The fifth stage of the Tour of Utah bicycle race ends today at the finish line in Kamas after a rainy ride on the Mirror Lake Highway from Evanston, Wyoming. Eric Young won Stage 5. Tom Danielson retained the overall yellow jersey.
The Tour is celebrating its tenth year and has dramatically evolved from a small course around a parking lot at Thanksgiving Point. Frank Zang is vice president of media relations for the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah. He says it’s now one of only three bicycle stage races of its kind in the country bringing in world-class riders for the 7-day event.
“But it really is a community-based event and it’s a great chance to showcase the beauty of the state of Utah as we move from Cedar City to Park City. Each community or host venue has its own personality and special touch that it brings to each of these races,” says Zang.
This year’s seven stage race will log more than 750 miles and the riders will climb a total of 57,000 vertical feet during the week. Zang says the event comes to Salt Lake City Saturday with 900 amateur riders on the course called the Queens Stage from Rice-Eccles Stadium to Snowbird Resort.
“There are other opportunities certainly to watch the race. Tanner’s Flat is a very popular location as they make their way up Little Cottonwood Canyon for the grand finale at Snowbird,” he says.
Zang encourages people to come out and cheer on some of the best riders in the world for the final two days. The race wraps on Sunday with huge crowds expected on lower Main Street in Park City, the finish line of the final stage.
