Category: Opinion

Tour of Utah’s Triple Whammy

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On January 20, 2011

In Blog, News, Opinion

A few months ago I ran into a friend of mine while awaiting a flight at Denver International Airport (which, by the way, is DEN not DIA!). He works for Medalist Sports (the company that puts on The Amgen Tour of California, Tour de Georgia, Tour of Missouri, and the Quizno’s Pro Challenge) so it made sense that he was likely in Colorado working on the Quizno’s Pro Challenge. What didn’t make sense was why he might be flying to Salt Lake City since he lives in the east.

I asked him about this and he told me, in confidence, that he was spending quite a bit of time in Utah lately. He sort of raised his eyebrows and gave me one of those, “you know what I’m trying to tell you, but can’t actually say out loud, right?” kind of looks. At which point it was only logical for me to assume that Medalist was being looked at to possibly put on The 2011 Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah. I considered that to be great news.

Don’t get me wrong. The Tour of Utah is and has been a fantastic race, but with the arrival of the Quiznos Pro Challenge, the instant credibility and popularity the Colorado race has received as a result of Lance Armstrong’s involvement, and its proximity in time to the Tour of Utah (Quiznos is Aug 22-28 and TOU is Aug 9-14), I’ve been pretty concerned about the future of “America’s Toughest Stage Race.” Would the Colorado race overshadow the Utah event and, thereby, cause its demise like so many other great American cycling events (I already mentioned the Tour de Georgia and Tour of Missouri, right?)?

Today we all received official confirmation (by way of a press release from the Tour of Utah) of my buddy’s raised eyebrows and not-so-subtle hint: Medalist Sports will indeed be managing race planning and operations for the 2011 edition of the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah.

Great news, right? Wait, it gets even better.

The release also says that the Tour of Utah is now UCI-sanctioned, ranking it at the top of road races in North America and ensuring that an international cadre of teams and riders will attend. Sweetening the deal is an increase in purse from $40,000 to a whopping $150,000.

From my perspective, the Tour of Utah is still in a fragile position, but this triple whammy of news gives it the shot in the arm it needed to hopefully keep it from the pro cycling race graveyard. The Tour of Utah now joins the Tour of California and the Quiznos Pro Challenge as the North American races everyone will watch and pay attention to. It is now up to the fans, the teams, the riders, Medalist, the Miller family, and the State of Utah to ensure that it lives up to expectations so that its future viability and popularity can be maintained.

As of today there can be no doubt that the Tour of Utah has come a long way from 2007 when that year’s event was canceled for lack of sponsorship. Let’s hope that today’s news means a long, healthy, exciting and prosperous life for America’s Toughest Stage Race.

Here is the complete press release from The Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah:
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH (January 20, 2011) u2013 Entering its seventh year in 2011, the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah cycling race has been elevated by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to one of the top three professional stage races for road cycling in North America. Organizers will invite 15 domestic and international professional cycling teams to participate and increase prize money from $45,000 to $150,000, as part of the UCI sanctioning rules. The six-day event, known as “America’s Toughest Stage Race”, will be held August 9-14, 2011, featuring a prologue and five stages for an estimated 400 miles of racing across traditionally diverse and mountainous terrain.

Steve Miller, president of the Utah Cycling Partnership which owns the Tour of Utah, announced that the event has hired Medalist Sports to manage race operations and logistics for the 2011 race. Medalist Sports will oversee the competition and technical production of the Tour, as well as the development of the local organizing committees in each start and finish venue. Medalist Sports specializes in the production of professional cycling competitions and mass-participation, fundraising events around the country. The company also is the event management arm for the Amgen Tour of California (May 15-22), USA Cycling Professional Championships (May 28-30) and the Quiznos Pro Challenge (Aug 22-28).

For 2011, the Tour of Utah will be part of the UCI America Tour, covering professional cycling events on both the continents of North America and South America. The UCI America Tour includes 34 sanctioned events for professionals in 2011. Tour of Utah and the Quiznos Pro Challenge are the only 2.1-class events in North America. The 2.HC (hors categorie) Amgen Tour of California received the highest rating of the UCI America Tour road calendar.

