CEDAR CITY, Utah (AP) — As he stayed with the peloton in Tuesday’s opening stage of the Tour of Utah, Greg Van Avermaet of Belgium was waiting for a place to kick his bike into another gear.
Once the final three-lap sprint came around, it was all the BMC team racer needed.
With crowds cheering along the final stretch, Van Avermaet beat Australian Michael Matthews to the finish line over the final half mile on Main Street and earned the Stage 1 victory in 4 hours, 11 minutes.
American Tyler Magner, who drives for a team owned by George Hincapie, finished third.
