On Monday, August 4th through Sunday, August 10th, Cannondale Pro Cycling will kick off its U.S. summer schedule at the Tour of Utah. The Green Machine will be one of the race's leading teams for the second year in a row.

 All eyes will be on experienced rider and Cannondale Pro Cycling team captain Ivan Basso during this race. "I'm really excited to come back racing in the U.S. after two years," said the Italian rider.

"It's my first time at Tour of Utah, but I've heard positive comments on the race. American races are always very challenging, and the route of the race is pretty demanding. I hope to get a great result for our American fans."

 Cannondale Pro Cycling will line up a team of strong climbers including George Bennett, young gun Matej Mohoric, and Cristiano Salerno to support Basso. In addition, Alan Marangoni, Cameron Wurf and Juraj Sagan will be the team's three long distance riders to set the pace and to manage the peloton.

 On July 27th, the seven riders, team director Alberto Volpi, and other team staff arrived in Utah to acclimate to the altitude and ensure that jetlag would not have an impact on their performance.

"We would like to attend the Tour of Utah at our best," said Volpi. "It was really important for us to have few days to get acclimated - riders were able to train well and to take confidence with the weather."