SALT LAKE CITY (Oct. 10, 2019) – The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) announced today that the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah has been selected to join the new men’s professional road cycling UCI ProSeries. The international cycling federation also revealed that the race in Utah will take place from Aug. 3-9, 2020.
“The Tour of Utah has been recognized for its international racing stature with its inclusion in the UCI ProSeries,” said John Kimball, managing director. “We are thrilled for this designation by cycling’s governing body among its prestigious one-day races and stage races. Our placement on the calendar of events will better allow us to attract top-tier riders and WorldTour teams. We look forward to organizing a race of the highest standard.”
The UCI has reorganized its men’s professional road racing structure into three separate divisions: UCI WorldTour, UCI ProSeries and UCI Continental Circuits. The new UCI ProSeries, which includes the best HC and Class 1 races such as the Tour of Utah, will strengthen the second division by ensuring an optimal fit with the UCI WorldTour schedule.
“The Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah has proven over the years that it has earned the opportunity to be included in the new UCI ProSeries, which will feature many of the best races and historic events from around the world,” said Sean Petty, UCI Road Commission member. “The consistent quality of the race, the start-to-finish streaming of each stage and the incredibly challenging and picturesque courses that showcase Utah are second to none.”
The Tour of Utah is the only UCI ProSeries stage race and one of only two events based in North America on the 54-race UCI road calendar. Baltimore is hosting a one-day Maryland Cycling Classic in September. Other multi-day UCI ProSeries events include the OVO Energy Tour of Britain (GBR), Tour of the Alps (ITA), Le Tour de Langkawi (Malaysia) and Skoda Tour of Luxembourg (LUX).
“We’re excited that the Tour of Utah has been designated as a UCI ProSeries event,” said Chuck Hodge, USA Cycling Chief of Racing and Events. “
As a crowd favorite and one of the most successful races on U.S. soil, elevating the event to this level will provide great opportunities for U.S. riders and reward a very supportive cycling community.”
Now in its 16th year, the week-long Tour of Utah has earned the reputation as “America’s Toughest Stage Race.” The 2019 event crowned Ben Hermans of the Israel Cycling Academy as its champion, and EF Education First captured the team title after covering 477 miles of racing and 37,882 feet of elevation gain.
Past General Classification champions have included Sepp Kuss (2018), Rob Britton (2017), Lachlan Morton (2016) and Joe Dombrowski (2015) along with stage winners such as Tejay Van Garderen, Cadel Evans, Chris Horner, Travis McCabe, Brent Bookwalter, Marco Canola, Giulio Ciccone, Rob Carpenter and Levi Leipheimer through the years.
The Tour of Utah has been sanctioned as a 2.HC-rated stage race by the UCI for the past five years, making it one of the premier events in North America. In 2019, the field featured 115 riders from 17 teams, attracting 400,000 spectators during race week, 21 hours of national television coverage and reaching more than 400 million homes via broadcast around the world.
The host venues for 2020 will be announced at a later date. Last year, the race route traversed the scenic roadways around the host venues of Snowbird Resort, North Logan City, Brigham City, Powder Mountain Resort, Antelope Island State Park, North Salt Lake, Salt Lake City, Canyons Village at Park City Mountain, and Park City.
More information about the Tour of Utah can be found by visiting www.tourofutah.com as well as social channels Facebook (tourofutah), Twitter (tourofutah), Instagram (thetourofutah) and YouTube (tourofutah).
