College Reporter: Eisenhart at the Tour of Utah
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For T.J. Eisenhart the Tour of Utah is a rare chance to race in front of home crowds in his first pro season.
Aug 4, 2016 – For the past four years, Taylor “T.J.” Eisenhart has been preparing to go pro. After racing through the streets of Europe as an amateur rider, Eisenhart is getting his time to shine as a first time pro rider in his home state at the Tour of Utah as a member of the BMC Racing Team.
By James Sanford
After finishing Stage 3 of the Tour of Utah presented by America First Credit Union, T.J. shared, “I’ve always pinpointed this stage because my sister lives right down the road.”
RELATED: Check out our images from Stage 3 in Shutter.
Stage 3 is highlighted for its infamous climb, Mt. Nebo. With 3,500 vertical feet of climbing, this is one climb that any cyclist struggles to defeat. “I’ve been up the front side of Nebo but never up the backside before.” said T.J.
Thinking about what kept him climbing, T.J. reflected on his day with teammate Darwin Atapuma.
“Atapuma was always telling me to stay calm and telling me where to be. Being here on my home team and in my home race as a first year pro, it’s pretty inspiring. I’m climbing up and I see my family and friends cheering me on alongside the road, it’s actual motivation.”
Being a cyclist myself, climbing to new heights on a bike is my favorite, but I can’t do it without some good tunes. I asked T.J. if he could have listened to any artist during the ride up Nebo, who would it be? His team had fun harassing the new young rider saying what each of them thought he listened to.
T.J., after receiving the small hazing, said, “I really like G-Eazy. I haven’t listened to too much music this summer but during the winter my music is always on shuffle.”
With T.J. now in ninth overall in the general classification following stage 3, local Utahns look forward to seeing more of their home boy climb through the Wasatch Mountains during the rest of this week.
James is a student at Utah Valley University and has earned his Associate’s Degree. He is now working on a Bachelor’s Degree in communications.