The seventh and final stage was the last opportunity for Britton to move up the overall standings. Starting in Park City, the peloton faced the tough climb up Wolf Creek Ranch Road and the Hors Category Empire Pass. Early in the stage, the peloton tried to put pressure on Talansky and on the climb of Wolf Creek Ranch Road the race started to break apart. With Rosskopf in the breakaway, and just 20 seconds behind Britton on the general classification, Rally Cycling gave chase and neutralized the threat. As the peloton hit the base of Empire Pass, Morton went on the attack and quickly opened a 20 second gap. Morton’s lead continued to increase while Britton again held steady. At the line in Park City, Morton claimed the stage and overall victory. Britton crossed the line in sixth, claiming the Most Aggressive Rider jersey and locking down fifth overall.
“In general we were just trying to look after Rob,” said Team Director Patrick McCarty after the final stage in Park City. “He has been riding great all week, so we just wanted to keep everything equal into the last climb. The race was ridiculously fast from the gun so we just stuck to the plan. The guys really stepped up. There were a couple of situations out there where things really started to go sideways and the guys knocked it out of the park. Rob had a great ride to finish 5th overall in a race of this caliber. The entire team rode well this week. Danny (Pate), Emerson (Oronte), Evan (Huffman), Eric (Young) Adam (De Vos) and Pierrick (Naud) rode selflessly the entire race. It was a strong team effort.”
At 10,000 feet, storms come and go in the blink of an eye. As the peloton was rolling through its parade laps in Park City, there it came – a downpour. It lasted less than five minutes, but the spastic weather continued throughout the day, even hailing at one point. Scroll down to find out how Rally Cycling helps keep their chains and drivetrains running smoothly no matter what the weather has in store.
