The most challenging stages of the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah will be well-suited to the strengths of climbers Brent Bookwalter, Mathias Frank, Ivan Santaromita and Johann Tschopp, BMC Racing Team Assistant Director Michael Sayers said.
Hardest Days At The End
The six-day race begins Tuesday and includes a 21.7-kilometer team time trial on Stage 2 and back-to-back mountain-top finishes on the final two stages. “We’re going to try to place Mathias high in the overall and go for some stage wins while also using this race as preparation for Colorado,” Sayers said. Frank won the “Best Swiss Rider” classification at the Tour de Suisse while Tschopp recently finished third overall at Paris-Corrèze. Bookwalter said he has ridden the final two stages and they are as difficult as advertised. “In previous editions of the race, the queen stage to Snowbird has shown who the strongest guys are,” he said. “But this year, having another day after that which is even more demanding will for sure shake things up.”
Roster Includes Two Stagiaires
The BMC Racing Team will utilize two stagiaires in its seven-rider line-up: Mathias Flückiger of Switzerland and American Larry Warbasse, who is a member of the BMC Racing Team Under 23 squad and the BMC-Hincapie Sportswear Cycling Team. Warbasse said his appointment to the team is a dream come true. “For my first race to be Utah seems to be fitting as well,” he said. “It’s the first race I did with the BMC Racing Team as a development rider two years ago. I hope to learn as much as possible riding with the team’s experienced riders who are Tour de France participants, Olympians, and Grand Tour stage winners. I hope to leave the race a better rider than I came in.”
