The Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah tinkered with the racing formula slightly in 2019, choosing to offer shorter stages that the riders at the post-race press conference universally praised for the added level of excitement they brought to the seven-day 2.HC race. In 2018, the race was typical Tour of Utah fare, covering 878.3km over the seven days, with the longest day reaching 188km, and the shortest day – the Salt Lake City circuit race – offering just 109.4km. In 2019, the race covered 767.8km over the seven days, with the longest day reaching just 139.9km and the Salt Lake City circuit again the shortest at 86.5km.ADVERTISEMENT The shorter stages produced more unpredictable racing, while the overall winner was still the person who climbed consistently well in the Beehive State's high altitude. "Bike racing has a script," said EF Education First's Joe Dombrowski, winner of the final stage in Park City and third overall. "The breakaway goes away. Someone chases the breakaway. And if it's a stage where someone is pretty confident they can win, then they're going to bring the breakaway back, and they're going to race for the win. "There's this whole period in between where we're just kind of riding around," Dombrowski said. "The longer the stage, the longer the amount of time we're just sort of riding around. It's not really interesting. In the Tour de France, that's when they start showing helicopter shots of castles and whatever else.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com.read full article
