Road warriors: High-level bike-racing community in Utah absolutely thriving on tracks, in mountains

Dave Zabriskie and Levi Leipheimer are names with which many Utah sports fans have probably become familiar.

They race in the grandest bicycle race on the planet and do respectably well, if not quite performing to Armstrong-esque standards.

Both have deep roots to the Beehive State, and Zabriskie still logs hundreds of hours training along the Wasatch Front each year.

The cycling scene in Utah, however, is hardly limited to those stars.

"I think you'd really be surprised at the quality of cyclists we have here," said Jeff Louder, a professional cyclist riding for the Health Net-Maxxis team. "Zabriskie got his start here, and I think that says something about the people who train here."

Louder has been in races around the globe and will race with his team in next month's Tour of Utah.

Another Utahn of note is Burke Swindlehurst, who is from Cedar City but now calls Salt Lake City home. Though racing for different teams — Swindlehurst rides with the Navigators Insurance team — the two are fixtures in stage races and have eyes on possible spots with teams in future Tour de France competitions.

Louder finished second in last week's six-stage Cascade Cycling Classic in central Oregon but had the same combined time as the winner, losing only in a tiebreaker formula. Swindlehurst also competed and placed 17th.

Louder and Swindlehurst also placed first and second respectively at the Porcupine Hill Climb a few weeks ago — a race that took cyclists from Wasatch Boulevard to Brighton Ski Resort, a 14-mile stretch with more than 3,800 feet of elevation gain.

They are two of the brightest young stars in Utah's road biking scene.

But they are far from alone.

As many weekend drivers in Utah's canyons can attest, there are hundreds of cyclists on the roads at any given time. Some are more competitive than others and ride to train for events like the Tour of Utah, the Porcupine Hill Climb or the weekly criterium races. Others are more recreational riders with fitness in mind.

"I think people would really be surprised at what's going on here," said Gary Bywater, a long-time cycling proponent. "We've got some of the best athletes in the state. They just aren't that well known."

Bywater raced competitively for years. Now, he is "giving something back" to the Utah cycling community as a race official.