Mobius BridgeLane replace Bardiani-CSF in Tour of Utah line up

Organisers of the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah confirmed today that Australian Continental team Mobius BridgeLane will replace Bardiani-CSF in the team line up for the 2.HC race that rolls out of St. George on August 6.

Bardiani-CSF was initially part of the team roster when orgnanisers made their team announcement in May, but the Italian Pro Continental team was forced to withdraw over travel budget issues, according to race organisers, and will be replaced by the Australian formation to fill out the race's 17-team field.

"Mobius BridgeLane, a UCI Continental team with all its riders from Australia or New Zealand, is now part of the field after Bardiani-CSF returned its invitation due to travel budget constraints," organisers said in a statement emailed to Cyclingnews on Monday. "The addition of Mobius BridgeLane maintains the race's international flavor, with teams from Australia, The Netherlands, Italy, Israel, Canada and the USA competing on August 6-12 in Utah. Competition will include five WorldTour, six UCI Pro Continental and six UCI Continental teams."

ADVERTISEMENT

BMC Racing, EF Education First-Drapac, Mitchelton-Scott, Trek-Segafredo and LottoNL-Jumbo will represent the WorldTour in Utah this year, alongside Pro Continental teams Hagens Berman Axeon, Holowesko-Citadel, Israel Cycling Academy, Nippo-Vini Fantini, Rally Cycling and UnitedHealthcare. Continental teams include 303 Project, Aevolo Cycling, Elevate-KHS, Jelly Belly-Maxxis and Silber Pro Cycling.

Mobius BridgeLane is only in its first year as a Continental outfit, but has proven so far the team is up to the challenge of competing in big races. The team, run by manager Tom Petty, previously competed in the US earlier this year in April at the Joe Martin Stage Race and the Tour of the Gila, where climbing specialist Alexander Evans finished third on the opening-day climb to Mogollon. Evans is currently riding as a stagiaire with BMC Racing.

"As a team, we are determined to continue growing and developing the talent we have here in Oceania while also increasing our international racing and exposure," Petty said in a post about the Tour of Utah on the team's website.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com