Tour of Utah field announced

Organisers of the inaugural Tour of Utah in the USA have announced the team line-up for the race, which begins on August 7. 16 American teams and nearly 100 riders will compete in the six day race, covering over 800 km.

"I've dreamt for years of competing with the best riders on the beautiful roads of my home state," said local pro cyclist, and member of the Navigators Insurance team, Burke Swindlehurst. "Thanks to the Tour of Utah, the dream has become reality and I couldn't be more excited!"

The race begins Monday, August 7 at 3 p.m. with the 169 km NuSkin Road Race. Stage 2 will take riders more than 145 km from downtown Provo to the Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele. Stage 3 is an individual time trial, in Heber. On Thursday, riders get their first taste of the mountain stages when they climb to the top of Mt. Nebo. Friday night will see the Salt Lake City circuit race, which is expected to be popular among the crowds. The final stage, on Saturday, August 12, will include more than 12,000 feet of climbing as riders race for 183 km from Deer Valley to the finish line at Snowbird.

On Friday night, prior to the downtown circuit race in Salt Lake City, local riders are invited to participate in the first annual Freedom Peloton. This ride of a lifetime will raise money for the Larry H. Miller Charities for the benefit of education and promotion of child health and fitness in Utah. Donations will also be made to the Utah Bicycle Coalition. Each rider must raise a minimum of $100 to participate in the Freedom Peloton; the rider who raises the most money will receive a free one-year lease of an official Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah vehicle.

OLN commentator Bob Roll will get into the action on stages 5 and 6. Roll, who also rode the Tour de France in the 80's, will participate in the Tour's charity ride and serve as announcer for stages 5 and 6.

Teams: Navigators Insurance, Toyota United, Health Net by MAXXIS, TIAA CREF, Kodakgallery.com/Sierra Nevada Pro Cycling, Symmetrics Cycling, Priority Health, Team Successful Living Pro Cycling, Team Einstein's Cycling, Team End (Utah All Stars), Sienna Development-Goble Knee Clinic, California Giant Strawberries, Vitamin Cottage, BMS Racing, Broadmark and the KJZZ composite team.

Stage 1 - August 7: NuSkin Road Race, 168 km
Stage 2 - August 8: Provo - Tooele, 149 km
Stage 3 - August 9: Heber ITT, 12.7 km
Stage 4 - August 10: Provo - Mt. Nebo., 151 km
Stage 5 - August 11: Salt Lake City circuit race, 68 km
Stage 6 - August 12: Deer Valley - Snowbird, 183 km