The final day of the Tour of Utah didn't go as we planned, but in a good way! We left the house at 9a and spent a couple hours walking up and down Main Street. We ran into Tour of Utah friends, Park City friends, and even some strangers that had been on similar cycling vacations. The Start/Finish was at the bottom of Main, the Lifestyle Expo in the middle, and Team Parking at the top. I don't know how many laps we did, but by the time we found a spot across from the stage for Sign-ins, we were tired.
The plan was to watch the Sign-In and the Start, then head back to the truck for a quick change and the bikes to ride up to Empire Pass KOM. As we watched Dave Towle and Brad Sohner interview the riders, I got a text about VIP passes. Our plans were suddenly thrown into a tailspin. Park City Stage 7 VIP is at Zoom and we could see from our spots that the food and atmosphere was rocking. We decided to go into VIP after the Start, eat, and then ride.
Once in VIP, we ran into more friends, cycling celebrities, and after eating and chatting with others, we decided to stay put. We've been to KOMs, but never done Park City VIP, so we grabbed a drink and dessert and soaked it all in. We watched the kid's bike race, watched the race on the big screen while Dave and Brad commentated, and prepared for the Finish. It was a blast!
The Finish was exciting with Lachlan Norris (Drapac) just edging out Brent Bookwalter (BMC Racing) with the win. Joe Dombrowski (Cannondale-Garmin) came in with the next group securing the win and keeping the yellow jersey! The Overall GC podium was Joe, Michael Woods (Optum pb Kelly Benefit Strategies) and Brent.
After the podium presentations we left VIP and walked back up Main St to see if any teams were still around. We ran into several riders, staff, and more cycling celebrities and after talking with everyone, it was almost time for the Staff party. Instead of driving home, we treated ourselves to a nice dinner on Main to celebrate the Tour of Utah. Next year's edition can't come soon enough.
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| Start/Finish - Tour of Utah Staff and Volunteers are Amazing! |
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| DNA Cycling Tent - Busiest Place in the Lifestyle Expo - Obviously! |
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| Team Parking: Optum pb Kelly Benefit Strategies and Cannondale-Garmin ready for Stage 7 |
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| BMC Racing Team has arrived! Park City favorite as they are in town often for training. |
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| Phil Gaimon (Optum pb Kelly Benefit Strategies) rides this sweet cookie themed bike! |
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| United Healthcare Pro Cycling - They won the last stage and overall in the Women's Edition. Could the men do the same? |
The plan was to watch the Sign-In and the Start, then head back to the truck for a quick change and the bikes to ride up to Empire Pass KOM. As we watched Dave Towle and Brad Sohner interview the riders, I got a text about VIP passes. Our plans were suddenly thrown into a tailspin. Park City Stage 7 VIP is at Zoom and we could see from our spots that the food and atmosphere was rocking. We decided to go into VIP after the Start, eat, and then ride.
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| Sign-In and Interviews - Frank Schleck (Trek Factory Racing) talks to Dave about fishing and his daughters |
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| Call-ups with Shawn Brett (in Stage 7 kilt) and Gregory Daniel (Axeon Cycling Team) |
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| Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing) and Robin Carpenter (Hincapie) wait for next call-up |
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| Less than 4 minutes to Start - great Park City crowds all day! |
Once in VIP, we ran into more friends, cycling celebrities, and after eating and chatting with others, we decided to stay put. We've been to KOMs, but never done Park City VIP, so we grabbed a drink and dessert and soaked it all in. We watched the kid's bike race, watched the race on the big screen while Dave and Brad commentated, and prepared for the Finish. It was a blast!
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| VIP Credentials |
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| Watching the race on the big screen. Media staged for Finish. |
The Finish was exciting with Lachlan Norris (Drapac) just edging out Brent Bookwalter (BMC Racing) with the win. Joe Dombrowski (Cannondale-Garmin) came in with the next group securing the win and keeping the yellow jersey! The Overall GC podium was Joe, Michael Woods (Optum pb Kelly Benefit Strategies) and Brent.
After the podium presentations we left VIP and walked back up Main St to see if any teams were still around. We ran into several riders, staff, and more cycling celebrities and after talking with everyone, it was almost time for the Staff party. Instead of driving home, we treated ourselves to a nice dinner on Main to celebrate the Tour of Utah. Next year's edition can't come soon enough.
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| Beet Arugula Salad |
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| Vegan Risotto! |
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