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SALT LAKE CITY — The 2015 Tour of Utah will feature 16 of the best men’s cycling teams on Aug. 3-9. The route for the men's and women's races was released Thursday.

With a 51,442-feet elevation gain during the 712-mile course, the race has been named “America’s toughest stage race” and is considered the most challenging races in North America, according to a Tour of Utah news release.

The Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah gained international status in 2011 when it was sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale, and in 2015, the race has been elevated to a 2.HC rating, one of only four such events in North America, the news release said. This year’s Tour of Utah will continue as the first internationally sanctioned cycling competition in North America for men, following the Tour de France.

“With the route for the Tour of Utah changing each year, we are proud to design courses that continue to challenge the best cyclists on the planet with the toughest mountain terrain,” Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah executive director Jenn Andrs said in a news release. “The race route gives us an opportunity to showcase the diverse beauty of northern Utah, and a portion of Idaho for the first time, making it a win-win scenario for new communities and cycling fans.”

The 2015 race will be the second-longest course in 11 years and will pass 10 ski resorts, several state parks and will run through part of Idaho. Here’s the route for the men’s 7-day race.

Stage 1: Monday, Aug. 3, from 9:15 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.,132 miles

At 132 miles, the first leg of the race will be the longest opening day in Tour of Utah history, the news release said. The route will take riders from downtown Logan, through Logan Canyon and Garden City, then navigate 48 miles around Bear Lake, passing into Idaho on the north side of the lake. The race will return through Garden City and Logan Canyon and the first leg will end in downtown Logan along North 100 East and Federal Avenue.

Stage 2: Tuesday, Aug. 4, from 10:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.,100.3 miles

Stage 2: 100.3 miles. Graphic Credit: Tour of Utah

The second leg of the tour will begin in Tremonton and riders will race along Highway 89 to Honeyville, Brigham City, Perry and Willard, the news release said. The race will continue through Ogden where it will head west through Ogden Canyon and around Pineview Reservoir before returning to Ogden via the North Ogden Divide. Once the race re-enters downtown Ogden, spectators will be able to watch three laps of a 2.28-mile circuit before the cyclists finish at historic 25th Street across from Ogden Municipal Gardens.

Stage 3: Wednesday, Aug. 5, from 10:05 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., 1**07.9 miles**

The third leg of the race takes cyclists through Davis County for the first time and begins at Antelope Island State Park, the news release said. The race will go four miles on the island and will then cross the seven-mile causeway. Racers will continue up the North Ogden Divide and the Eden Valley, and after racing around Pineview Reservoir, will head up Trapper’s Loop.

The race will re-enter Davis County and have two nine-mile circuits in Bountiful, including 400 North along the Bountiful Bench. The third leg will finish in downtown Bountiful at Main Street and Center Street.

Stage 4: Thursday, Aug. 6 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.,128.7 miles

The fourth leg will start and finish at Soldier Hollow in the Heber Valley. The race will go up Daniels Canyon past Strawberry Reservoir and into Duchesne County for the first time, the news release said. The route will continue through the Uinta National Forest, up Wolf Creek Pass and into Woodland, passing through Midway on the way back to Soldier Hollow.

Stage 5: Friday, Aug. 7 from 4:40 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.,55 miles

Stage 5: 55 miles. Graphic Credit: Tour of Utah

The fifth leg of the race will circle through downtown Salt Lake City, starting on 500 North near the Utah State Capitol, the news release said. It will continue past City Creek Canyon, the Avenues neighborhood, the University of Utah and then down South Temple where it will turn right on State Street. The route will then turn on North Temple to 200 West, passing through the Marmalade and Capitol Hill neighborhoods.

The race will continue right on 600 North before turning onto Wall Street and Zane Avenue and then finishing at the Utah Capitol. The race will do seven laps around the downtown loop, for a total of 55 miles. Spectators can watch at Reservoir Park where they can see the race pass on three sides of the park.

Stage 6: Saturday, Aug. 8 from 10:50 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.,110.4 miles

This 110-mile leg includes 12,959 feet of climbing from Salt Lake City to the Snowbird Ski Resort. The sixth leg will start in front of the historic Rio Grande Depot in downtown Salt Lake City, go past Pioneer Park and turn onto 800 North to Emigration Canyon. The race will continue through Morgan and Summit counties on the way to Park City and through Guardsman Pass, followed by the fast descent of Big Cottonwood Canyon to Wasatch Boulevard.

This leg will finish with the six-mile climb of Little Cottonwood Canyon to the Snowbird Ski Resort.

Stage 7: Sunday, Aug. 9, from 12:20 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.,78 miles

The 78-mile final leg will start and finish on historic Main Street in Park City and include one of the toughest climbs in the world at Empire Pass. This six-mile climb has a gradient that averages 10 percent, with inclines greater than 20 percent, the news release said.

During the 2014 Tour of Utah, former world champion and Tour de France champion Cadel Evans caught and passed the lead group on the Mine Road, reaching speeds of more than 60 miles per hour.

The Tour of Utah Women’s Edition: Criterium Classic Route Highlights

The women’s race will be a two-day event and will follow similar routes as the men’s first and second legs.

The top women’s professional and elite cycling teams will race for 75 minutes on a technical 1.5-mile course in downtown Logan for the first leg. It will start at 100 East and Federal Avenue at 11 a.m. and will turn left on Center Street and start a long, gradual climb through Boulevard to 400 East. Then the riders turn left on 300 North and encounter a fast downhill to the finish line.

The women’s second leg will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. in Ogden. The start/finish will be located on historic 25th Street and Kiesel Avenue, across from the Ogden Municipal Gardens. The 1.5-mile circuit turns right on Washington Avenue to 28th Street, followed by a right turn on Grant Avenue, a left turn on 26th Street, a right turn on Lincoln Avenue, then a final right turn on Historic 25th Street to the finish line.

Commuters should be aware of the times and areas for each leg of the race and avoid those areas if possible.

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