“It’s really quite an honor to be able to organize and host a race of this caliber and level. This is really big for Utah. Professional cycling provides a unique setting from which we can showcase our beautiful State. It’s great for spectators. It’s great for athletes and it’s particularly great for tourism,” said Miller, who first became involved with the event in 2005 as a sponsor. “We’re very grateful to the fans and sponsors, without whom, this race simply would not be possible. Whereas in years past we’ve been able to attract a handful of the world’s best racers, this year the entire field will be the who’s who of professional cyclists.”

The Tour of Utah began in 2004 as a three-day race and was upgraded to a National Racing Calendar event by USA Cycling in 2008. The Tour is now sanctioned by both USA Cycling, Inc. and the UCI, the international governing body for the sport of cycling.

“Thanks to the support and dedication of the Miller family, local sponsors and staff, The Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah has very quickly grown into one of America’s top stage races,” said USA Cycling CEO Steve Johnson. “Now, with its placement on the UCI calendar as a category 2.1 stage race, the Tour of Utah will join the ranks of the world’s top cycling events and feature an international field with some of the best professional teams in cycling.”

One of the distinguishing elements in the elevated status of the 2011 Tour of Utah is that organizers are not allowed to include amateur teams and athletes, but are permitted to invite teams and athletes from the sport’s highest level, UCI World Tour, including UCI ProTeams, UCI Professional Continental and domestic Continental Teams. Amateur teams and athletes can only take part in NRC events and lower- rated UCI events, where they are eligible for domestic racing points.

A total of 15 professional teams will be invited to race the Tour of Utah, with organizers extending initial invitations to select UCI ProTeams later this month. Each team is expected to field a team of eight riders, for a total of 120 of some of the world’s best competing across the mountains, buttes and plateaus of Utah, vying for UCI points, award jerseys and cash prizes totaling $150,000. Last year’s race was won by Levi Leipheimer, a member of Team RadioShack (a UCI ProTeam) but racing as an individual with Mellow Johnny’s.

Announcements about confirmed teams and the host venues for each start and finish line will be made in February. 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. Official information will be posted atwww.tourofutah.com, and race fans are encouraged to follow updates on Facebook and Twitter.

About the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah
Deemed “America’s Toughest Tour,” the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah presented by Zions Bank, is a six-day, six-stage, professional bicycle road race along the Rocky Mountain’s Wasatch Range. It traditionally covers more than 400 total miles of racing through some of Utah’s most beautiful and challenging terrain. Now in its 7th year, the 2011 Tour of Utah is scheduled to take place August 9-14 as a UCI 2.1 sanctioned road race for the best pro cyclists in the world. The event is owned and operated by the Utah Cycling Partnership. The 2011 Tour of Utah will be accompanied by a colorful, rolling festival celebration that will take place at each day’s finish line host venue. More information can be found by visiting www.tourofutah.com.

About the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies
The Larry H. Miller Group of Companies began with a single automotive dealership, Larry H. Miller Toyota, in Murray, Utah in 1979. Since that time, the Group has amassed more than 80 businesses and properties in the western United States. Most notable are the Utah Jazz NBA professional basketball franchise, EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, the Salt Lake Bees Class-AAA professional baseball affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, state-of-the-art Miller Motorsports Park, Megaplex Theatres across Utah and 40 automobile dealerships representing 23 different automotive brands in seven Western states.

About Medalist Sports
Medalist Sports, LLC is an international, full-service, sports management and production company. An industry leader, Medalist Sports specializes in the successful planning, promotion and management of special events, ranging from professional competitions to amateur experiences, to cause-related/fundraising events. Members of the Medalist team are proud to have been involved with and helped manage such events and properties as Tour DuPont, Tour of China, Amgen Tour of California, Quiznos Pro Challenge, Tour de Georgia, Tour of Missouri, the Lance Armstrong Foundation (Livestrong Challenge), USA Cycling Professional Championships, the Tour of Hope, The Dempsey Challenge presented by Amgen and more. Medalist Sports’ headquarters are located south of metro Atlanta at P.O. Box 415, Tyrone, GA 30290. The company website is www.medalistsports.com.

Guest Editorial

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On August 13, 2008

In Opinion, Rides, Safety

A week-and-a-half ago, I participated in the Felt Tour de Park City, a local event that included a 170-mile USCF-sanctioned road race, and 170-, 100- and 50-mile tours of the wonderful northern Utah mountains. I originally planned to do the 170-mile tour, but my coach cautioned that this would have a negative effect on my training for the Alps. Who am I to argue with a professional coach?

