Tour of Utah wraps up this weekend

The Tour of Utah, one of five major multi-stage races in North America sanctioned by UCI, has been going on this week and wraps up Sunday. I just spent two weeks visiting Utah on our annual family vacation, so our entire family was well aware of the impending race, the excitement it was fostering around the state, some of the amazing routes and climbs it will feature (we left just before the race started, but we had driven several of the planned race routes during our stay), and the boost an international event like this gives to the sport of cycling across the entire state.  Like many states across the U.S., Utah is becoming a great place to bicycle. 

Tour of Utah

I'm sure I don't have to remind anyone--this year could have been the seventh annual edition of the Tour of Missouri.

In 2010, when state state leaders were discussing renewal of the Tour of Missouri--which brought in over $38 million economic impact to the state on a $1.5 million investment--their opinion was unanimous: Bicycle racing was on a big downslide in the U.S., and it was such an insignificant money-lower that no other state would even consider picking up such a dog of an event.

So was their prediction on the mark?

Not exactly--it would be more accurate to say it missed by a mile.

As of 2012, the USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Colorado--once described as "the race Colorado gained and Missouri lost"--continues its successful fourth year in 2013.

The Tour of Utah--which has been around for years but has greatly increased its stature as a UCI 2.1 event in recent years, and which fills part of the hole left by the demise of the Tour of Missouri--continues to successfully expand and increase its international standing, much as the Tour of Missouri did in its three-year run..

And these are only two of no less than five multi-stage races in North America sanctioned by the UCI this year.

So yeah--Missouri had a good thing, something other states wanted, and we just let it slip through our fingers.

As Utah Governor Gary R. Herbert said of the Tour of Utah:

Outdoor recreation is a big part of what we do… Utah is the ‘State of Sport.’ It’s another way to see Utah… we’ve got the beautiful vistas & venues that make it so attractive, I think, not only for competitors, but as a visual, broadcast throughout this country and in other nations.

Just replace Utah with Missouri--and our governor could have been saying the same thing about the Tour of Missouri in 2013 . . .

We're getting there in Missouri, but we're doing it slower and with other means--because there is no question about it, losing our state's premier, internationally recognized cycling event really hurt.