Thirteen Men’s Teams Confirmed for Tour of Utah Cycling Event in August
SALT LAKE CITY (April 15, 2015)– The Tour of Utah today announced the initial selection of 13 of the world’s best international and domestic men’s professional cycling teams for the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah on Aug. 3-9, 2015. Three additional teams will be added later this spring for “America’s Toughest Stage Race”, for a total of 16 men’s teams in the final field of the UCI 2.HC men’s stage race.
Four of these teams will travel to Utah directly from competition at the Tour de France, including three UCI ProTeams registered in the United States — BMC Racing Team, Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling and Trek Factory Racing. The South African-based MTN-Qhubeka presented by Samsung team, registered at a Professional Continental level, is the first team from the African continent to receive a wild card invitation to the Tour de France. It is the second appearance for MTN-Qhubeka (2013) and Trek Factory Racing (2014) at the Tour of Utah. BMC Racing Team, which captured three stage wins at last year’s Tour of Utah, will make its seventh appearance. Cannondale-Garmin, which expects to bring two-time defending champion Tom Danielson (USA) again in August, will race as a Slipstream Sports squad for a sixth year.
Joining MTN-Qhubeka from the UCI Professional Continental ranks will be Team Colombia of Colombia, Drapac Professional Cycling of Australia, and UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling of the U.S. It is the first appearance for the South American squad, which scored the overall King of the Mountain classification title at this year’s WorldTour stage race, Tirreno-Adriatico, with climber Carlos Julian Quintero. Known as the “Blue Train,” UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling will make a record ninth appearance at the Tour of Utah, the most of any team. Drapac Pro Cycling returns for a second time, having raced in Utah in 2014.
Continental teams have a strong representation in this year’s field, already including four of the Top Five squads ranked on USA Cycling’s National Racing Calendar (NRC). Team SmartStop expects to return with Jure Kocjan (Slovenia), who won the Utah Sports Commission Sprint points jersey in 2014. Hincapie Racing Team featured the best two climbers at the 2014 Tour of Utah, returning this year with American Robin Carpenter, who was second overall in the Ski Utah King of the Mountains classification.
UCI ProTeams(*world rankings as of April 12, 2015)
- BMC Racing Team (USA), No.5 on UCI WorldTour
- Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling (USA), No. 17 on UCI WorldTour
- Trek Factory Racing (USA), No. 13 on UCI WorldTour
UCI Professional Continental Teams (rankings as of March 25, 2015)
- Drapac Professional Cycling (Australia), No. 2 on UCI Oceania Tour
- Team Colombia (Colombia), No. 3 on UCI America Tour
- Team MTN-Qhubeka presented by Samsung (South Africa), No. 1 on UCI Asia Tour
- UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team (USA), No. 5 on UCI Asia Tour
UCI Continental Teams, America Tour (UCI ranking as of March 25, 2015)
- Axeon Cycling Team (USA), No. 4 on UCI Oceania Tour
- Hincapie Racing Team (USA), No. 7 on UCI Oceania Tour/ No. 5 on USAC NRC
- Jamis-Hagens Berman presented by Sutter Home (USA), No. 6 on UCI America Tour/ No. 3 on USAC NRC
- Jelly Belly presented by Maxxis (USA), No. 2 on USAC NRC
- Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies (USA), No. 17 on UCI Europe Tour/ No. 1 on USAC NRC
- Team SmartStop (USA), No. 7 on UCI America Tour/ No. 7 on USAC NRC
“Each year we are honored to have such an impressive list of teams competing in the Tour of Utah. To have four teams already committed to travel to Utah from the Tour de France makes a big statement in the sports world about the growing prestige of the Tour of Utah. Our fans and our partners can expect more great racing battles from these world-class teams in August,” said Jenn Andrs, executive director of the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah, a division of Miller Sports Properties.
Earlier in April, 11 women’s professional and domestic elite cycling teams were announced as part of the field for the Tour of Utah Women’s Edition: Criterium Classic. The omnium-style competition will take place in Logan, Utah on Aug. 3 and Ogden, Utah on Aug. 4. Four women’s UCI teams were confirmed to compete, including the UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling team which captured the inaugural Tour of Utah Women’s Edition title in 2014.
The final fields for both men’s and women’s competitions will be announced later this spring. This year’s Tour of Utah will continue as the first internationally-sanctioned cycling competition in North America for men following the Tour de France. The Criterium Classic is sanctioned by USA Cycling as part of the National Criterium Calendar (NCC).
For more articles about the Tour of Utah, see https://www.cyclingwest.com/category/tour-of-utah/
August 3-9 — Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah, UT, The Tour of Utah is one of only 3 UCI 2.HC sanctioned stage races in North America. More than 17 international and national pro teams will compete over 500+ miles in seven days. Free for spectators., Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah , 801-325-2500, [email protected], tourofutah.com
– The Tour of Utah today announced the initial selection of 13 of the world’s best international and domestic men’s professional cycling teams for the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah on Aug. 3-9, 2015.){kind=link}