Tour of the Gila: Huffman takes lead with Tyrone time trial win

Rally Cycling made it three for three Friday at the Tour of the Gila as Evan Huffman took the stage 3 Tyrone time trial win and seized the overall lead for his efforts. Huffman's stage win follows on the heels of teammate Matteo Dal-Cin's stage 1 win and Eric Young's stage 2 sprint victory.

Huffman covered the 27km out-and-back course in 33:07, 25 seconds better than runner-up TJ Eisenhart (Holowesko-Citadel) and 33 seconds faster than third-placed Nigel Ellsay (Silber Pro Cycling). Overnight leader Dal-Cin finished sixth and dropped to third overall. Eisenhart is now second overall, 25 seconds down.

“I felt fantastic today, both physically and mentally," Huffman said. "This was my fifth time racing this time trial, winning it in 2012, so I had a good idea of the numbers I needed to hit. I knew of what power and speeds I needed for a maximum performance, and I was able to deliver it for myself and the team."

Rally director Pat McCarty said there were no surprises with Friday's result.

"Coming into Tour of the Gila, I expected one of our guys to win the time trial stage," McCarty said. "We have a super strong squad of time trialists who know this course and are on good form. For me, Huffman was the man to beat, and I am not at all surprised that he won. Our other general classification guys also made their mark today. The team continues to performance well, and we are thrilled with three out of three stage wins and the overall lead."

Eisenhart was happy with his result after a "fun" day in the New Mexico winds.

"I went out there, had a target of power that I wanted to hit and stuck to that plan,” Eisenhart said. “I didn’t panic, stayed in my limit. My plan today was to put as much time into the climbers as possible. To finish second to a guy like Huffman is an honor. I’m happy with my time, I honestly went out there and had fun."

Beyond Friday's stage win, Huffman and Rally will be riding for stage 2 winner Young in Saturday's criterium, while Huffman hopes to be defending the leader's jersey during Sunday's Gila Monster stage.

"For myself, tomorrow’s criterium will just be about conserving energy and keeping the general classification guys in check," Huffman said. "Eric (Young) is in top sprinting form, so we may also try to set him up for a shot at the finish. The final stage will be incredibly difficult, as always. I have a good advantage on most of the strongest climbers and the team is riding well, so I'm confident I can keep the jersey until the end."

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