Levi Leipheimer (Omega Pharma-Quickstep)
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Tougher parcours and more climbing in 2012
Race organizers announced the final nine teams Tuesday that will round out the 17-team line up competing this August at the 2012 Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah, and two-time Tour of Utah champion Levi Leipheimer’s Omega Pharma-QuickStep squad was the final UCI ProTeam to accept an invitation. Eight other teams were named earlier this year for the six-stage, UCI 2.1 race that runs August 7-12.
Leipheimer’s Belgian squad, currently ranked fourth in the UCI World Tour, will join previous invitees Liquigas-Cannondale, RadioShack-Nissan, BMC, Garmin-Sharp and Rabobank in filling out the field of six ProTeams. Champion System, Team NetApp, Spidertech-C10 and UnitedHealthcare will join Argos-Shimano in the five-team Pro Continental field, while Bissell Pro Cycling, Bontrager-Livestrong, Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies and Team Exergy will represent the six-squad Continental Team contingent along with previously announced teams Competitve Cyclist and Colombia’s EPM-UNE.
The final field represents teams registered from nine countries, including two teams from the Netherlands and one team from China, all three first-time entries. Other countries represented include Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the United States. Coming on the heels of both the Tour de France and the London Olympic road cycling events, which take place just a week before Utah starts, the race promises a field of riders featured in both events. Seven of the teams (all six UCI ProTeams and Argos-Shimano) are currently competing at the Tour de France.
The 2012 Tour of Utah will traverse 877 km and feature 11,734 meters of climbing along the Rocky Mountains’ Wasatch Range. The race begins in Ogden and will finish in Park City, and the 2012 schedule also boasts the only professional team time trial in the US this year.
“The field this August provides a unique opportunity for Utahns and out-of-state visitors to see a level of competition only available in the U.S. a few times a year,” said Tour of Utah President Steve Miller. “To watch these riders
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