The sport of professional cycling has seen its share of economic ups and downs the past year or two as the global economy has taken its toll on races, teams and riders.

The Tour of Utah, likewise, is seeing a bit of a pull-back in some regards but that is not preventing the six-day race from attracting many of the best domestic pro teams.

Wednesday, Tour of Utah director Terry McGinnis released a list of 16 teams that have applied for and been granted spots in what many call the toughest bicycle race in America.

"Riders from all over the globe will test themselves over Utah's challenging, and incredibly scenic terrain," said McGinnis in his announcement. "We have added a prologue this year, increasing the race to six days, and more than 325 miles."

The race, which begins August 18 with a prologue time trial starting and ending at the state capitol, will cover more than 325 miles of Utah's most challenging canyons and demanding roads.

Salt Lake City's Jeff Louder, riding this week in the Tour of Belgium with his BMC Pro Cycling team, will be back to defend his title. Burke Swindlehurst, also a Salt Lake resident and a cyclist for the Bissell Pro Cycling team, will also return and try to dethrone his good friend and training partner atop the final podium.

Other cyclists expected to compete include Floyd Landis, who is now racing with the OUCH/Maxxis team. Team Garmin is also expected to send a squad as will the Lance Armstrong developmental team Trek/Livestrong with features one of the brightest rising stars in the sport, Taylor Phinney.

"Winning last year's event helped catapult me to an entirely new level of recognition, confidence and respect," Louder said. "This tour is easily among the most challenging courses on the National Racing Calendar (NRC), and should not be missed."

Currently, eight pro teams have committed to racing the event which wraps up August 23 with a crowd-pleasing criterium around Washington and Library squares in downtown Salt Lake City.

With a prize purse of more than $45,000, the event is one of the biggest on the NRC.

E-mail: jeborn@desnews.com