2018 Tour of the Gila, Day 2
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Today Tour of the Gila pace started out fast today with a sprint point coming 9km into the race and shortly after the first KOM at 18km. The pace, along with the wind, made for a difficult climb to the first KOM, where the break was established. The break consisted of 5 riders. UHC, Jelly Belly, Axeon, and 303 were represented. The day long break prevailed to the finish where Christopher Blevins proved to be the strongest of the 5, winning the stage. Meanwhile in the peloton, Canel’s took the reigns for the majority of the day while Rally patrolled closely behind, eventually controlling matters over the final KOM and significantly reducing the gap to the breakaway in the closing kilometer. The team experienced some bad luck with multiple punctures throughout the day but managed it well. Matt Zimmer lead the team’s climbers, Brett Wachtendorf and Sean Gardner, up the final KOM keeping the guys safe and in perfect position for any late attacks. Matt and Sean eventually finished in the bunch sprint with Brett coming in shortly after. Despite the bad luck, the team worked well together and are looking forward to the coming stages.