Brent Bookwalter (BMC) and Tim Duggan (Liquigas-Cannondale) lead the day's main break. (Image credit: Trish Albert / www.southeasterncycling.com)
Twenty-eight-year-old Timothy Duggan is looking to the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah as a place to get results and perhaps catch the eye of a team manager or two. He confirmed to Cyclingnews that he has not re-signed with the Italian Liquigas-Cannondale team, which he joined this season after leaving a six-year stint with the Slipstream organisation.
Duggan got off to a good start in the prologue in Park City, finishing in 27th place, 20 seconds down on stage winner Sergio Henao (Gobernacion de Antioquia).
"I just came off a big block of training in Colorado, and it was excellent preparation for the Tour of Utah and the Colorado race," Duggan said.
Duggan said he has been doing his job as a good domestique for the Liquigas-Cannondale team, but that he is looking for some freedom to race for his own results here and in his home state of Colorado at the USA Pro Cycling Challenge.
The relative lack of such opportunities on the Italian squad led Duggan to look for greener pastures, with the two domestic races acting as a proving ground for his talents.
"Utah has an amazing variety of stages - every stage favors a rider with different strenghts, there's something for everyone," he said.
Duggan is targeting the 14.5km time trial stage and the Salt Lake City circuit on the penultimate stage as venues in which to showcase his strengths, as well as helping their sprinter Elia Viviani on the second stage.
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Laura Weislo is a Cyclingnews veteran of 20 years. Having joined in 2006, Laura extensively covered the Operacion Puerto doping scandal, the years-long conflict between the UCI and the Tour de France organisers ASO over the creation of the WorldTour, and the downfall of Lance Armstrong and his lifetime ban for doping. As Managing Editor, Laura coordinates coverage for North American events and global news.
