By Justin Adams | [email protected]

On Jan. 10, the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah announced that Herriman had been selected to host the race’s opening stage.

“We’re really excited,” said Herriman Parks and Recreation Director Wendy Thomas. “It’s a great way for people to see Herriman and the RSL training center.” 

Late last year, Real Salt Lake officials approached city leaders with the idea of jointly applying for the opening stage selection. Their offer was simple: City leaders would contribute $30,000 to put on the event, and they would take care of the rest. The council agreed and the application was submitted. 

In a Facebook post announcing Herriman as the opening stage host, the Tour of Utah described the city as a “thriving, emerging community that is not only a beautiful place to live, but ideal for recreation with 1,000+ acres of open space and parks, 45 miles of trails, a unique ice skating ribbon, a fishing and swimming reservoir, a 64-acre equestrian park, over 20 City events, and the largest recreation center in Salt Lake County.”

The race itself will take place on Monday, Aug. 3, but there will also be various events and festivities associated with the race’s opening stage happening in the preceding days, according to Thomas. Much of the event will be focused around the Zions Bank Stadium, home of the Real Monarchs. 

The race day itself will involve multiple road closures to accommodate the designated route. City officials will use a web page and other communication resources to inform residents of the road closures. 

“We want to make sure people are aware of the impact this will have on their day-to-day lives,” said Thomas.

As the host of the opening stage, Herriman will have a chance to show itself not only to Utah but the whole world. In 2019, the Tour of Utah race included 115 riders, attracted 400,000 spectators and was broadcast to 400 million more homes around the world. 

This year, the race was selected to be one of just three races in all of North America to be included in the Union Cycliste Internationale’s new ProSeries tour (one step below the World Tour that includes the likes of the Tour de France). 

The exposure will help Herriman market itself as an outdoor recreation destination, which is part of the city’s economic development strategy, said Thomas. 

“We’re making great strides in our outdoor recreation world,” she said. “That’s what we’re focusing some of our economic development strategy around is figuring how we get people out here to this great resource we have.”

What the actual route will look like or what events will be happening when are details city and RSL officials will be ironing out in the coming months.

“We’ll be planning over the next several months the route and all the events that will take place,” Thomas said. “There will be a lot of community events that weekend leading up to the race. We’re putting in all the leg work now to get things going.”