Tour of Utah:
BEYOND
CATEGOR
IZATION
IT WAS 95 DEGREES
in Bountiful on a dry Friday in August. Even if you love the
outdoors, that’s hot enough and late enough in the summer to
send you back indoors. Instead, the small town just north of
Salt Lake City seemed to have every one of its residents outside
and waiting. There were people lining Main St., American flags
posted in front yards, messages of encouragement written in
chalk and baking into the hot pavement, and a low hum of
excitement as spectators lined up, eager to catch a glimpse of
the riders competing in the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah.
Putting riders through the ringer during a brutal week of
600-plus miles and seven stages, the Tour travels to different
Utah locales every day of the race. This year’s Tour challenged
riders with a motley mix of northern Utah rides. From the alpine
climbs of Logan Canyon for Stage 1, to the descents down Provo
Canyon during Stage 6, to a downtown Salt Lake City circuit
race that saw riders completing 73 miles over 11 laps before
finishing this final stage at the State Capitol Building, the Tour of
Utah is an incredible way to show off Utah’s diverse terrain while
highlighting all the great communities that make up the state.
Now in its 13th year, the Tour (or TOU as it’s also called)
brings world-class cycling teams from around the globe
to Utah for a week in August every year as they duke out
who’s the fastest, strongest, and smartest rider across Utah’s
picturesque landscapes.
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