Been busy with my photography biz, and cycling got dropped on the climb. If you are in the South Bay and are heading over to the Oktoberfest in Campbell this weekend, the 21st and 22nd, check out my images and cycling cards at Booth #129, on the block across from Aquis. I spent a day with my Nikon and hummingbirds in the Santa Cruz Mountains about three weeks ago, and have some awesome hummingbird images. Follow the Link to have a look...

And now, a bit of cycling stuff. Just got this press release about the Tour of Utah. If you remember, I worked the first ToU as Coordinator of Volunteers. It was a huge job and extremely challenging to cover that big territory...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

America's Toughest Stage Race is on for 2008

Five stages, 342 miles, $75,000 purse and more than 30,000 ft. of climbing is back and geared upSALT LAKE CITY - Oct. 11, 2007 - Chairman of the 2008 Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah Presented by Zions Bank, Greg Miller of the Larry H. Miller Group, announced that the bike race, whose fourth edition was cancelled earlier this year, is back on for 2008. Miller also announced that veteran Utah bike racer, coach and cycling advocate, Terry McGinnis, is on board as the Tour's Executive Director.

Billed as "America's toughest stage race," the 2008 Tour of Utah will feature more climbing than any other bicycle stage race in the United States: 342 miles and 30,000 feet of climbing in five days. Dates for the event will be August 13 through August 17, 2008. "The purse is $75,000, which includes a brand new automobile," said McGinnis. "We're expecting more than 120 cyclists from the best teams in North America. This tour draws national attention, top-tier athletes, and will hopefully be one of only 25 USA Cycling National Race Calendar (NRC) events."

Race promoters postponed last year's Tour of Utah, due to financial constraints. This year, however, the promoters have restructured financial operations, downsized the race to five stages from a proposed seven, and focused on attracting domestic teams by virtue of an increased purse and possible NRC status. Miller also introduced professional cyclist Burke Swindlehurst as Technical Director. Swindlehurst not only plays an important role on the tour's board, but designed the courses and will act as team liaison. "With Swindlehurst's dedication, experience and know-how, the Tour's management is confident that we can put on a race that will match any other in quality and technical difficulty." said Miller, representing the Tour's title sponsor. "We are finishing what we started by delivering a product completely in line with what we envisioned."

"The 2008 Tour of Utah is going to be a huge draw to Utah," said Swindlehurst, who also races with the Toyota United Cycling Team. "The Tour's generous purse, experienced organizers, foresighted planning, riders, crowds, and events will mean one of the best cycling experiences of the year for the entire country. And it's going to be beautiful."

The 2008 Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah Presented by Zions Bank will proceed as follows: August 13, Stage One: Nephi to NephiThe first day's event will mean 101 miles through rolling, central Utah. Beginning and ending in Nephi, racers will cut through neighboring towns of Fountain Green, Wales, Spring City, Fairview, Moroni and Mount Pleasant, and include a total of 4,851 ft. of climbing. August 14, Stage Two: Salt Lake to OgdenFour climbs and a flat finish - 9,960 ft. of climbing. The road race will run 84 miles from Salt Lake City to Ogden, home of Weber State University. August 15, Stage Three: Downtown SLC CriteriumIn the heart of Salt Lake City, the Downtown SLC Criterium is a 90-minute race around a flat, four-cornered track. Fast and furious, the circuit is one mile in length. August 16, Stage Four: Deer Valley to SnowbirdA mountaintop finish following four fierce climbs for a total of 14,778 vertical feet. From Deer Valley Resort in Park City, through the outskirts of Salt Lake to Snowbird Ski Resort: a road race of 99 mountainous miles. August 17, Stage Five: Miller MotorSports Park Individual TTAn 18-mile time trial starting and finishing at the Miller Motor Sportspark in Tooele, UT. The course begins with a slight uphill, then drops and turns aggressively skyward to the turnaround, where racers will head back toward the finish. Short, with 650 ft. of climbing, for a fast, tough time trial.

The Larry H. Miller Group is a consortium of companies owning automotive, sports, entertainment and other enterprises in and around Salt Lake City, including the Utah Jazz and Miller Motorsports Park. LHM's involvement with the Tour of Utah dates back to 2006, when the Tour delivered Utah its "biggest cycling event in history."Zions Bank Corporation is one of the nation's premier financial services companies, consisting of a collection of great banks in select high growth markets. Zions operates over 500 full-service banking offices in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Washington.For more information about the Tour, stage profiles and other details, visit www.tourofutah.com, or contact Terry McGinnis at 801-558-2136.