Kiel Reijnen (Unitedhealthcare) confirmed his status as one of the best American riders when he won stage 1 of the Tour of Utah with a powerful sprint from a 5-rider group. Having joined Alex Howes (Cannondale-Garmin) and Taylor Phinney (BMC) in bridging the gap to early attackers Johann van Zyl (MTN-Qhubeka) and Gregory Daniel (Axeon) on the finishing circuit, he helped drive the pace before coming out on top in the final dash to the line, taking the win and the first leader’s jersey. Howes was second while Phinney was third in his comeback race.

Last year Kiel Reijnen enjoyed a breakthrough second half of the season when he won a stage and battled hard against close friend Alex Howes in the USA Pro Challenge. His performances earned him a spot on the American team for the World Championships and created lofty expectations for the 2015 season.

Unfortunately, the first part of the year has not gone to plan for the fast American who has been unable to deliver on his promises. However, it now seems that he is back on track and is ready for another great month of August after he won the first stage of the Tour of Utah IN another great fight against Howes who finished second.

“My wife always tells me to race with my heart and I think it’s something that’s really hard to do often. It’s easy to put yourself in a box and say this race suits me or it doesn’t, and almost pre-determine the race before it happens,” Reijnen said. “I think it’s what makes the sport great. If you don’t race with your heart, then what’s the point? It's been a long season. It's been less fruitful than last year for me, so it's nice to get a win.”