Bookwalter and Rosskopf headline Tour of Utah Start List
BMC's Brent Bookwalter and Joey Rosskopf, will headline the 2017 Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah field when the seven-day race starts in Logan on Monday July 31
Bookwalter has had a stellar year so far, finishing second on the last stage of the Tour of the Alps, leading the squad at the Tour de Yorkshire and finishing fourth overall at this year's AMGEN Tour of California.
Rosskopf has had great success too, coming fifth in the final time trial at this year's Giro d'Italia and becoming US National Tine Trial Champion.
Bookwalter is a top favourite for the overall win, he finished third overall behind Joe Dombroswki and Michael Woods in his last participation in 2015. He's also won stages in 2012 and won the opening Prologue in 2009.
Rosskopf finished sixth in Utah last year and told the press "I'm not necessarily excited that the time trial is a hill climb, but nonetheless it's really exciting to debut the jersey here in the US when so much of my time is spent elsewhere," Rosskopf said. "And hopefully the jersey will add an extra level of strength and motivation to drag my big bod up Big Cottonwood."
"Brent Bookwalter is our rider for the General Classification, a role he deserves after some solid results in the first part of the year," said sports director Jackson Stewart.
"Joey Rosskopf and Kilian Frankiny will also have freedom on the stage 2 summit finish and riders like Silvan Dillier will have the opportunity to jump in a good breakaway. We are ambitious but I would like to see us win the overall and the time trial, and I think we will be competitive and aggressive in all of the stages."
Bookwalter won the Sprint Classification in 2015 and is happy to return to the race in a leading capacity.
"This year's route has some of the classics sections which I've experienced in previous editions but also some exciting new sections like the long gravel sector on stage 4, the Big Cottonwood TT and a new summit finish at Snow Basin. Traditionally, this is a race that is won by a pure climber. My success here in the past has been more from versatility and tenacity than pure climbing strength, so I'll look to race heads up and switched on this week, capitalizing on my strength in areas other than just the climbs," the American said.
"I've had a fairly laid back build up to this next phase of races so am interested to see how my condition is. I'm always inspired to race in the USA so I know I'll have that extra bit of motivation that is needed when the race heats up. We have a well rounded and powerful team of climbers and opportunists in Utah so am looking forward to relying on our collective strength through the seven stages."
BMC's full line-up:
Tom Bohli
Brent Bookwalter
Silvan Dillier
Martin Elmiger
Kilian Frankiny
Patrick Muller
Joey Rosskopf
Manuel Senni
BMC Racing are the only WorldTour squad racing, however they face stiff competition from a whole host of Continental Pro teams all gunning for glory.
America's toughest race will surely provide some animated racing come next Monday July 31st.
Confirmed Tour of Utah Team Start List
Amore & Vita - Selle SMP presented by Fondriest (Albania)
Axeon Hagens Berman Cycling Team (USA)
Bardiani CSF (Italy)
BMC Racing Team (USA)
Caja Rural-Seguros RGA (Spain)
Cylance Cycling (USA)
Elevate-KHS Pro Cycling (USA)
Hangar 15 Bicycles (USA)
Holowesko l Citadel Racing Team p/b Hincapie Sportswear (USA)
Israel Cycling Academy (Israel)
Jelly Belly Cycling p/b Maxxis (USA)
Nippo-Vini Fantini (Italy)
Team Novo Nordisk (USA)
Rally Cycling (USA)
Silber Pro Cycling (Canada)
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team (USA)
Ride the Bookwalter Binge Gran Fondo in beautiful Asheville, NC this October 28th
Join Bookwalter and friends for a relaxed Gran Fondo ride, studded with racing on timed segments on tough climbs that provide an epic challenge to all.
Three routes of varying length traverse some of the most beautiful roads in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Asheville, North Carolina:
• Gran Route - 7,400 ft of climbing in 83 miles
• Medio Route - 5,500 ft in 62 miles
• Piccolo Route - 2,500 ft in 29 miles
This is an unusual opportunity to ride alongside female and male pro cyclists as they celebrate the end of their season racing all over the world and the country.
Our accessible Pro's ride all three routes, and along with Brent, they are inspired by cyclists of all backgrounds and abilities.
For more information and to register, please goto: bookwalterbinge.com