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SPRINGDALE, Utah (AP) — This year's Tour of Utah race will start in Springdale, against the wishes of many town officials and residents.

Many are not looking forward to traffic and tourists that the week-long cycling competition will bring into their hometown, the Spectrum in St. George reported.

Springdale Town Council members voted against becoming an official host town last October. A resolution of support failed to come to a vote in November.

Tour officials announced in early December that the race will begin at Zion Canyon Village outside the entrance to Zion National Park.

Springdale Councilman Adrian Player says people are concerned the August event will further congest the area at the height of tourist season.

"I personally don't care if we have the tour or not, but there was a huge outcry from the citizens about the impact at a time of year when we're full anyway," he said.

A news release says last year's tour brought $22 million to the state, drawing 380,000 spectators.

Village general manger Nate Wells says the race is one of the most popular cycling events, especially coming on the heels of the Tour de France.

"We are confident that we can pull it off," Wells said. "Congestion and parking, those are huge concerns. It's a 50-yard run along state Route 9 before you enter the park. That's the benefit of being able to stage the event here at Zion Canyon Village. We're in Springdale without having to have road closures all the way up through the town. We have adequate parking, more than enough for what they're requiring. We have over 250 parking spaces on our property and we have neighbors who have offered parking spaces as well. For the business owners, we live here and work here in this community and we want to have good memorable experiences for the visitors as well."

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Information from: The Spectrum

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