2012 Tour of Utah Preview

Well the Tour of Utah is ever expanding with a record seventeen teams and a completely altered course, but no prologue time trial.  That is unfortunate because the prologue at the state capitol and the quick time trial course through city creek canyon was the best and most fan interactive part of the Tour of Utah.

In fact, Salt Lake City gets short shrift from the Tour of Utah this year.  There is no criterium around the city library, there is no loop through the city streets, there are two stages that end in Salt Lake City however.  We can all cheer on the sprinters, if there are any left, otherwise it might be a long drawn out affair and tedious as hell.  Stage two of the Tour of Utah has an innovative team time trial that should favor these hot dogs if they are not all testifying at the arbitration hearing of Lance Armstrong and if David Zabriskie can stay on two wheels.

But on the bright side, Big Mountain is back, time to test the old legs again.  A nice climb of about eight miles at about seven percent grade.  I have never tested my old 1987 Trek 1000 up that climb, but hey, I figure I am in reasonable shape so why not give it a go?  But forget climbing Little Cottonwood Canyon up to Snowbird Ski Resort, a nightmare traffic jam and a ozone concentration that will either kill you outright or lead to permanent mental or physical disability.  Only an insane person would attempt to climb Little Cottonwood canyon on race day and I'm not that crazy.

Right.  Some of the old contenders are back.  Levi Leipheimer (Omega Pharma Quick Step) the 2010 and 2011 defending Tour of Utah Champion.  Francisco "Paco" Mancebo Perez (Competitive Cyclist Racing Team) the 2009 Tour of Utah Champion.  Local favorite and Salt Lake City native Jeff Louder (United Healthcare) the 2008 Tour of Utah Champion.  Other notable and worthy riders, Fast Freddy Rodriguez (Team Exergy), Chris Horner, Joost Posthuma, Jens Voight (Radio Shack Nissan-Trek), and forever durable and tough Brent Bookwalter (BMC).

Every year the Tour of Utah peloton gets a little larger with an improved quality of teams and riders and the organizers are considering expanding the course to include the slick rock country around Moab.  Maybe they could add a stage around Arches National Park.  No matter what you think of Utah, some of the scenery in this state is breathtaking.

See you there.