed to hold on to his overall lead and the yellow jersey after he was involved in a crash with about 5k to race. Levi Leipheimer, just 13 seconds behind Henao in the race for the yellow jersey, suffered a flat tire within the final mile or two but was able to keep himself upright through a pair of 90-degree turns in heavy traffic. Both finished in the main pack and were awarded the same time, keeping the race tight among the five riders still in contention.

Bauer’s win was a result of his team coming to the front in an effort to chase down Van Garderen. That effort left Endura in best position to maneuver through the sharp turns. When Bauer looked to his side and found himself alone off the front of the peloton he buried his head and held everyone off. Liquigas’ Elia Viviani was second and United Healthcare’s Jake Keough rounded out the state podium.

“For all of us as a team, it’s been bit of an experiment to see how we form up in the mountains and high altitude. Obviously a stage win was a goal so to do it so early in the tour and on a sprint stage is awesome.  I’ve never raced at altitude before and especially yesterday’s stage and the prologue that was a whole new thing for me,” said Bauer, who won today’s stage in Provo near the recognizable landmarks of Brigham Young University and Mount Timpanogos on the Wasatch Mountain Range. “Obviously a win was a goal, but to get one so early in the tour – especially on a sprint day – was exciting.”

Jeff Louder, BMC Pro Cycling, took of the Best Utah Rider jersey after Tyler Wren, Jamis-Sutter Home, was involved in the crash and lost 30 seconds on the way into the finish because his wheel was bent.

The winners rode the 99.2-mile (159.6 km) rolling course around Utah Lake in 3 hours and 33 minutes, averaging 27.8 miles per hour.

The race now turns to Miller Motorsports Park where riders will try their hand in the race of truth. The 9-mile individual time trial will likely shuffled the order of the top five and probably put the yellow jersey on the shoulders of Leipheimer, one of the strongest time trialists in the world.

Stage 2 Results:

General Classification after Stage 2: