SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH (June 24, 2013) – A total of 16 professional cycling teams will compete at this year’s Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah, the first weeklong UCI 2.1-rated stage race in North America following the Tour de France. An additional six teams were announced today by race organizers, including UCI Pro Continental squad UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team. The first 10 teams to accept invitations to the Tour of Utah, August 6-11, were announced earlier this spring.
In addition to UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team, the five domestic UCI Continental teams announced are 5-hour ENERGY® presented by Kenda Racing Team, Bontrager Cycling Team, Hincapie Sportswear Development Team, Jamis – Hagens Berman, and Jelly Belly Cycling Team presented by Kenda.
The final field represents teams registered from seven countries on four continents – Australia, Brazil, China, Italy, Luxembourg, South Africa and the United States. First-time competitors at the Tour of Utah include Orica-GreenEDGE from Australia, MTN-Qhubeka from South Africa, Funvic Brasilinvest-São José dos Campos from Brazil, and Hincapie Sportswear Development Team from the U.S. Three of the ProTeams confirmed for the Tour of Utah are in the Top 10 of the UCI WorldTour rankings, including RADIOSHACK LEOPARD TREK of Luxembourg, which won the team classification in Utah last year. Each team is expected to confirm its roster of riders at the end of July.
“The field for this year’s Tour is outstanding with professional teams coming from across the globe to compete on Utah’s scenic byways,” said Steve Miller, president of Miller Sports Properties which organizes the Tour of Utah. “For cycling fans traveling to Utah, the race is a great opportunity to witness the speed, strength and skills of the riders from the best domestic squads, as well as the international teams we typically watch on television.”
2013 LARRY H. MILLER TOUR OF UTAH TEAMS
UCI Pro Teams Confirmed (world rankings as of June 16, 2013)
- BMC Racing Team (USA), No.8 on UCI WorldTour
- Cannondale Pro Cyling (Italy), No. 13 on UCI WorldTour
- Orica-GreenEDGE Cycling Team (Australia), No. 14 on UCI WorldTour
- RADIOSHACK LEOPARD TREK (Luxembourg), No. 7 on UCI WorldTour
- Team Garmin-Sharp (USA), No. 5 on UCI WorldTour
UCI Pro Continental Team (UCI ranking as of May 25. National Racing Calendar rankings as of June 3)
- Champion System Pro Cycling Team (China), No. 7 on USAC NRC; No. 8 on UCI Oceania Tour
- MTN-Qhubeka (South Africa), No. 1 on UCI Africa Tour; No. 6 on UCI Asia Tour
- UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team (USA), No. 5 on UCI America Tour; No. 4 on USAC NRC
UCI Continental Teams (UCI ranking as of May 25. National Racing Calendar rankings as of June 3)
- 5-hour ENERGY presented by Kenda Racing Team (USA), No. 2 on USAC NRC; No. 8 on UCI America Tour
- BISSELL Cycling (USA), No. 6 on USAC NRC; No. 4 on UCI Oceania Tour
- Bontrager Cycling Team (USA), No. 10 on USAC NRC; No. 5 on UCI Oceania Tour
- Funvic Brasilinvest-São José dos Campos (Brazil), No.1 on UCI America Tour
- Hincapie Sportswear Development Team (USA), No. 5 on USAC NRC
- Jamis – Hagens Berman (USA), No. 3 on USAC NRC; No. 5 on UCI America Tour
- Jelly Belly Cycling Team presented by Kenda* (USA), No. 7 on USAC NRC
- Optum Pro Cycling presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies (USA), No. 1 on USAC NRC; No. 9 on UCI America Tour
The Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah was elevated in 2011 by the UCI, the international governing body of the sport of cycling, to a 2.1-rated stage race. It continues as one of the top four UCI stage races covering six or more days in North America this year. Stage One presented by Zions Bank of the Tour of Utah will begin on Tuesday, August 6, from Brian Head to Cedar City. The overall finish for Stage Six presented by VLCM & Barracuda Networks will take place on Sunday, August 11, with the start and finish hosted by Park City. A Team Presentation event will be held in Cedar City on Monday, August 5, which is open to the general public.
The UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team has been part of the pro cycling scene since 2002, and enters 2013 in its third year as a Pro Continental squad. The team, owned/operated by the Oakland, California-based Momentum Sports Group, will race a sixth year at the Tour of Utah. Often referred to as “The Blue Train,” Team UnitedHealthcare boasts a diverse roster for 2013, with 22 riders representing eight different countries. Among the 10 Americans on the roster are Jeff Louder (Utah native), Kiel Reijnen, brothers Jake and Luke Keough, and Lucas Euser. Jake (the elder of the two Keoughs) won Stage 4 at the 2012 Tour of Utah, while Louder won the Best Utah Rider designation. Through mid-June this year, the team has emerged victorious 23 times and stood on the podium 50 times. In addition, the team has clocked more than 100 top 10 finishes.
After sweeping both the men’s NRC team and individual titles in 2012, Georgia-based On The Rivet Management announced a re-launch of its UCI Continental team for 2013, now the 5-hour ENERGY® presented by Kenda Racing Team. Last year the team raced at the Tour of Utah as the Competitive Cyclist Racing Team. The 5-hour ENERGY® presented by Kenda Racing Team was the top UCI Continental Team in California, finishing fourth overall in the Team Classification. The team leader is two-time NRC individual champion Francisco “Paco” Mancebo Pérez of Spain, who won the Tour of Utah in 2009. He is supported by nine American riders, including Nathan English, winner of 2013 TT at Joe Martin Stage Race; Jim Stemper, who was second overall as King of the Mountain at 2013 Tour de Beauce; and David Williams, who finished fourth overall at 2013 Redlands Bicycle Classic.
Composed of athletes under the age of 23, the Bontrager Cycling Team returns for a fourth time to the Tour of Utah. The Continental team is led by Belgian cycling champion Axel Merckx as its sports director, with a mission to develop riders for the WorldTour level. This year the team features rising star Lawson Craddock (USA), the 2013 Amgen Tour of California Best Young Rider, Nathan Brown (USA), the 2013 Tour de Beauce Champion and a former junior national champion, and Belgian strongman Jasper Stuyven, who has two victories in 2013. The team also features two Utah riders, Connor O’Leary of Salt Lake City, and Tanner Putt, of Park City.
The Hincapie Sportswear Development Team started in 2012 as a commitment by Hincapie Sportswear and Holowesko Partners to expand their support of cycling by creating a continental Under 23 development team. This is the first year the South Carolina-based team will race at the Tour of Utah. The team, which has a roster of American and Australian riders, won the Team Competition in all three European stage races in which it competed this year – Fleche du Sud, Puivelde, and Paris Arras. Joey Rosskopf (USA) scored a G.C. win at Paris Arias and finished third overall at the 2013 Parx Casino Philly Cycling Classic.
Team Jamis – Hagens Berman presented by Sutter Home is a long-running UCI Continental team based in New Jersey that last raced the Tour of Utah in 2011. The roster of 15 riders represents four countries – Argentina, Colombia, Cuba and USA. The team added Colombian climber Janier Acevedo Calle this year, having won the Salt Lake City circuit stage of the Tour of Utah in 2011 with his Colombian team (Gobernación de Antioquia – Indeportes Antioquia). Acevedo won the G.C. at San Dimas this year and won Stage Two at the 2013 Amgen Tour of California, wearing the overall leader’s jersey for two days. Most recently the team captured all three podium spots in the G.C. of the Air Force Association Cycling Classic, Luis Amaran (Cuba) the overall winner followed by J.J. Haedo (ARG) second and Demis Aleman (ARG) third. The team includes riders who are Salt Lake City natives, Chase Pinkham and Jamey Driscoll, as well as former Salt Lake City resident Tyler Wren, who now resides in New York.
Based in San Marcos, California, Jelly Belly Cycling Team presented by Kenda has the longest running domestic sponsor in the sport, Jelly Belly. The team returns to the Tour of Utah, having last raced in 2010, and this year has riders from six countries. The Jelly Belly squad is lead by veteran American sprinter Fred Rodriguez, who won a record-setting fourth U.S. National Road Race championship, at the age of 39. The team also features Bradley Huff, a former U.S. National Criterium Champion, and Christiaan Kriek (RSA), who won the Sprint Jersey at Redlands Bicycle Classic. This year the team has had podium finishes at a number of races, including San Dimas Stage Race, Sea Otter Classic and Nature Valley Grand Prix.
The Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah continues to be free to all spectators, making professional cycling one of the most unique pro sports in the world today. For more information about host cities, teams and volunteer opportunities, visit the Tour’s web site, www.tourofutah.com.
