Question:I didn't bother doing it because it's a bike "tour" and a little short.
(Although at this time of this season 26 miles is a long enough ride,
come to think of it.) And the early start. :) I did the Josie Johnson
Memorial Ride last year, and that was a closed-traffic situation, but a
casual pace.
I didn't know about the 15 mph minimum speed. Was it a (very) fast
group, or throng or horde?
Answer:
For the second year, the Salt Lake City marathon has allowed cyclists
to ride the route before the runners get started. This was my first
time riding a marathon route. All the roads are closed off and there
are police at every intersection along the route, so for 24 miles we
had roads free of cars and never stopped for a traffic signal or stop
sign - that was cool.
The ride has a minimum average speed requirement of 15 mph and a
required finish time of 1 hour and 45 minutes.
We had a really great time. I've never ridden an entire city with all
the streets closed. I'll ride this again next year.
Pros: Closed streets. No very slow riders. Mostly flat or downhill
route. Quick pace. Early morning ride (6:00am start).
Cons: Starting 1,250 riders in a 5 minute window. Constricting the
route from 3 lanes to 2 as all 1,250 riders passed through the start
line. Finish line miles from the start line (where my car was parked).
You can see the route and elevation profile here:
http://www.saltlakecycling.com/rides/saltlakerides/slmarath06.html
The first half mile or so was about the same as any century - but
without the slowest riders. After that, things thinned out enough for
it to be more relaxed.
The combination of the ride being generally downhill, not having to
stop anywhere, there being no cars and the general enthusiasm of the
ride made for a fairly quick pace. My wife and I finished in 1 hour
and 5 minutes - a little over 21 mph average, which is pretty fast for
us.
