Utah's Tour de Donut

Utah's Tour de Donut is now registering. If you hurry, you can catch the early bird special.

Tour de what?

The Tour de Donut is one of American Fork's best things. Sponsored by the local Rotary Club and conceived as a spoof on the Tour de France, the race is one of only five like events in the United States. It is at once insane and ingenious. Contestants ride seven miles, eat a lot of donuts, ride seven more miles, eat more donuts, then ride the final seven miles. Winners, of course, are those who complete all twenty-one miles the fastest, but -- and here's the genius of the thing -- riders get to deduct three minutes from their time for each donut they keep down.

Last year's King Donut scarffed 31 donuts.

Proceeds from the race will benefit the Rotary Club's many worthy projects, including Amber Alert ID bracelets, Rotary's Polio International Campaign, and the Huntsman Cancer Center at the American Fork Hospital.

600 riders are anticipated this year, and I hope YOU will be among them. You can register as an adult or a youth, a family or a team, or even as a tandem rider. That's right, there will even be bicycles built for two.

Sponsors are also needed, as are volunteers -- volunteers to set up, check in, clean up, or count donuts. This is a great opportunity for families, Scout troops, and church groups.

The race will start from the parking lot of Provo College on July 16, 2011, with a starting gun at 9:00 a.m. SHARP. Full details are available at the Tour de Donut Web site.

That's less than four months away. It's time to start training. I'm heading for the bakery right now!