Utah: Local Hero Takes Tough Crit

Louder takes brutal criterium, Levi keeps leadJeff Louder spent a good part of his life cycling the hills and roads of Utah, and now he is getting his glory. Louder superbly won the tough 1.6 km distance 75 minute crit that was stage 4 of the Tour of Utah and got some well-deserved cheers from his home-state crowd. This was an incredibly difficult little crit, that included a steep climb and a fast, tricky descent each lap and it took a great climber and a lot of will-power to succeed. Though Louder experienced much success and glory, many did not fare so well. There was a large amount of riders that dropped out, and dozens more lost huge chunks of time. Leipheimer did ok, though, and finished in a large chase group that contained many of his closest GC rivals. He only has one more stage to go, but still isn't necessarily confident on his chances. I say that is unwarranted, as he has proved his form in every other stage so who is to say he won't do it again tomorrow.
Stage Results
1. Jeff Louder
2. Jai Crawford
3. Francisco Mancebo
General Classification
1. Levi Leipheimer
2. Francisco Mancebo -1:28
3. Darren Lill -1:49
4. Philip Zajicek -2:07
5. Ian Boswell -2:29
6. Brent Bookwalter -2:40
7. Cesar Grajales -3:05
8. Jonathan McCarty -3:27
9. Lachlan Morton -3:41
10. Tyler Wren -3:45
50. Alex Dowsett -20:31
77. Taylor Phinney -37:16
Points
1. David Tanner 19
2. Taylor Phinney 18
3. Jeff Louder 15
King of the Mountains
1. Francisco Mancebo 17
2. Alex Dowsett 16
3. Levi Leipheimer 15
Young Rider
1. Ian Boswell
2. Lachlan Morton -1:12
3. Robbie Squire -3:29
Best Utah
Darren Lill
Team Standings
1. V Australia
2. Team Holowesko -6:32
3. Bissel PCT -7:40
Tomorrow is the finale everyone has been waiting for, with a brutal climb and another small tricky one all leading into a incredible summit finish. Levi put it best, saying "a group can get away and the race can blow open." An escape surely can happen on the first major climb, but I would expect things to be on an even playing field before the duel on the summit. I'm not saying Levi will win the stage, but it will be awful tough for a GC contender to gain 2+ minutes on him in his turf.