2011 Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah (UCI 2.1) August 9-14
2011 Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah (UCI 2.1)
http://www.tourofutah.com/
Maybe it's a bit too early, but I didn't want the other Tour of Utah thread to become the official race thread. Don't worry: I'll bump as needed.
In its 7th edition, the 2011 Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah carries UCI 2.1 status, and attracts some top names to the epic scenery of the northern edge of the state. The course sees the return of several landmarks from the past editions, including the Stage 4 loop through downtown Salt Lake City, the Stage 3 time trial at the Miller Motorsports Park, and the epic climbing of Stage 5 that has come to define the race, with its iconic finishing climb up Little Cottonwood Canyon to Snowbird Ski Resort, ensuring that the Tour of Utah earns its tag line: America's Toughest Stage Race.
Last year's top ten:
1 Levi Leipheimer 12:39:40;
2 Francisco Mancebo 02:30;
3 Ian Boswell 03:56;
4 Jai Crawford 03:58;
5 Darren Lill 04:32;
6 Pat McCarty 04:36;
7 Lachlan Morton 05:08;
8 Alex Hagman 05:48;
9 Cesar Grajales 06:56;
10 Tyler Wren 07:07
Startlist:
http://www.tourofutah.com/images/stories/team rosters tou 2011 format one page7-27.pdf
Some notable names for the 2011 edition:
1 – Bottle
11 – Tejay Van Garderen
23 – George Hincapie
24 – Jeff Louder (local hero and former winner)
31 – Tommy Danielson
32 – Ryder Hesjedal
34 – Christian Vandevelde
35 – Dave Zabriskie
62 – Vladimir Efimkin
81 – Rory Sutherland
91 – Francisco Mancebo
151 – Oscar Sevilla
THE ROUTE
The beastly
prologue opens the race with 5 km at an average grade of 7%. There is no easing into this race, and anyone with eyes toward the win will have to be firing on all cylinders from the first pedal stroke. Valuable seconds are up for grab in what is essentially a long uphill sprint.
Stage 1 continues to drop the hammer, with a pleasant spin around the northern city of Ogden and its environs ruined repeatedly by the ascent of the North Ogden Pass. Three times the riders will confront this challenge, only to finish where they began, in the heart of the city.
Stage 2 gives the riders some reprieve after the brief violence of the prologue and the repetitive hammer of Stage 1, leading them south. The closest they'll get to a climb will be the finish line, which is at the mouth of Provo Canyon. The day won't be without peril, though, as the area is afflicted with strong winds that will assail the peloton over the flat course, threatening echelons and giving contenders with strong teams who have lost time on the climbs an opportunity to cause a split and distance their pencil-necked rivals.
Stage 3 sends the peloton to the Miller Motorsport Track, where the strong men have a chance to show their mettle in a 14.5 km time trial. The course snakes its way through the route of the track, rewarding those with the prowess to negotiate corners with speed and the power to fire out of them even faster. The young Taylor Phinney won here last year; will Tejay Van Garderen continue the trend of a youthful US rider taking the stage?
Stage 4 takes the peloton through Salt Lake City on a route that has appeared in parts during previous Tours of Utah. The riders will suffer up Capitol Hill no fewer than 11 times, circling east through the University of Utah's campus. Happily for the tibbs household, this route encompasses both a former apartment and the tibbs alma mater. (What do you mean, bias?) Nothing beats watching the peloton line out on the climb to the state capitol whilst nipping discreetly at a bottle of your favorite pleasure. The race will likely culminate in a downtown sprint.
And finally,
Stage 5. This is game over for the peloton, possibly the most difficult single day of professional road racing in the US. The ride begins nicely enough, with some lovely scenery in Park City and some small towns of Summit County. But then, **** gets real. The hammer falls repeatedly: The Alpine Loop, Mt. Timpanogos, and (finally) Little Cottonwood Canyon itself.
This climb rivals the profile of Alpe d'Huez, its gradient ranging between 8 & 12% and averaging out at 9.2% over 13.49 km. Surely, any time gaps will be meaningless as the peloton rolls out of Kimball Junction to start the day. The race will be won on Stage 5.
Little Cottonwood Canyon, the finish of the Tour of Utah
:
(Note that it's in miles and feet.)
Here are the stages with sponsors (Thanks sponsors! We love you!):
Prologue p/b KJZZ-TV and 1320 KFAN
Utah Olympic Park, Park City - 1.25 miles (2 km)
Start - 2 p.m. Finish - 4:30 p.m.
Stage One p/b Miller Lite
Ogden - 116 miles (187 km)
Start - 11 a.m. Finish - 3:45 -4:30 p.m.
Stage Two p/b Adobe
XANGO headquarters north of Utah Lake to Vivint headquarters in Provo - 100 miles (161 km)
Start - 11 a.m. Finish - 2:45-3:30 p.m.
Stage Three p/b UnitedHealthcare
Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele - 9.7 miles (15.6 km)
Start - 5 p.m. Finish - 7:30 p.m.
Stage Four p/b University of Utah Health Care
Salt Lake City - 81.4 miles (132 km)
Start - 1 p.m. Finish - 4-4:45 p.m.
Stage Five p/b Zions Bank
Park City to Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort - 100 miles (161 km)
Start - 11 a.m. Finish - 3-4 p.m.
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