Race will start with an uphill prologue time trial at Snowbird Resort
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Travis McCabe (UnitedHealthcare) and Jasper Philipsen (Hagens Berman Axeon) clash in sight of the line(Image credit: Getty Images)
Sepp Kuss (LottoNL-Jumbo) enjoys his moment with the crowds(Image credit: Getty Images)
The peloton gets strung out on the way through Wolf Creek on stage 6 of the 2018 Tour of Utah(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
The peloton rolling through Salt Lake City(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
The peloton crosses over the causeway from Antelope Island.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich)
The organisers of the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah announced the host cities for the 2019 race, with another shake-up of the traditional finishing weekend in store for the seven-day 2.HC race that is scheduled for August 12-18.
The 2019 race will once again visit the Snowbird Resort, which has traditionally hosted the finish of the queen stage on the penultimate day, but this year the race will start at the ski station outside of Salt Lake City with an uphill prologue time trial to test out who's brought their climbing legs and who's properly acclimated to Utah's elevation.
It is the second prologue finish for the race since 2011, when Colombian Sergio Henao won the stage in Park City while racing with the Gobernation de Antioquia squad. The victory and his second place overall helped launch him into the WorldTour. The 2018 race started with a prologue in St. George.
The 2019 race will keep its northern orientation rather than visiting the red rocks in the southern part of the state, heading for North Logan City for stage 1 in what will be a new venue for the race. Stage 2 will take the peloton from Brigham City to Powder Mountain Resort for a mountain top finish at more than 2,100 metres of elevation.
Tom Danielson won on Powder Mountain the last time the resort hosted a stage finish in 2014.
The race will visit Antelope Island State Park and its bison herds again for stage 3, which finishes in North Salt Lake, another new venue for 2019. Stage 4 will take place in Salt Lake City, which has hosted multiple circuit races over the years. Stage 5 on the penultimate day starts and finishes at the Canyons Village in Park City, and the final day also starts and finishes in Park City, which has become a race tradition.
"We are excited to have these nine host communities for the 2019 Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah,” said John Kimball, managing director of the Tour of Utah. "Each community is a key player in showcasing the diverse beauty of our state. We are shaking up the traditional northern route with an overall start at Snowbird Resort. This provides an intriguing launch pad for the entire week, from a great setting for the team presentation to an uphill battle on the first day of racing for the leader’s jersey."
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LottoNL-Jumbo's Colorado native Sepp Kuss won the 2018 race, which started in St.George with a prologue time trial won by Tejay van Garderen, who was racing for BMC at the time. Kuss took three stages wins on his way to the overall win, including the queen stage from Park City to Snowbird and the final stage over Empire Pass. Kuss won by more than two minutes over Israel Cycling Academy's Ben Hermans and Mitchelton-Scott's Jack Haig. Other 2018 stage winners included UnitedHealthcare's Travis McCabe, who took two stages, and Hagens Berman Axeon sprinter Jasper Philippsen.
2019 Tour of Utah Host Cities
Prologue - Monday, Aug. 12 - Snowbird Resort Stage 1 - Tuesday, Aug. 13 - North Logan City Stage 2 - Wednesday, Aug. 14 - Brigham City to Powder Mountain Resort Stage 3 - Thursday, Aug. 15- Antelope Island State Park to North Salt Lake Stage 4 - Friday, Aug. 16 - Salt Lake City Stage 5 - Saturday, Aug. 17 - Canyons Village at Park City Mountain Stage 6 - Sunday, Aug. 18 - Park City
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