And so, what we’re finding is we can’t really start in Logan and finish in St. George. That’s too much ground to cover in six or seven days, so we’re kind of having to do a southern Utah component, a northern Utah component. – Tour of Utah president Steve Miller
SALT LAKE CITY — After a couple of years of touring Utah’s red rock desert, a larger, more prestigious Tour of Utah cycling race will head north for its 11th edition.
“There is some ground up there that we’ve wanted to get to for a while,” said Steve Miller, president of the Tour of Utah, at a press conference announcing the cities and sites that will host the seven-stage event in August 2015. “Many (of the cities), we’ve been talking to for more than a year.”
Stage 1 is scheduled for Aug. 3 and will be hosted by Logan, while Stage 2 will start in Tremonton and finish in Ogden.
Stage 3 will start on Antelope Island and finish in Bountiful, while Stage 4 will start and finish in Soldier Hollow but cover much of the Heber Valley.
The final three stages of the race are familiar to fans.
A circuit in Salt Lake City is scheduled for Stage 5, while the most iconic route will take place the next day, Saturday, Aug. 8. Often referred to as the queen stage, Stage 6 starts in Salt Lake City and finishes at Snowbird Ski Resort.
The final stage starts and finishes in Park City and has also become a favorite among both fans and riders.
The specific routes won’t be revealed until January or February as organizers and city officials try to figure out logistics. Miller said he’s looking forward to showing the world just how diverse Utah’s beauty really is.
“We’ve got some ideas, some things we’ve wanted to do for a long time, and where we’re only racing six or seven days every year, we can only cover so much ground,” he said. “And so, what we’re finding is we can’t really start in Logan and finish in St. George. That’s too much ground to cover in six or seven days, so we’re kind of having to do a southern Utah component, a northern Utah component.”
Robin Carpenter, a member of the Hincapie Sportswear Development Cycling Team, offered his perspective as a competitor at Tuesday afternoon’s press conference.
“It’s one of the most fun races I’ve ever done,” he said. “And absolutely the most challenging race I’ve ever done.”
A reality he said is illustrated by the fact that about half the riders aren’t able to finish.
While Miller and other officials involved in organizing and supporting the race gushed about the new course, Carpenter said the fact that the Union Cycliste Internationale upgraded the race to the second-highest classification possible made the event even more enticing. The upgrade also means that TOU officials can invite more professional teams.
There will also be a two-day women’s cycling event held during the seven-stage men’s event.
“Look at the billboard that the Tour of Utah creates for our state,” said Vicki Varela, managing director of the Utah Office of Tourism. Coverage of the race “just screams to people that proves to people that Mother Nature played favorites with our iconic landscapes.”
More than 90 million American households and 146 million international households watch the Tour of Utah, Varela said.
Jeff Robbins, president and CEO of the Utah Sports Commission, said the weeklong event pumps almost $20 million into the economy.
“You have just under $10 million in media value,” he said. “If you’re going to go out and try to create something to give exposure to the state of Utah almost $10 million.”
Miller said he doesn’t have a favorite section of the race, but said he’s looking forward to introducing the rest of the world to Cache Valley.
“Being from Utah and loving the state and loving Cache Valley in particular, there are some routes up there that I’m hopeful we can put together. It will be stunning. It will be breathtaking. And they all will, but I’m excited for that one.”
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