Zabriskie seeks fourth consecutive pro time trial title
Dave Zabriskie (DZNutz) is out to enjoy racing in his own back yard. (Image credit: Jon Devich)
The current US professional time trial champion, Dave Zabriskie (Garmin-Slipstream), is using the six-stage Tour of Utah to prepare for a fourth consecutive victory at the upcoming championship event held in Greenville, South Carolina next weekend.
"Yes, it is the plan to get the cobwebs out of my legs before nationals," said Zabriskie. "I can definitely feel some today."
Zabriskie placed second in the Tour of Utah's opening prologue, only one second behind stage winner Brent Bookwalter (BMC Pro Cycling Team). The prologue stretched over a 4.5-kilometre circuit, a relatively short distance compared to what traditionally favors Zabriskie. The second time trial will be held on a 14.5-kilometre circuit at the Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele on Friday.
"I try to go as hard as I can every time trial," said Zabriskie. "When I was out there today I had so many thoughts going through my head like 'oh man, I'm getting spanked right now.' I just forgot that it hurts everybody and it didn't turn out as bad as I thought it would. But, definitely the longer time trial is going to suit me better, I would imagine."
Zabriskie took some much needed recovery time after completing the Tour de France. With the exception of starting Clasica San Sebastian early this month, he has not competed since the Tour ended in July.
"I did San Sebastian but I dropped out," he said. "That's why I wanted to do this race. It's been very difficult for me to get out on my bike. Trying to get back into a routine has been difficult, to travel back here."
Last year's US professional championship's 33.4-kilometre time trial saw Tom Zirbel (Bissell Pro Cycling) place second to Zabriskie by a mere five seconds. When asked if racing the Tour of Utah gave him an opportunity to test his legs against Zirbel before next weekend he said with a smile, "yes, for sure."
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Follow Cyclingnews on Twitter for the very latest coverage of events taking place in the cycling world - twitter.com/cyclingnewsfeed
Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.
Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.
She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.
