2018 Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah Announces Host Cities

Four WorldTour Teams among early commitments for cycling stage race on Aug. 6-12

Race Returns to Southern Utah and Park City in 2018

Press Release – SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (January 10, 2018) – Organizers of the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah announced today the dates, host venues and early inclusion of four Top 10 UCI WorldTour teams for the 2018 edition of the week-long men’s professional cycling race known as “America’s Toughest Stage Race.”

The 14^th edition of the Tour of Utah will be held on Monday, Aug. 6 through Sunday, Aug. 12, 2018 – a week later on the international cycling calendar than the previous four years. The Tour of Utah will start in St. George for the first time with a prologue and conclude in Park City after six days of stage racing. Additional host cities or venues are Cedar City, Payson City, Antelope Island State Park, Layton City, Salt Lake City, Canyons Village, and Snowbird Resort.

“The Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah will break new ground with its southernmost start amid the red rocks of St. George before traveling north to the ultimate finish line in Park City,” said John Kimball, managing director of the Tour of Utah. “The 2018 race will captivate fans across the state, showcase the beauty of Utah and demonstrate the diversity of our communities and terrain. With an initial commitment from four WorldTour teams, we look forward to hosting a world-class peloton in Utah.”

Here is the lineup of host cities and venues:

The Tour of Utah remains a 2.HC-rated stage race on the UCI America Tour, making it one of the premier events for North America. The new dates provide a full week for WorldTeams to travel to the United States following the Tour de France, which takes place July 7-29, 2018. The Tour of Utah expects a field of more than 120 riders representing 16+ teams for seven grueling days of racing.

The Tour of Utah has early WorldTour team commitments from the third-ranked BMC Racing Team (USA), fifth-ranked Trek-Segafredo (USA), seventh-ranked Mitchelton-Scott (Australia) and 10^th-ranked EF Education First-Drapac presented by Cannondale (USA).

Competing for the 10^th time in Utah, BMC Racing Team has had many successes, winning the overall team classification at the 2008, 2016 and 2017 Tour of Utah. Trek-Segafredo returns to Utah for its fourth appearance. Mitchelton-Scott is back for a second time after previously racing as ORICA GreenEDGE in 2013. This is the eighth year for a Slipstream Sports-owned team to race in Utah, returning after a one-year absence as EP Education First-Drapac presented by Cannondale.

The Tour of Utah changes each year to introduce the sport of cycling to new places and present challenging courses to the riders. St. George makes its host debut as a Tour of Utah newcomer for the prologue on Monday, Aug. 6. St. George is located in the southwestern corner near the tri-state junction of Utah, Arizona and Nevada for the opening segment of race week.

A four-time Tour of Utah host city, Cedar City will host Stage 1 on Aug. 7 and serve as the race headquarters for the overall start festivities around Southern Utah University. Cedar City offers the challenging combination of high-elevation riding in Dixie National Forest and Cedar Breaks National Monument along with the fast-paced circuits around downtown “Festival City USA.”

The classic western town of Payson City, sitting at the foot of Mount Nebo as the highest mountain in the Wasatch Range of Utah, hosts a stage for a third time with Stage 2 on Aug. 8. Stage 3 features a start at Antelope Island State Park, which is located on the largest island in the Great Salt Lake. Layton City, which hosted a start line at the 2017 Tour of Utah, will now be the finish line in Davis County on Aug. 9.

Salt Lake City, the state capital and largest city in Utah, takes center stage for an 11^th time with Stage 4 on Aug. 10. The “Queen Stage” is Aug. 11 featuring a route from the Canyons Village in Park City to the traditional Saturday finish at Snowbird Resort. Park City will host the Tour of Utah for a ninth time with Stage 6. The Sunday finale on Aug. 12 will determine the overall winner of the yellow jersey for the Tour of Utah.

Details regarding each stage route such as race mileage and formats, elevation gain, and start/finish times as well as spectator festivities will be announced in the late spring.

In 2017, Canadian Rob Britton of Rally Cycling captured the overall general classification victory at the Tour of Utah which featured 605 miles of racing and 35,525 vertical feet of climbing.

Tour organizers note the event’s growth since 2011, when the race was first elevated as a UCI-sanctioned event. Television viewership has expanded with international broadcast partners providing coverage in 193 markets, and FOX Sports Network providing coverage nationally. A full week of webcasting with Tour Tracker presented by Adobe engaged 136,000 fans across 109 countries through consumption on mobile devices and the Tour’s website. The Tour of Utah is the only North American stage race that offers start-to-finish online coverage. In addition, the earned media coverage for the Tour of Utah generated $18 million in publicity value for the cycling event, as well as host communities and corporate partners.

For more information, see tourofutah.com