April 23/15 17:38 pm - Tour of Utah Announces 2015 Routes for Men & Women

Posted by Editor on 04/23/15
 

Organizers of the 2015 Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah have published maps and route details on the race website for all seven days of the men's professional cycling stage race on August 3-9. A field of 16 of the best men's cycling teams in the world will compete over 712 miles and 51,442 feet of elevation gain.

With the overall start in Logan, the Tour of Utah will not only cover new territory in northern Utah, it will also roll through Idaho for the first time. This is the second time in the 11-year history of the Tour that a second state has been accessed for the race route (Wyoming was visited in 2014). Across Utah, the race will visit four new counties, three new state parks and one new ski resort. Overall, the race route will pass by a record 10 ski resorts this summer. The first four days of racing will feature completely new mountain terrain along the Wasatch Range of the Rocky Mountains. New routes will also be offered in Salt Lake City for the returning Friday circuit race and the start of Saturday's "Queen Stage."

Courses for the Tour of Utah Women's Edition: Criterium Classic have also been announced. On Monday, August 3rd, the Criterium Classic will take place on a 1.5-mile circuit in downtown Logan. On Tuesday, August 4th, the second day of racing will take place on a 1.45-mile circuit in downtown Ogden.

"With the route for the Tour of Utah changing each year, we are proud to design courses that continue to challenge the best cyclists on the planet with the toughest mountain terrain," said Jenn Andrs, executive director of the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah, a division of Miller Sports Properties. "The race route gives us an opportunity to showcase the diverse beauty of northern Utah, and a portion of Idaho for the first time, making it a win-win scenario for new communities and cycling fans."

Logan will host the first day for the women's Omnium event. Top women's professional and elite cycling teams will race for 75 minutes on a technical 1.5-mile course with six corners in downtown Logan, a similar loop that will be used by the men for the Stage 1 finish. Starting on 100 East and Federal Avenue, the course will turn left on Center Street and start a long, gradual climb through Boulevard to 400 East. The course levels out before the riders turn left on 300 North and encounter a fast downhill to the last corner to the finish line.

Ogden will host the second and final day for the women, who will race for 75 minutes. The start/finish will be located on Historic 25th Street and Kiesel Avenue, across from the Ogden Municipal Gardens. This fast, flat 1.5 mile circuit has six corners, using some of the same roads the men will race for the Stage 2 finish. The course turns right on Washington Avenue to 28th Street, followed by a right turn on Grant Avenue, a left turn on 26th Street, a right turn on Lincoln Avenue, then a final right turn on Historic 25th to the finish. The winner of the Criterium Classic will be determined by total points from the two days of racing.

To date, 13 men's professional teams have been confirmed as part of the final field of 16 teams. Four of those teams have also received invitations to race at the Tour de France. Eleven women's teams have been confirmed for the Tour of Utah Women's Edition: Criterium Classic.