Payson Prepares for Part in Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah

Troy Lerwill (pictured here) receiving a Payson High School Distinguished Alumnus award.   Troy and wife, Kirsten, have been chosen to serve as ancillary members of a local committee now overseeing projects associated with Payson's role as a tour stop during the summer's Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah.

Preparations are underway in Payson, since the city was named a stop for the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah. City Manager Dave Tuckett reported during a recent city council meeting that a committee comprised of community members is already under construction.

“It looks like it's going to be a good committee,” he said. Among them, noted Mr. Tuckett, are local Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA) entertainer, Troy Lerwill and wife, Kirsten, who will serve as ancillary members.

The 2013 Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah will begin Monday, August 5 with opening festivities in Cedar City, and continue across the state for six days of racing, Tuesday, August 6 to Sunday, August 11. It continues for a third consecutive year as one of the top professional cycling events in North America, a 2.1-rated stage race sanctioned by the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale). Last year seven of the total 17 teams competed earlier in the year at the Tour de France. Known as “America’s Toughest Stage RaceTM”, the Tour of Utah featured 38,500 feet of climbing over the 543 miles covered in six days in 2012.

Spanning almost the entire length of the state, the Tour of Utah will begin in southern red rock country near world-famous Bryce Canyon National Park. It will finish among the alpine peaks of the Wasatch Front in northern Utah. The state is home to five National Parks and seven National Monuments; the Tour of Utah will have host venues near four of these natural treasures, three in the south and one to the north. Three Utah ski resorts will host either a stage start or a stage finish. The week of competition will include five road races and one circuit race. Detailed routes and race mileage will be announced in the coming months.

Stage Three will bridge the central region of Utah in Richfield with Payson in the Utah Valley to the north.  Richfield is the largest city in south-central Utah, nestled in the high desert of Sevier County. This mile-high city marks the midway point in mileage between Cedar City and Salt Lake City. Surrounded by the beauty of the Fishlake National Forest, Richfield is an outdoor recreation heaven. The Stage Three finish will take the Tour to the south side of Utah Lake, where Payson rests in the shadows of the Wasatch Front. The scenery in Payson has made this a popular location for the film industry, as it was the location for “Footloose” and the television series Touched by an Angel. The Tour has passed through this section of the Provo-Orem metropolitan area in previous years, but this is the first time it has hosted a stage finish.

The Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah began as a three-day Thanksgiving Point Stage Race & Cycling Festival over Memorial Day weekend in 2004. The Utah Cycling Partnership, owned by the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies, purchased the event in 2007 and re-launched the cycling event in 2008 as a five-day National Racing Calendar event. In 2011, the Tour of Utah was elevated by the UCI to a 2.1-rated stage race on the UCI America Tour. The race is also sanctioned by USA Cycling, Inc.

The Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah continues to be free to all spectators, making professional cycling one of the most unique pro sports in the world today. More than 2,000 volunteer positions will be filled over the course of the week, and registration is available on the Tour’s web site,www.tourofutah.com. Additional Tour updates can be followed via Facebook, Twitter andVimeo.