Spring Tour of St. George

A Tour of the Layers of St. George

The Spring Tour of St. George is a road-cycling tour run by Ride Southern Utah, starting and finishing downtown by Town Square on a Saturday in April. It is billed as a tour rather than a race. Riders are chip-timed, but the day is built around themed rest stops, rolling support and a catered lunch back at the finish, and the organizer pitches it as a kickoff to the cycling season.

The organizer's pitch is that the ride shows off the different layers of the landscape that surround the city: red rock cliffs, sandstone, the Pine Valley Mountains above, and cottonwoods along the Virgin and Santa Clara rivers.

The Route

From downtown the route climbs straight toward the red rocks on the north side of town. It skirts the base of the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, heads toward Red Mountain and passes the mouth of Snow Canyon. It then drops all the way down to the Arizona state line before turning toward Sand Hollow and Quail Creek state parks and their reservoirs, which carry it out toward Hurricane. The return passes more sandstone on its way back into town.

Cue sheets, course maps and elevation profiles for each distance are posted on the organizer's site before the event, so riders can see exactly how much of that loop their route covers.

Four Distances

Riders choose from four routes: a Citizens ride of roughly 30 miles, a 55-mile Mini Century, a 75-mile route the organizer calls the Metric Century, and a full 100-mile Century. E-bike and tandem categories are offered on every route, which makes the longer distances realistic for riders who would not otherwise attempt them.

Support on the Road

There is a fully stocked rest stop roughly every 20 miles, with restrooms, water, electrolytes, fresh fruit, sandwiches and salty and sweet snacks. Between stops, three to five support vehicles rove the course helping with flats and small mechanical problems, and they can carry a rider back to the start if needed. With that few vehicles spread across the course, a wait is likely, so carry a spare tube, an inflation device and a tire lever and know how to change your own flat.

Why St. George in the Spring

The appeal is warm spring riding temperatures on roads through red rock country. St. George sits about 90 minutes north of Las Vegas and four hours south of Salt Lake City, close enough to make the ride a weekend trip from either. Ride Southern Utah also runs a Fall Tour of St. George in October on a similar set of 30- to 100-mile routes, for riders who want a second date on the calendar.

Who It Suits

Anyone from a newer rider on the shortest route to an experienced cyclist chasing a first desert century. The start and finish sit on downtown streets, and the organizer sets up the area to keep families entertained through the day, so non-riders have plenty to do in historic downtown St. George while they wait.