Salt Lake City Bike Tour
In conjunction with the Salt Lake Marathon, there is a Salt Lake City
Bike Tour: 25 miles that goes pretty much along the Marathon course. It
is not a race, as they told us numerous times, but it is an organized
event that you have to pay to participate in. It was the first
organized, large-scale cycling event that I have participated in. I
think I did pretty well. According to
[iMapMyRide](http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/31865192 "iMapMyRide"),
it was just under 24 miles, not the 25 that were billed.
<a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/31865192"
\_mce_href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/31865192">SLC Bike
Tour</a><br/> <a
href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/?location=Salt Lake City, UT"
\_mce_href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/?location=Salt Lake City,
UT">Find more Cycling Routes / Bike Rides in Salt Lake City,
UT</a>
[
](http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-04-16/DgtfuotryazvivrcGwfCxCnAacGAiJAjzDcnAkdeBxosgmofcHkBczjluEHm/DSC_0465.jpg.scaled1000.jpg)
Since this was my first organized ride, I knew I wanted to push myself
harder than I do when I usually ride. It took me 1 hour and 20 minutes
to ride 23.87 miles, which is 17.9 mph average. It certainly helped that
this ride was mostly downhill, with not much uphill. I wanted to hit 17
mph as my average, so I am pleased with 17.9 for myself.
The ride started at 6:00 am, and it was raining for the first 20 minutes
or so. Luckily, there wasn't much wind, and the temp was right around 50
degrees. It was still chilly with the rain, but not as cold as I thought
it would be. To keep warm, I had a long-sleeve shirt under my jersey,
calf-high dress socks, and plastic bags in my shoes (to keep the wind
out; it is a lot cheaper than [toe
covers](http://www.google.com/search?q=toe+covers+cycling&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a)),
and a handkerchief over my head to keep that warm as well. I stayed
pretty warm, once I got going.
For me, this was a big deal to ride with a bunch of other people and be
able to keep a good pace. I tyipcally ride by myself, and it was great
to be around other cyclists. I have not participated in any of these
organized events because I never feel like I would be able to keep up
with anyone. I felt like I was a pretty average rider in that group. I
passed some people, and got passed by some others. I hit a small wall at
about 20 miles, and I felt that I couldn't keep up the pace. So, I found
someone who seemed to be going fairly fast, and decided I would stay
with them. That really helped. I did stay with them and we were going
about 20 mph the whole 2.5 miles I stayed. After getting some rest by
following them, I was able to take off and finish the ride pretty
strongly.
While on the bike, I ate 1 Clif bar, and drank one water bottle of
Powerade. I had bread, jam, an orange, half a banana, and yogurt before
the race. I didn't get a side ache, nor did I feel like I ate too much.
The only time I stopped was for a potty break about half way through.
I am really glad I did something out of my comfort zone and tried
something new. It is a lot different when you don't have to worry about
traffic lights or cars while you ride. I enjoyed that, and I look
forward to riding in more organized rides.
Bonus: My wife took me to the starting line, and then had the kids meet
me at the finish line. I am really lukcy that she's willing to do that.
She is so supportive of me, and that is great to have.
](http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-04-16/DgtfuotryazvivrcGwfCxCnAacGAiJAjzDcnAkdeBxosgmofcHkBczjluEHm/DSC_0465.jpg.scaled1000.jpg)
[
](http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-04-16/ttcmooIHHhcBrznistCGpJuAjmntyhhiHttlleJGcxBjsaFJxGGwsdxnjJAA/DSC_0463.jpg.scaled1000.jpg)
](http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-04-16/ttcmooIHHhcBrznistCGpJuAjmntyhhiHttlleJGcxBjsaFJxGGwsdxnjJAA/DSC_0463.jpg.scaled1000.jpg)
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