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SALT LAKE CITY -- Cars are sharing the road with more bikes than usual this week as the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah winds its way through the Beehive State.
Saturday's stage in Salt Lake City will provide close up-views for spectators to see word-class cyclists fly by at nearly 50 miles per hour.
The race has already taken the cyclists past landmarks like Pineview Reservoir and Ogden Canyon. Stage 4 comes right through Salt Lake's Avenues neighborhood in what is being billed as the most spectator-friendly leg of the event.
If you like competition at the very highest levels, if you like athletics at the very highest levels, you wait until you see these folks going 60 miles an hour down the road.
–Mayor Ralph Becker
Mayor Ralph Becker, himself a cyclist, hopes residents will host block parties and cheer on riders flying past their homes.
"If you like competition at the very highest levels, if you like athletics at the very highest levels, you wait until you see these folks going 60 miles an hour down the road," he said.
The race starts at the Capitol, goes through City Creek Canyon, up 11th Avenue, down Virginia, around President's Circle to South Temple and back up to the Capitol. One of the best spots to watch is Reservoir Park, at 1300 East and South Temple.
"We've invited some of the mobile food vendors and a couple of other food purveyors, so you'll get something to eat and drink and they'll be some other activities going on for kids," said Bob Farrington, the city's economic development director. "Bike Collective, maybe a couple of bike shops will be here."
Be forewarned. If you live along the route -- getting around could be difficult. On the course on race day, you'll need police assistance to come or go from homes and businesses.
There's no parking along the race route. Plus, there will be delays from rolling road closures.
"They are racing and they are on bicycles and they are going quite fast," said Salt Lake City Police Sgt. Shawn Josephson. "We are definitely looking out for their safety and the public's safety."
The race starts at 1 p.m. and finishes at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Police will begin closing roads to traffic between noon and 1 p.m.
Email:jdaley@ksl.com
