Starting three days from now, the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah looks set to be peppered with attacks by the BMC Racing Team, which has pledged to animate the race.
“We're going to take a day-by-day approach, but for sure, we will race aggressively,” stated assistant director Jackson Stewart. “Being an American team, races in the United States are always important for us and I think the seven guys we have here all have the potential to do well.”
The team will feature strong riders such as the Tour de Wallonie victor Greg Van Avermaet [pictured], who will line out in the race for the first time, as well as Steve Cummings, Swiss road champion Michael Schär, Larry Warbasse and Yannick Eijssen. It will also include stagiaires Jakub Novak and Julien Taramarcaz, who will be determined to make an impression and to show the team they deserve consideration for contracts.
Cummings is also fired up to go well, although the 2012 Vuelta a España and Tour of Beijing stage winner said that he’s not sure the overall is possible.
“I think the altitude is going to make it hard for me to go for the general classification,” he explained. “But it's certainly possible to go for a stage. It's all going to depend on how I react to the altitude.”
The 943 kilometre race will begin in three days time, and will feature 13,106 metres of climbing in six days.
BMC Racing Team for Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah (Aug. 6-11):
Steve Cummings (GBR), Yannick Eijssen (BEL), Jakub Novak (CZE), Michael Schär (SUI), Julien Taramarcaz (SUI), Greg Van Avermaet (BEL), Larry Warbasse (USA).