When the Tour of Utah comes to Park City this weekend, Parkites and visitors will be treated to some of the best cycling in North America.
The competition’s final two stages will start and finish in the Park City area on consecutive days beginning on Saturday. They will feature some of the top riders in the world, all competing in the six-day, six-stage event that began on Tuesday in North Logan City and culminates Sunday on Park City’s Main Street. The Tour of Utah has been coming to Park City for 10 years, with this year being the seventh the town has served as the host for the event’s final stage.
Jeff Corbett, course director for the Tour of Utah, said spectators are in for a world-class race.
“Certainly there’s multiple ways to look at the Tour of Utah as far as longevity or world ranking,” Corbett said. “Tour of California is higher ranked but certainly Utah is easily the second biggest stage race in the Western Hemisphere. … There’s nothing else that’s as well ranked and attended by both fans and riders competing.”
Stage 5 of the competition will be held on Saturday, beginning and ending at the heart of Canyons Village at Park City Mountain Resort. The stage, which is set to begin at 2:30 p.m. and conclude around 6 p.m., will consist of a 79.5-mile course that will climb over 5,000 feet.
Beginning at Canyons Village, the competitors will travel down Canyons Resort Drive and cross S.R. 224, so drivers should expect delays between 2:30-2:45 p.m. The race will then travel east on S.R. 248, heading out toward Kamas around 3:15 p.m., through Peoa and eventually hitting Hoytsville, where riders will turn around and pass Rockport Reservoir on their way to Brown’s Canyon Road.
The route will make its return to the Park City area, then riders will cross S.R. 224 at Kimball Junction and turn left on Olympic Parkway. Drivers should anticipate delays in the Kimball Junction area between 5 and 5:45 p.m. The race will continue the full length of Olympic Parkway, passing the Nordic jumps and bobsled track at Utah Olympic Park. Riders will return to Canyons Village from 5-6:15 p.m.
Stage 6, the final portion of the race, is scheduled to start Sunday at 12:30 p.m. and is expected to be finished around 3:45 p.m. It’s a grueling 72.8-mile stage that will climb over 10,000 feet throughout, beginning and ending at 250 Main St. The route will travel down S.R. 248 to Brown’s Canyon Road before an all-out sprint takes it to Kamas at around 1:15 p.m.. The course then heads into Wasatch County through Heber and Midway before returning to Park City with a brutal six-mile climb along Pine Canyon Road leading into Guardsman Pass. The final descent will lead to the finish line back on Main Street.
Spectators heading to Old Town to catch Sunday’s action should be advised that Main Street will be closed south of Heber Avenue starting at 4 a.m. There will also be temporary road closures on Swede Alley and Deer Valley Drive shortly after 12:30 p.m. as riders complete two ceremonial laps in Old Town.
“This is a vibrant and active community that truly appreciates cycling, so obviously it’s a draw and we aren’t going to avoid Park City,” Corbett said. “The race has always been extremely well supported there, so we like to come back to places where we are supported and welcome.”
