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By DOUG ALDEN AP Sports Writer
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Utah is trying to join the international bicycle racing circuit.
The Tour of Utah announced the course Tuesday for a six-day, 500-mile race that culminates with a grueling series of climbs through the Wasatch mountains.
"What better place to do a great tour than the state of Utah?" race director Jason Preston said at a news conference.
Utah's desert valleys and mountain ranges to the east and west provide ample terrain for a cycling stage race. Organizers hope bringing in top professional riders and routing the race through cities such as Park City, Provo, Midway and Salt Lake City will get crowds into the festival atmosphere.
The race starts Monday, Aug. 7, with a 105.6-mile race over a course through Provo. Stages also include routes through the western desert and a downtown Salt Lake City loop including Capitol Hill.
Stage 6 starts Saturday, Aug. 12, at the Delta Center and winds 114 miles through the Wasatch Range. The route involves 17,000 feet of climbing. Racers will climb the mountains to Park City, ride south to Midway then head west for another series of mountain climbs.
The last stretch is from Sandy up Little Cottonwood Canyon, ending at the Snowbird ski resort -- just over 8,000 feet above sea level.
"You can't find a stage like that anywhere," Preston said.
Preston said the tour has commitments from four top U.S. professional cycling teams, in to compete for the $45,000 purse. About a dozen more teams will be invited to compete in the race, which is in its second year but first as an invitational.
"We're very optimistic that we can build this event over time," said Jeff Robbins, president of the Utah Sports Commission, which promotes sports competitions for the state.
Fans may have to wait a year to see the world's top riders, including Salt Lake City's David Zabriskie, who led the Tour de France through three early stages last summer. Preston said the Tour of Utah is hoping to attract international teams starting next summer.
Organizers picked early August because it wouldn't compete with other national events and is scheduled after the Tour de France, hoping international cyclists will compete.
Cramming 17,000 feet of climbing into one stage is what sets the Utah race apart from others such as the Tour of California and Tour de Georgia and even European events, Preston said.
Stage 6 is already getting attention.
"Nobody has ever seen anything like this," said Gardie Jackson, a racer from Park City who attended Tuesday's news conference.
On the Net: www.tourofutah.com
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APTV-05-02-06 1727MDT