I wasn’t too pleased with the planning, execution, rider/racer support or with my local newspaper’s coverage thereof. I sent an email to the race/ride organizer that went unanswered, so I sent a similar letter to the local paper. They printed it today as a guest editorial.

Give it a read and let me know what you think.

10 iPhone Criticisms Revisited

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On July 9, 2008

In General, Opinion

Last September I wrote a blog post entitled 10 Reasons Why I Returned my iPhone. I purchased an iPhone just prior to leaving for Interbike, and by the time I came home I was happy to get rid of it. And I told you some of the reasons why.

With the new 3G iPhone coming out on Friday, I am once again caught in the Steve Jobs Reality Distortion Field and have caught iPhone fever once again. This time, however, I’ve decided to carefully analyze whether or not this really is, as some have called it, the Jesus Phone.

So I decided to go back to my original post and revisit some of my earlier criticisms of the iPhone as an objective way of determining whether I need to be at the Apple Store at 8:00 a.m. on Friday Morning. Under each, criticism I explain the new situation and indicate whether this is still valid or has now become moot.

Here goes:

Criticism 1: 3G v. EDGE
This should be easy, right? I mean, the new iPhone is called the 3G iPhone after all. Unfortunately, all is not as it seems. Yes, the new iPhone has 3G capabilities on AT&T’s HSDPA network. Unfortunately, this network is nowhere near as widespread geographically as the CDMA 3G networks of Sprint and Verizon. As a current Verizon 3G customer, I can’t remember the last time I didn’t have 3G coverage. Looking at AT&T’s Coverage Viewer, I won’t have 3G more than I will. Including at home.
Valid

Criticism 2: Typing
Nothing has changed here.
Valid

Criticism 3: Third Party Apps
In a matter of hours, iTunes 7.7 will be released and, along with it, the iTunes App Store. The App Store is supposed to launch with thousands of applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch, many of them free.
Moot

Criticism 4: They Want to Brick my iPhone
Prior to the App Store the only way to install third party applications was to unlock your iPhone, something Apple and AT&T looked down upon. So much so that if you did it, you might just end up with a doorstop instead of a communications device. Now that the App Store is here, I don’t care if they want to brick unlocked phones because there’s just no reason to unlock one in the first place.
Moot

Criticism 5: I Can Do That With My Treo . . . Only better
Once again, the App Store has made this a moot point. Apple’s developers are well-known for creating elegant, easy-to-use, powerful programs to handle a wide variety of tasks. Compared to what I expect on the App Store, the Treo’s apps are about to look about as elegant as those on my old TRS-80.
Moot

Criticism 6: Headphone/Microphone/Speaker
Steve listened loud and clear (pun intended) to this criticism. The headphone jack is no longer recessed, the speakers and microphone are improved. All is right with the world.
Moot

Criticism 7: Crippled Bluetooth
Just when I was on a roll! Bluetooth is still inexplicably crippled on the iPhone. You can’t use stereo Bluetooth headphones and you can’t use Bluetooth for tethering the phone with your computer. Come on, Apple!
Valid

Criticism 8: GSM Buzz / GSM Gurgle
Apple chose GSM presumably so that the phone would work all across the world. There’s no changing the technology so this is a take-it-or-leave-it issue.
Valid

Criticism 9: AT&T Can’t Port My Number
Turns out this is more a problem with my present carrier (Verizon) than with AT&T. When I moved to Utah, Verizon gave me a number that coincides with a prairie dog colony somewhere in the middle of nowhere. AT&T doesn’t offer service there (who whould?) and so they therefore can’t port my number. I can live with a new number.
Valid, but who cares?

Criticism 10: Not Enough Memory
16GB is better than 8GB, so I guess this has become moot. 32 or 64 would have been better, but I can live with this too. How often do I listen to Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five anyway?
Moot

Okay, give me a second while I tally the score. . . .

You’ve got to be kidding me!

It’s a tie. 5-5 on the Valid-Moot-O-Meter.

Oh well. Guess I’ll see you Friday morning. You bring the coffee and I’ll save your place in line.

Scary and Enlightening

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On May 27, 2008

In Opinion, Safety

Recently while out on a ride, our friends Yehuda Moon and Joe got yelled at by a passing motorist. Yehuda wondered, “can you ever make out what they say?”

At one time or another, all of us have had the same experience as Yehuda and Joe. Some motorist who hates us simply for being on two wheels careens past us at an uncomfortably close distance while screaming some profanity-laced invective intended to send us crawling behind the wheel of the largest SUV we can find, never to darken a bike lane again.

