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The Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah is celebrating its 10th edition with further expansion.

The 2014 edition of the UCI-sanctioned USA Cycling professional race will expand to seven days and will begin a stage in Evanston, Wyo., in August as the Tour of Utah continues to grow and stretch across parts of Utah and now into other Western states. This year's Tour will feature 12 host cities and three first-time venues from Aug. 4 to 10, including Powder Mountain, Evanston and Kamas.

Steve Miller, president of Miller Sports Properties and the Tour of Utah, said in a news conference Tuesday that last year's race was a watershed moment for the event after extending to southern Utah for the first time. Miller said the success of races in Cedar City, Panguitch and Torrey increased TV viewership by 38 percent.

"We've witnessed tremendous growth over those 10 years starting at little Thanksgiving Point as a two- or three-day regional race, to now a multi-day UCI-sanctioned international event," Miller said during the news conference at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

The event annually features 600 miles of cycling and 38,000 feet of climbing and is growing as one of North America's more arduous stage races. The expansion to new host cities, another state and new terrain is what Sean Petty likes to see from one of his favorite races. Petty, the chief operating officer for USA Cycling, was on hand for the introduction of the 2014 race.

"The Tour of Utah is the model for stage racing in the United States," Petty said.

Three-time Tour of Utah veteran and four-time U.S. national road race champion Freddy Rodriguez spoke glowingly about the advancement of the race Tuesday.

"To be able to race at the top level back on your home turf is amazing, and that's what the Tour of Utah is allowing us to do," Rodriguez said.

2014 Tour of Utah

Stage 1 • Monday, Aug. 4: Cedar City

Stage 2 • Tuesday, Aug. 5: Panguitch to Torrey

Stage 3 • Wednesday, Aug. 6: Lehi to Miller Motorsports Park

Stage 4 • Thursday, Aug. 7: Ogden to Powder Mountain

Stage 5 • Friday, Aug. 8: Evanston, Wyo., to Kamas

Stage 6 • Saturday, Aug. 9: Salt Lake City to Snowbird

Stage 7 • Sunday, Aug. 10: Park City

Six of 16 professional cycling teams have accepted invites to the 2014 Tour of Utah: Belkin-Pro Cycling Team (Netherlands), BMC Racing Team (USA), Team Garmin-Sharp (USA), ORICA GreenEDGE (Australia), Trek Factory Racing (USA).