Tour of Utah struggling to find sponsors, funds

This was supposed to be the biggest and best week of cycling in Utah's history.

The Tour of Utah, which received a prestigious spot on the International Cycling Union's calendar and was considered one of the few races in America worthy of such designation.

Then, in March, Tour of Utah officials announced they could not raise enough sponsorship dollars to hold the race and abruptly pulled the plug on the event, and executive director Ted Wilson resigned. The race will supposedly be held again in 2008 — assuming new leadership is able to find sponsors where previous leadership failed.

Professional cyclists such as Utah's Jeff Louder, Burke Swindlehurst and others from around the world were marking their personal calendars in anticipation of the seven-stage race.

"This was huge for me," Swindlehurst said when the race was postponed. "Utah is my home and I was really looking forward to showing it off to the best racers in the country. I really believe Utah has the best roads and mountains in the country for holding a big stage race like this. It really would have showcased Utah."

Now, the Tour of Utah Web site contains a press release announcing the race's cancellation for 2007 and little else.

With the backing of Zions Bank and the Larry H. Miller group of businesses, the Tour of Utah has a solid financial foundation. But without additional sponsors willing to step up and support a sport that is suffering from an image crisis thanks to international doping scandals, the 2008 race may not happen, either.

CYCLING FOR WEIGHT MANAGEMENT: Riding a bike can be one of the best ways to get fit, drop a few pounds and minimize the impact of aching joints and bones.

The Bonneville Bicycle and Touring club will hold weekly group rides where the focus is not on going fast and far, but on a healthy lifestyle.

"Enjoy cycling and want to drop a few pounds but need support and encouragement? This is the ride for you," reads the ride description. "We will ride 25 miles with the course varying each week. Principals of weight management, food intake tracking, troubleshooting and goal setting will be briefly reviewed before each ride. Be prepared to be active in the discussion. Then we are off to burn calories and those unwanted pounds."

The group meets tonight at 6:30 at the 1500 East entrance to Surgarhouse Park. If you're interested in joining the group, call Barbara Applebaum at 201-8923.