Anthony takes Stage 1 of the 2011 Tour of Utah with Gutsy Move; Henao Retains Yellow

By Jared Eborn

OGDEN — Just as the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah’s action heated up, it might be over.

A rapid ascent of the North Ogden Pass by Levi Leipheimer and three other strong contenders — including race leader Sergio Henao – shattered the field and resulted in a five-man break over the final 24 miles of Stage 2 that left Henao still in yellow, but effectively turned the Tour of Utah into a five-man race.

Henao (Gobernacion de Antioquia) retained his yellow jersey while teammate Oscar Sevilla remains in second with Leipheimer jumping to third.

The drama was all Leipheimer and Henao – with Sevilla and Radio Shack’s Janez Brajkovic playing strong supportive roles – but the thrill of victory belonged to Kelly Benefit Strategies/OptumHealth’s Jesse Anthony.

After a group of four riders dangled off the front for nearly two laps of the race, Anthony launched a solo attack from the field and bridge a gap that had grown to as large at six minutes. As he picked off the tiring breakaway riders, he found himself alone in the lead as he climbed the North Ogden Pass for the third time.

Behind him, however, Leipheimer decided to test his legs just a little bit and in the process discovered he was ready to give it a serious effort as he saw the pain on the faces and body language of those he passed. Anthony hit the summit first but Leipheimer, Henao, Brajkovic and Sevilla were close behind. When the group hit the bottom, they teamed up in a perfectly rotating pursuit that opened up a gap that grew to 2:35 at the finish line and left the chasing peloton in a shambles.

Anthony, having worked hard enough to earn the Most Aggressive Rider jersey, was allowed to sit on the wheel of his four partners in the break and recover after his long solo effort. That development allowed him to sneak past his fellow breakaway riders for a relatively easy sprint win — one that he called the biggest of his career.

“I’m very happy to be in front… I did not plan to go alone. Call it stupid, but it worked out. This race is wide open. It is not called the ‘toughest stage race’ for nothing,” said Anthony, who won the G.C. earlier this year at Nature Valley Grand Prix.

For now, Anthony sits in a group of five riders that have by far the best chance to win the Tour of Utah. He admits he’s not the best of climbers, but will do his best to limit damages and hold on to the sprinter’s points jersey.

In addition to the stage win, Anthony captured the XO Communications Sprint classification jersey.  The Ski Utah King of the Mountain classification jersey will be worn for the first time this week by Ruben Bertogliati (SUI) of Team Type 1-SANOFI.  For a second day, Tejay van Garderen (USA) HTC-Highroad secured the Subaru Best Young Rider Jersey and Tyler Wren (USA) of Jamis-Sutter Home earned the Miller Lite Best Utah Rider Jersey.  Jay Thompson (RSA) of Bissell Pro Cycling was awarded the Vivint Most Aggressive Rider jersey for initiating the first break of the day on the 11-mile climb up North Ogden Pass.

“The (Best Utah Rider) jersey is obviously a real bonus this week. It is the only race of the year where I can win a jersey like this,” said Wren, who resides in Salt Lake City. “This race really suits my strengths. I’ve been doing this race for awhile and the level of competition here has obviously grown and this jersey has certainly been a goal.”

Henao still leads the race, holding a seven second lead over Sevilla and 13 seconds ahead of Leipheimer. After Anthony (18 seconds) and Brajcovic (21 seconds), the nearest competitor in the main field in RealCyclist.com’s Francisco Mancebo all the way back at 2:43.

With only one legitimate climbing stage left, the Tour of Utah’s drama will be tempered in the general classification. But there will be plenty of action before Sunday’s queen stage, beginning with Thursday’s sprinters stage around Utah Lake from Lehi to Provo.

General Classification after Stage 1:

Best Utah Rider after Stage 1