SALT LAKE CITY — The Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah announced most of its line-up for the men’s race on Wednesday, releasing the names of 13 invited teams for the race, August 3-9. Three additional teams will be added later this spring for a total of 16 teams in the UCI 2.HC men’s stage race.
Four teams will have just completed the Tour de France the month prior: BMC Racing, Cannondale-Garmin, Trek Factory Racing, and South Africa-based MTN-Qhubeka. This year will be the second appearance for MTN-Qhubeka and Trek Factory Racing at the Tour of Utah. BMC, which captured three stage wins at last year’s race, will make its seventh appearance. Cannondale-Garmin, which is expected to bring two-time defending champion Tom Danielson, will race its sixth Tour of Utah.
“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.
Joining MTN-Qhubeka from the UCI Professional Continental ranks will be Team Colombia, Drapac of Australia, and UnitedHealthcare. This will be the first appearance for the South American squad, which scored the overall king of the mountains classification title at this year’s Tirreno-Adriatico with climber Carlos Julian Quintero. UnitedHealthcare will make a record ninth appearance at the Tour of Utah, the most of any team. Drapac returns for a second time, having raced in Utah in 2014.
Continental teams have a strong representation in this year’s field, 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 points jersey in 2014. Hincapie Racing Team featured the best two climbers at the 2014 Tour of Utah and returns this year with American Robin Carpenter, who was second overall in last year’s king of the mountains classification.
UCI ProTeams
BMC Racing (USA)
Cannondale-Garmin (USA)
Trek Factory Racing (USA)
UCI Professional Continental teams
Drapac (Aus)
Team Colombia (Col)
Team MTN-Qhubeka (SA)
UnitedHealthcare (USA)
UCI Continental teams
Axeon (USA)
Hincapie Racing Team (USA)
Jamis-Hagens Berman (USA)
Jelly Belly-Maxxis (USA)
Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies (USA)
Team SmartStop (USA)
Earlier in April, 11 women’s professional and domestic elite 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 August 3 and Ogden, Utah on August 4. Four women’s UCI teams were confirmed to compete, including the UnitedHealthcare, 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).
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