Continental squads 303 Project and Aevolo Cycling make debuts
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Race leader Rob Britton in yellow behind the Rally train(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Tour of Utah winner Rob Britton (Rally Cycling)(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
The Tour of Utah passes the East Canyon Reservoir.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah - Stage 1 - The peloton passes by Checkerboard Mesa on its way out of Zion National Park(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah - Stage 1 - The peloton climbs near Navajo Lake on the way to Cedar City(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Organisers of the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah confirmed the 17 teams that will participate in the UCI 2.HC race from August 6-12. The teams list includes five WorldTour teams, seven Pro Continental teams and five Continental teams.
The five WorldTour, which were announced in March, include BMC Racing, EF Education First-Drapac, Mitchelton-Scott, Trek-Segafredo and LottoNL-Jumbo.
Those teams are joined by the second tier squads UnitedHealthcare – who have raced every edition of the Tour of Utah since 2008 – with Rally Cycling, Hagens Berman Axeon and Holowesko-Citadel p/b Arapahoe Resources, all making repeating appearances.
Pro Continental teams also include Bardiani CSF, Israel Cycling Academy and Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini.
"There's no question, winning last year's Tour of Utah was the biggest result of my career, and one of the best days of my life. The race really does mean a lot to me," said Rob Britton, who plans to return with his Rally Cycling squad to defend his 2017 Tour of Utah general classification title.
Among the first-time entries in Utah are two Continental squads, 303 Project and Aevolo Cycling. They will be joined in the field by Elevate-KHS Pro Cycling, making a second appearance, Jelly Belly Cycling Team presented by Maxxis, racing for a sixth year, and Silber Pro Cycling.
The last time the Tour of Utah extended invitations to 17 teams was 2012, the second year the event was sanctioned as part of the UCI America Tour. In recent editions, the field has been limited to 16 teams. Rosters for each team can include as many as seven riders, and will be announced the final week of July.
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There are 26 individuals on these teams who have earned either a stage win or a classification jersey in a past appearance at the Tour of Utah. Among the Tour of Utah alumni, three are G.C. winners - - Rob Britton of Rally Cycling (2017), Joe Dombrowski of EF Education First-Drapac presented by Cannondale (2015), and Jeff Louder (2008), who is now a team director with Hagens Berman Axeon.
The Tour of Utah remains a 2.HC-rated stage race on the UCI America Tour. The race will start on Aug. 6 in St. George for the first time with a prologue, and conclude seven days later in Park City. Additional host venues are Cedar City, Payson City, Antelope Island State Park, Layton City, Salt Lake City, Canyons Village, and Snowbird Resort.
2018 Tour of Utah teams
UCI WorldTour
BMC Racing Team (USA) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale (USA) Mitchelton-Scott (Australia) Trek-Segafredo (USA) Team LottoNL-Jumbo (Netherlands)
UCI Pro Continental
Bardiani CSF (Italy) Hagens Berman Axeon (USA) Holowesko-Citadel p/b Arapahoe Resources (USA) Israel Cycling Academy (Israel) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini (Italy) Rally Cycling (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team (USA)
UCI Continental
303 Project (USA) Aevolo Cycling (USA) Elevate-KHS Pro Cycling (USA) Jelly Belly Cycling Team p/b Maxxis (USA) Silber Pro Cycling (Canada)
