Spectators not required: Why Tour of Utah opts for scenery

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In the United States, professional bicycle races live and die by a simple mantra: More spectators equal more cash. When race promoters pitch potential sponsors, they boast the number of fans lining the road.

The need for big, cheering crowds often steers the events toward larger urban areas for stage starts and finishes. Larger cities also ante up cash and free services to the race — yet another reason to choose cities.

That’s not the case with the Tour of Utah. Since 2013 the race has actively sought out tiny, postage-stamp sized towns and rural roads in the state’s largely uninhabited southern half. Management has done this knowing that its overall spectator count — and bottom line — will suffer.

“We know when we’re planning the budget, when we come to rural communities we may take a hit,” said Jenn Andrs, executive director for the Tour of Utah. “We choose these [small] towns knowing that our spectator numbers will be small. It allows us to paint a better picture of the state.”

During Monday’s stage 1, the race started in Springdale (pop. 548), passed through Mt. Carmel Junction (pop. 435), Orderville (pop. 575), and Glendale (pop. 377) before finishing in Cedar City, which boasts a comparatively large population of 29,000. On Tuesday, the second stage began in Escalante (pop. 779), passed through Boulder (pop. 222) before finishing in Torrey (pop. 179).

By contrast, the rural stage of this year’s Amgen Tour of California, stage 5, began in the town of Lodi, which itself …

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