A kid’s point of view: My first bike race!

It was awesome to check out all the bikes and bike jerseys at the Tour de Donut.

By Colleen, age 12

The Tour de Donut is all about fun. Just the mention of the name brings a grin to my face. But for me it was more than just a chance to stuff my face and act goofy. It was the gateway to becoming a more serious cyclist.

Looking around at the starting line, it was interesting to see all the different shapes and sizes of the riders. Some people were obviously very fast, serious cyclists, while others were a bit more casual. There were some awesome bikes and bike jerseys. Out on the course we even saw some kind of “bike” that was like roller blades, a bike and a scooter combined, if that makes sense. It looked really fun, although I wouldn’t have wanted to be riding it in that wind because it was not aerodynamic at ALL!

At the “donut stop,” I mean aid station. I definitely felt better going in than coming out.

The donut stop was cool because that meant we were at the halfway point of the 16-mile race. (People doing the 32-mile course had two donut stops and the 64-mile course had three.) The donuts were tasty and they had chocolate milk and a lot of other real “fuel foods”as well. I ate three donuts and almost immediately regretted it. As soon as I started riding again, my stomach was twisted with pain.

About 3 miles from the end, I felt like I was riding through molasses. Mom and I switched bikes and it was almost as if I was a new rider. I had been riding Aunt Traci’s mountain bike and Mom was on her road bike, so I had to work harder to keep up. The rest of the way was a lot easier on mom’s bike.

It was really cool to ride on the brick street toward the finish line after such a long ride. We also talked to a guy who was the Tour de Donut Man. He was riding a bike that was all decorated. Would you believe he ate 10 donuts?

I loved this race and I can’t wait to do another one. Actually I get my chance on Sunday because Mom finally signed us up for the Potato Creek triathlon. I’m excited because it is a real open-water swim, but it is doable: 200 meter swim, six mile bike, and a one mile run. Mom and I will rock Potato Creek!

Aren’t these the most hilarious finisher medals you’ve ever seen?