Having benefited from a UCI upgrade to 2.1 status plus the largest attendance of spectators in its seven year history, the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah has announced plans to push for more growth in 2012.
The event stated Tuesday that it had contracted two Utah-based companies, TWIO Brand and Saxton l Horne Advertising, to ‘build on the growing success of the event and generate a new visual identity and brand strategy.’
The first of those two companies will come up with a new brand identity for the race and provide marketing support, while the first will be involved in re-launching a new website. The aim is to generate a new appearance and feel to the race for next season.
The organisers also confirmed the 2012 dates for the event. It will take place in almost exactly the same timeslot as this year, starting two days earlier on August 7th and once again running for six days. It will remain a 2.1 event, and will hope to equal or exceed the number of Tour de France teams it had in 2011, namely five.
The UCI ranking positions it alongside the other top races, namely the Amgen Tour of California (2.HC), Alexian Brothers Tour of Elk Grove (2.1), Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah (2.1) and USA Pro Cycling Challenge (2.HC).
“2011 was a phenomenal year for us,” stated Steve Miller, the president of race owners the Utah Cycling Partnership. “We enjoyed positive impact from all facets of the event – the elevated UCI designation, a world-class field of pro teams, a record number of corporate partners and record attendance for race week. We want to continue the growth of our event. The Tour of Utah is not only a world stage to showcase professional athletes, but it is becoming a world stage to showcase our sponsors and partners.”
The 2011 race saw a big battle between RadioShack’s Levi Leipheimer and the Colombian rider Sergio Luis Henao Montoya, (Gobernacion De Antioquia-Indeportes Antiquia). The former triumphed by 23 seconds, while the latter took the final stage.
Their team-mates Janez Brajkovic and Oscar Sevilla were third and fourth, with the Garmin-Cervélo duo of Tom Danielson and Christian Vandevelde next in the general classification.
According to the organisers, the high interest in the 2011 event saw approximately 225,000 spectators watch the race over the six day time frame. It also has TV coverage plus webcasting, further expanding the appeal.