Whenever I have an experience like this, I spend the next 10 or 15 miles wondering why the motorist was so angry. Did I veer from my lane? Did I hold them up as they were rushing a pregnant woman to the hospital? Did their mother run off with a middle-aged lycra-clad cyclist?

More often than not I conclude that the problem was simply my mere existence. I hadn’t veered from my lane. I hadn’t inadvertently splashed their car with Cytomax when I opened my water bottle on the last downhill. I hadn’t even run a stop sign. No, they just hate me because I’m a cyclist and I am using a small portion of their precious roadway. No matter your race, color, creed or religion, you are finally a minority; you are a cyclist.

(cue the scary music)

If you think I’m wrong or that I am overreacting, I urge you to take a look at this web site (note: do not click this link if you are under 18 or easily offended by bad language and/or idiotic forum posts) where people (and I use that term loosely) discuss the recent incident in Australia as discussed on last week’s show.

In a nutshell, it is alleged that a driver felt that he was inconvenienced by a group of cyclists on a training ride, so he pulled in front of the pack and slammed on his brakes, causing 50 cyclists to go down. Thankfully nobody sustained serious or life-threatening injuries.

The comments related to this incident are both scary and enlightening. Samples of some of the worst include:

God, I hate cyclists. They dress up in their jester costumes and make the life of every motorist a nightmare.

Love biking but hate cyclists. Would have loved to see the video.

I think they should pay for any damage to the bumper.

I would have paid good money to see cyclists biting the dust.

This guy’s my hero. I don’t know how many times I’ve had to resist the urge to plow right through a herd of sprocket heads taking up the entire lane of a 60 mile an hour road.

. . . and even a little vitriol from a fellow cyclist:

I ride in the street, I ride on sidewalks, and when tough guys honk at me or scream about how I shouldn’t be on the street, I juke their car with my New York-style chain lock. It does serious damage and I ride away since they’re stuck in traffic and can’t catch me.

It should be noted that there are a larger number of posts supporting the cyclists and skewering the driver than comments filled with anti-cyclist hate speech. Perhaps this is indicative of the proportion of tolerant to intolerant drivers in general, but I think it behooves every one of us to understand that this hatred exists, even if only in a small number of motorists, and to be ever more cautious, courteous, and on our guard at all times.

By the way, if you want to see what this road looks like, click here to see a Google Maps satellite view. It is 3 lanes in each direction, plus a bike lane on each side. You mean to tell me that this guy couldn’t have gone around the cyclists and gone about his life without causing all this pain and suffering?

You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby!

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On May 23, 2008

In General, Opinion

Remember those old Virgina Slims advertisements that showed 19th Century women toiling away at household chores while their 20th Century counterparts went about lives of liberation and fulfillment? According to an article from Mental Floss Magazine that a friend recently sent, the bicycle has had a lot to do with helping women come so far in the past 100+ years.

The article’s impetus was a celebration of the formation of the women’s suffrage movement 139 years ago this month by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. It explores the lifestyle of and restrictions placed upon the 19th Century woman by the social mores of the time, including the surprising revelation that restricting undergarments to less than seven pounds (7 pounds!) was actually a liberation of sorts.

But what was perhaps even more liberating was the growing popularity of the bicycle.

Despite enormous societal pressure against women riding bicycles, let alone exerting themselves, women saddled up and became mobile. This necessitated the wearing of bloomers which, according to the article, might have been a sort of “gateway garment,” thereby emboldening the wearers to “participate in such dastardly pursuits as business or reading.” There even arose a new enterprise that provided chaperones for women cyclists in order to ensure that they did not engage in any additional unladylike behaviors.


Nevertheless, cycling persevered and so did women cyclists. Along the way, women got the vote, got out of the house, became CEOs, entrepreneurs, soldiers, and even, dare I say, professional cyclists.

The article in Mental Floss quotes Susan B. Anthony as having said, “I think [bicycling] has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world.” I like to think that’s true. Just ask women like Kristin Armstrong, Jackie Phelan, and you!

You’ve come a long way, baby!

Note: While the bicycle may have helped emancipate women, many believe that the Virginia Slims ad campaign was responsible for a rapid increase in smoking among teenage girls. The FredCast does not endorse or condone smoking. If you want to inhale something, strap on a helmet and go for a ride!

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