After yesterday’s opening battle between the time trial specialists today’s attentions turn to the matter of the overall classification. However this is not the summit finish of stage 3 and 6, rather this one finishes back in Salt Lake City albeit just 26km from the summit of the aptly named Big Mountain.
It’s not a particularly long stage, a lot of riders fancy their chances in a breakaway and you would say today represents their best chances in the whole race.
By the first sprint point four men are clear to contest the bonuses. Loic Desirac, Dor Dviri, Steve Zampieri and Peter Slovak.
Desirac takes the sprint ahead of Zampieri and Slovak, though none were close enough to race leader Shaun Higgerson to take the overall lead from this alone.
The four are kept at about ninenty seconds by the pack which of course this only causes more attacks as we appraoch the first climb of the day.
This time we have ten riders clear: Christopher De Souza Brad Huff Vitauskas Kaupas Harald Kruskopf Robert Vrecer Kieran Page Magnus Bäckstedt Matti Pajari Jaoa Costa
Javier Joaquin Navarro
It's a mixed break of riders likely to be marking in the case of Page and Huff, known breakaway artists in De Souza, Vrecer and Page along with those from teams like Finnair desperate for exposure.
That said who knows what game AMEX are playing as Matthew Crane bridges along with Andrei Krasilnikau and Daniel Foder.
Het Nieuwsblad are not really happy about two AMEX riders being forward and keep the chase up for much of this first climb. The break continue to hold their lead but start to shed riders like Peter Slovak.
Others fall back also as we get a lead group of nine riders containing Desirac, Dviri, Zampieri, Vrecer, Costa, De Souza, Crane, Kraslinikau and Foder. Meanwhile no early alarms for our race leader Higgerson riding comfortable with his teammates behind the pace now being dictated by Cativen.
Out of our lead group it is Dviri who takes top points on the climb.
Meanwhile from the pack some of the chrono men well placed after yesterdays short burst in the state capital are falling back including Lukasz Bodnar and Thom Van Dulmen
At the day's second and final intermediate sprint Costa takes it ahead of Foder and Kraslinakau improving both riders positions slightly but again not threatening Higgerson in the race lead.
It does mean however that Foder is the GC leader from the breakaway, the chances of success though are not high with their lead at four minutes with 60km to go and Dyson bouyed by Higgerson's confident looking climbing legs chasing.
The first major climb of the Tour of Utah named Big Mountain proves the death of the breakaway with decent but steady pace from the Dyson lead pack catching them with 5km of climbing left. The contenders seem to be hiding today the day before the races first summit finish it is understandable. Ricardo Serrano is not really an overall contender for the race and decides to be aggressive with 3.5km of climbing to go.
Whilst Serrano can be allowed some leeway the rider who comes across to him cannot it is Luis Felipe Laverde Jimenez!
Dyson's top climber Daniel Eliad works hard to keep the duo under control in what looks like it is going to be a great day of control from Dyson.
Laverde Jimenez takes the summit and with it will have the KoM lead tomorrow. As far as the GC is concerned Higgersin makes it over with the favourites just 20 seconds back.
Indeed Serrano and Laverde Jimenez are caught has the head count starts of some 50 riders coming together on the descent.
Up front Laverde Jimenez is trying to keep the pressure up, he has to keep attacking to make up for his time trialling weakness.
But Eliad leads the pack back to the Colombian which will set up a fifty man sprint for the finish. It's a fast downhill run and chaotic as you would expect.
As we approach the Kite, Higgerson is clearly in contention. Also in the front seven are: Denis Kostjuk Kristjan Fajt Edgar Restrepo Fredy Vargas Daniel Eliad Goran Smelcerovic
Looking to seize control here and perhaps maintain Dyson's grip in the jersey Eliad pushes on in front as they approach the bend. Danail Petrov is the Gazprom rider making is way forward.
As they round into the straight we can see the yellow jersey Higgerson drop back as Restrepo and Petrov challange his teammate Eliad.
Coming up to the line Anthony Colby makes a late lunge to get at least a bonus.
Indeed he will make a third place but behind Restrepo and Petrov. Restrepo gets the nod for the stage win and is our new GC leader.
It's proved a cautious day for most of the favourites with only really Laverde Jimenez looking to make the gaps. He gained nothing but the King of the Mountains jersey, but with the first summit finish tomorrow the favourites must make their move soon.
