Embargo for release: 12/17/2018, 6:00AM Mountain Time
New National-Calendar Bicycle Race Announced for 2019 in Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, Utah (December 17, 2018) The SLCrit Organizing Committee is pleased to announce its inaugural race, The Salt Lake Criterium, to be held on July 20, 2019. The event, which will include amateur and professional fields, is on the USA CRITS Series national calendar and will be held under a USA Cycling permit.
“Our state is no stranger to professional racing with the long-running Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah. As the Tour of Utah is an international UCI race inviting World Tour teams, we believe the Salt Lake Criterium is a great opportunity to bring domestic pros for this exciting short-course, NASCAR-style, event to our community,” said the race director, Eric Gardiner.
The Salt Lake Criterium will be the 6th race on the 2019 USA CRITS Series calendar and expects to attract top pro teams from the women’s and men’s fields. Utah racer, Tiffany Pezzulo, who won the overall USA CRITS series in 2015 and 2017, is a proponent to bringing this series to Salt Lake City.
“I’ve always loved competing in USA CRITS events. The series sprint, lap, and young rider points keep the races animated, providing another dimension as racers chase points for individual and team titles. The hallmark USA CRITS racing is a fun course in a vibrant Downtown area with great opportunities for spectating at the local businesses along the course,” said Pezzulo, “Salt Lake City will be a great addition to the calendar.”
The Sponsor list, to-date, includes Visit Salt Lake, DNACycling, Cotton Sox Photography, and Peak Fasteners Construction Supply. The race will take place at The Gateway, an open retail, office, and residential space in downtown Salt Lake City. The all-day event will take place to benefit the Utah Food Bank.
About USA CRITS Series
Now in its 13th year, the USA CRITS Series is the premiere cycling series in the United States. USA CRITS was developed to feature criterium riders and to offer venues, teams and riders the ability to excel in a unique discipline of cycling. Starting in 2018, an effort to build the sport toward greater sustainability was taken on with the USACRITS.tv project. The events that form the USA CRITS Series showcase the ideals that make criterium racing an American legacy: challenging courses that showcase arts and entertainment districts, a large and growing base of spectators, broad community support, and strong marketing opportunities for partners. www.usacrits.com
About the Utah Food Bank
For over 110 years, Utah Food Bank has stayed true to our objective of serving those in need throughout our state. We work tirelessly with community partners and volunteers to continue making an impact and fulfilling our mission of Fighting Hunger Statewide.
Last year, Utah Food Bank distributed 32.7 million meals via a statewide network of 149 partner agencies located in all 29 counties. In addition to being one of only a handful of food banks that distributes food free-of-charge to partner agencies, we also offer several direct service programs to help the most vulnerable populations in our state — children and seniors. By combining these direct service programs with our emergency food assistance services, we can truly impact the lives of Utahns who live in a world of food insecurity. As Utah’s only member of Feeding America’s nationwide network of more than 200 food banks, we are proud to be a part of the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief organization. www.utahfoodbank.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/saltlakecrit
Instagram: @saltlakecriterium
Twitter: @saltlakecrit
Website: www.saltlakecriterium.com
For more information or sponsorship opportunities:
Eric Gardiner
Salt Lake Criterium
801-660-9173
ericgardiner@gmail.com