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SALT LAKE CITY — From Snow Basin to Cedar City and everywhere in between, the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah will bring professional bicycle racing all throughout the state of Utah.
This will be the ninth year for the Tour of Utah which will be held from Aug. 6 to 11 and for the first time will have races that start in Southern Utah. The first race will run from Brian Head Resort to Cedar City.
The Tour of Utah is one of only four internationally-sanctioned, multi-stage, American pro cycling events. Last year 40 riders from the Tour of Utah also rode in the Tour de France. It also holds onto its roots by including amateur stages for anyone to join.
There will be one race everyday through the week. The first day, Tuesday, will start in Brian Head, then the race goes from Panguitch to Torrey, Richfield to Payson, a Salt Lake City Circuit Race, Snowbasin Resort to Snowbird Resort and Park City.
It has been called "America's Toughest Stage Race." All in all the racers will travel 543 miles and there will be 38,500 feet of climbing through the week.
Brian Head will have racers starting at an altitude of 9,800 feet. Anyone from the area knows just how hot the beginning of August can be in Southern Utah. The Salt Lake Circuit Race will have the racers traversing the hills and streets of downtown Salt Lake starting and finishing near the state Capitol.
From Snowbasin to Snowbird the racers will go up 3,000 feet in around 6.5 miles through Little Cottonwood Canyon. Then, if all that doesn't sound rough enough, the riders have to deal with Empire Pass in the final stage in Park City.
Todd Hageman, a Park City resident and course director for the Tour, talked about the brutal climb in an interview with the Christopher Kamrani of the "Park Record" in Park City last year before the Tour.
"It's brutal," Hageman said. "Paco Mancebo called it the toughest climb he's ever done. That Empire Pass climb will define this race; it will put a stamp on the Tour of Utah as America's toughest stage race. It climbs 3,000 feet in 10K."
Mancebo has been racing since 1998 and has four Top 10 finished at the Tour de France. He won the Tour in 2009. The race will attract top competition from around the world. Last year's winner, Johann Tschopp, is from Sweden. There have been five winners from the USA and one from Spain, Mancebo.
The Miller Family has helped build and shape the Tour into a huge event that bolster Utah's economy.
"The Tour of Utah generated $14 million in direct economic impact for the state in 2012 and our race expansion is expected to have an even greater impact," said Steve Miller, President of the Tour of Utah and COO of Miller Sports Properties.
Amateurs can participate in the Ultimate Challenge and the new Ultimate Challenge Femme. The first is the same route as the Queen Stage, stage 5 from Snowbasin to Snowbird, with three optional distances. There is a 52, 82 and 112 mile option that will start in the morning of Aug. 10. The Ultimate Challenge Femme is designed for women only. It starts in Coalville and either travels to Park City, 30 miles, or to Snowbird, 60 miles, depending on which route she chooses.
There is also the chance to volunteer or to just sit by the side of the routes and watch as the cyclists go by. For more information on the routes visit TourofUtah.com.
