Subaru of America Joins Tour of Utah Professional Cycling Event as Official Vehicle Sponsor

June 9, 2011 - PRLog -- SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH  –  For the rising stars of professional cycling, one of the top prizes at the 2011 Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah will be the new Subaru Best Young Rider Jersey. Subaru of America, Inc. has signed as a sponsor for “America’s Toughest Stage Race™”, which will include naming rights to one of the four classification jerseys presented daily at the August race. Subaru has also been designated the Official Vehicle of the Tour of Utah.

“Subaru vehicles are known for mastering almost any road condition and that’s what many of these top cyclists do in record time at the Tour of Utah,” said Lee Grodsky, Western Region Zone Director, Subaru of America, Inc. “We are thrilled to honor some of the best young cyclists with this award and hope that it inspires many more.”

The Wasatch Front Subaru Dealers plan extensive activation to promote the association with the Tour of Utah. Subaru will have a presence at the Tour of Utah Expo, presented by UnitedHealthcare, during the August 9-14, 2011 event, which will travel to six different host venues in Utah race week. At the Individual Time Trial stage (Aug. 12) at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, Subaru will feature its distinctive product line at the world-class track and will offer test drives for spectators. In addition, Subaru will be featured in pre-race marketing materials, on the event’s official Web site and on national broadcast television recap programming on FOX Sports Network during race week.
Visit http://www.tourofutah.com for details.

Each day during UCI stage races like the Tour of Utah, the up-and-coming athletes compete for a race within the race to be named the (Subaru) Best Young Rider. This prestigious jersey is presented at the awards ceremony after each stage based on the athlete’s overall placement at the finish line, the winner selected with the least amount of overall accumulated time. At the Tour of Utah, this athlete then earns the right to wear the light blue Subaru Best Young Rider jersey during the next day’s stage. In the six years that the Tour of Utah has been contested, there have been four Best Young Rider overall winners:

•2006-Blake Caldwell (age 22), Team TIAA-CREF
•2008-Peter Stetina (age 21), Garmin-Chipotle presented by H30
•2009-Alex Howes (age 21), Felt-Holowesko Partners
•2010-Ian Boswell (age 19), Bissell Pro Cycling Team

Subaru of America is active with a number of outdoor adventure sponsorships, including title support for the Subaru-Trek Mountain Bike Team and the official vehicle of the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), a nonprofit organization based in Boulder, Colo. There are approximately 600 Subaru dealers across the United States. “Our goal with the Tour of Utah has always been to partner with the best brands in the industry, just as we team up with the best cyclists on the planet. Subaru is renowned for its product reliability and customer loyality. With Subaru’s recognition as an active lifestyle brand, the Tour of Utah is a perfect fit. Fans will need to keep an eye on the Subaru Best Young Rider Jersey this year, as it has become one of the most exciting competitions within the race. We’re excited about the possibilities,” said Steve Miller, president of the Utah Cycling Partnership, which owns the Tour of Utah. The 7th edition of the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah will consist of an opening prologue and five stages. The Prologue will be hosted at Utah Olympic Park on Tuesday, August 9. Stage races will be hosted the next two days by Ogden and Provo, respectively. On August 12 an Individual Time Trial will be held for the fourth consecutive year at Miller Motorsports Park. This will be followed on Saturday by a circuit race in downtown Salt Lake City and the closing “Queen Stage” on Sunday from Park City to Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort in Little Cottonwood Canyon.

The Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah continues to be free to all spectators, making professional cycling one of the most unique pro sports in the world today. Official information will be posted at www.tourofutah.com, with updates on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

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Nate Wade Subaru, located at 1207 S Main St in Salt Lake City, UT, is one of the longest standing Subaru Dealers in the USA and is the oldest exclusive Subaru Dealer. We offer the largest inventory of New and used Subaru's in Utah.