Just a Lill bit faster in second stage of Tour of Utah

MOUNT NEBO — Darren Lill, a South Africa native who now calls Salt Lake City his home during the cycling season, said the only better way to celebrate his 27th birthday would be to spend it with his wife.

Fortunately for the Team Type 1 climbing specialist, his wife surprised him with a big hug and kiss just moments after he staged a solo attack on the slopes of Mount Nebo to win the second stage of the Tour of Utah.

"To be able to win solo is always rewarding, especially after such a long effort," Lill said after crossing the line 22 seconds faster than overall race leader Francisco Mancebo of Rock Racing.

Utah's Jeff Louder, the defending champion of the race, crossed the line in third, outsprinting a handful of riders in a chase group.

Lill used most of the 85-mile race on Thursday to conserve energy as the peloton raced from Thanksgiving Point in Lehi around Utah Lake. But when the road turned up Payson Canyon and the climb up Mt. Nebo began, Lill quickly went to work.

A breakaway group of eight riders was quickly broken up by the torturous climb, and Lill found himself in a group of four just a few miles into the 20-mile journey to the 9,345-foot summit and finish line.

From there, Lill put his altitude training to work as he pulled away from the field with about 13 miles to go.

"He's like a caged beast," Louder said of his former BMC teammate and frequent training partner. "You can't hold him back."

Lill built his lead to about a minute with six miles to go as a chase group including Mancebo, Louder, Oscar Sevilla and a handful of others tried to match his pace.

After a false summit just a mile or two away from the finish, Lill said he felt as if he was running out of energy.

"That second-to-last little kicker, I really struggled," he said.

But his lead was large enough that he was able to sit up and enjoy the birthday victory. With it, Lill not only gained 22 seconds on Mancebo, he earned a 10-second time bonus and sits second in the overall chase for the Tour of Utah title at just 35 seconds behind Mancebo.

Louder, likewise, stayed close and is only 40 seconds off the pace in defending his title.

The race continues tonight with a challenging and technical individual time trial at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele. The 9.2-mile course zigs and zags around the curves of the racetrack and will produce some blazing fast times while also shaking up the overall leaders.

David Zabriskie, the reigning U.S. time-trial champ and a Salt Lake native, will be one of the favorites, while Bissell's Tom Zirbel will be chasing a repeat on the course he claimed victory at last year.

While Louder, a strong time trialist, is 40 seconds behind Mancebo, he still hopes to jump into the yellow jersey.