Last weekend, cyclists took part in a unique event held in Troy, OH called the Tour de Donut. This bicycle event tests your ability to eat donuts, just as it does your ability to ride a bike as fast as possible. Its intended to be a fun event for all types of riders.
Not only were the cyclists treated to a hole lot of donuts, the race organizers provided participants and spectators with RaceJoy’s live tracking and GPS-based progress alerts. Nearly 800 cyclists and their family and friends used RaceJoy during the event.
The event is a mass start, timed ride where riders visit donut shops and eat… well, donuts! For each donut the rider eats while on the course (and, keeps down!) means five minutes deducted from their overall ride time.
At the end of the day, there are prizes in several classes, including the coveted golden Tour de Donut championship belt for the best adjusted “donut time”. The race organizers also award the most donuts eaten in several classes, and, for the speed freaks, there is an award for the fastest bike-only time (no donuts factored in).
The course options included a Mini (18-miler), Full (36 miler) and Double D Challenge (62 miler). Participants have the option to ride single or tandem. This year’s Tour de Donut boasted more than 2,700 participating cyclists and more than 14,000 donuts consumed.
It’s intended to be a fun ride for amateurs, triathletes, tourists, fitness cyclists and those who really just want to dust off their two-wheeler because they love donuts. We have to say, this is definitely one of the most unique events that has used RaceJoy to add to the race day experience.
For those cyclists who carried their phones, spectators could also send motivational cheer messages – nearly 1,300 cheers were delivered during the event, encouraging cyclists to get their glaze on. Spectators used RaceJoy’s pre-recorded cheers and custom cheers like this one:
Hurry to the first stop. You need that donut power!
For those who were particularly focused on finishing the race with a personal best, RaceJoy’s performance updates provided elapsed time, pace and estimated finish time. More than 5,500 alerts were issued in real-time.
During the event, race organizers also used the Race Day Monitoring System to track cyclists and ensure their participants stayed on-course. Part of the monitoring system includes a progress board and ability to send communications to all the participants on the course or to individual cyclists if needed.
The Tour de Donut, this event is definitely one to consider the next time you’re rolling in Ohio. This is a fun no pressure experience for all cycling capabilities. So, grab a bike, some friends and put this one on your list of fun to dos!
