Utah’s toughest gravel race will now feature a middle-distance option and a start/finish at a former Olympic venue
MIDWAY, Utah (June 21, 2022) — Now in its second year, the Wasatch All-Road Bicycle Race returns August 27, 2022, with a challenging day of riding around Utah’s stunning Wasatch County and the Uinta National Forest. This year’s iteration features two big changes: the race will start and finish at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center in Midway, Utah, and a new course option has been added to the lineup.
Host Venue
Located about an hour from the Salt Lake City Airport, Midway’s Soldier Hollow Nordic Center is most well-known as a winter Olympics venue. Throughout the year, though, the venue offers a variety of activities and plays host to major events.
“We want a permanent home for the race, and we think Soldier Hollow is an ideal venue for the event,” Louder says. “It’s in a great location and the facility is world class which makes it a perfect complement to the vision we have for the Wasatch All-Road. With their summertime road and trail network, it also allows us to incorporate a finish circuit at Soldier Hollow to allow participants to complete their race on dirt.”
Starting and finishing at Soldier Hollow also allows organizers to create a festival atmosphere with live music and food so finishers can celebrate together. “We want to continue to build on that experience and make it better,” Louder says.
New Course Distance
Athletes now have three distances to choose from: 100 miles (Full Yeti), 75 miles (Mid Yeti—new for 2022), or 20 miles (Mini Yeti). Designed by former Tour of Utah winner Jeff Louder, the course is intentionally demanding. “It’s a big challenge,” he says. “It’s obviously doable by many people, but it’s a really difficult course. The Full Yeti is one of the hardest gravel races out there.”
The goal for this year, Louder says, was to try to recreate the best parts of the inaugural race and expand on it. Which means that the infamous Wasatch Wall—a 12-mile climb up to 10,000 feet on chunky gravel—is still a part of the course.
“We fell in love with the area and the views while riding, and Jeff and I just thought ‘we have to put something there,’” says Barrett Brandon, a former professional triathlete who helped design the course. “The race is a confluence of the difficult topography, the views, and showing people the beauty of the Heber Valley. Hopefully we can encourage people to challenge themselves accordingly.”
Registration is open for the 2022 race, and prices increase Sunday, July 31. There will be a $10,000 prize purse divided evenly between men and women, and $1,000 for the First Utahns. For more information, visit thewasatchallroad.com or contact the race director Jeff Louder.
