Jason Donald (Garmin-Chipotle) wins stage one of the Tour of Utah – Nephi to Nephi, 162 kilometres (Image credit: Jon Devich)
By Kirsten Robbins in Nephi, Utah
Jason Donald (Garmin-Chipotle) triumphed in a three-up sprint ahead of break companions Sheldon Deeny (Fan Sports Network) and Brad White (Successful Living) in the opening stage of the Tour of Utah on Wednesday. The trio fought for victory after a lengthy 150-kilometre break away.
"In the past couple of weeks my sprint has become pretty good," said Donald, who is better known for his time trailing. "I was confident that I would be able to sprint well with those guys today."
The winning break sprinted to the line 20 seconds ahead of the main field. Donald picked up the full time bonuses on the line to take the event's early lead by four seconds over Deeny and six seconds ahead of White.
"The first goal was to get the KOM and after that we kept getting luckier and luckier with the time we gained," said Donald, who also took the full points in the stage's single KOM sprint. "My climbing at this moment leaves a bit to be desired so I would love to pass it on to one of my team-mates.
"My confidence for the mountains is less than it was today but having the leader's jersey always helps," he added. "We would love to keep it within the team tomorrow.
