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In Pro Challenge’s absence, Tour of Utah gains momentum
- Updated: July 31, 2016
Home » Tour of Utah » In Pro Challenge’s absence, Tour of Utah gains momentum
Before this year, the Tour of Utah and USA Pro Cycling Challenge created a 15-day bloc of racing on the second half of the American cycling calendar. Sponsors, fans, teams and riders focused on the two events, with the Colorado race earning greater attention due to its bigger crowd sizes and larger media footprint.
This year, with the USA Pro Cycling Challenge on hiatus, the Tour of Utah has become the premier American cycling event on the racing calendar’s back half. According to race management, the race has seen an uptick in its sponsor lineup, VIP attendance, and even its domestic and international TV footprint.
The race has also gained importance for American pro teams.
“Before, with [USA Pro Challenge] and Utah, you had 15 total days of racing, which is 15 opportunities to get a great result,” says Mike Tamayo, director of Team UnitedHealthcare. “Now you’re down to seven opportunities to get a result. So there’s more pressure to do well at Utah.”
Boost in Business
According to Jenn Andrs, executive director for the race, the race has grown its media footprint, sponsor lineup, and domestic and international television coverage. In the offseason the race added new partners Clif Bar and Mavic, both of which were partners of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge.
Its foreign television coverage also grew. Sports media IMG sold the race’s 2016 TV package to Belgian TV network Eleven Sports, France’s L’Equipe Sports, and Sky Sports in New Zealand. Fox is also distributing the race in Australia.
Fox’s domestic TV coverage is also up this year, from 14 to 28 total hours of race coverage, including a primetime slot each night on the FS2 channel.
Andrs said the race has also seen an uptick in sales for its VIP packages. …
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