Tour of Utah Bike Race

It doesn't matter what I read about the Tour of Utah or maybe they were just talking about the last day's events but what we saw today was a bike race and not just a noncompetitive ride.  Two riders led for most of the race by up to 10 minutes but were reeled in prior to the finish line.  The race officially lasted 4 hours and 12 minutes across 111.4 miles. 

We got downtown to kind of walk around and to be ready to see the three laps that were completed downtown leading up to the finish line.  We checked everything out and still had a couple of hours to spare so we found a bar to watch the coverage on tv until it was time to go back out to the finish line.  Finding a bar in Utah is kind of like finding a needle in a hay stack.  Utah seems to allow two or more women to be married to the same man but they don't like drinking.  Brigham Young was just voted the most stone sober college in the U.S. last week.  In Cedar City they have two bars and the population of this town was over 29,000 people in 2011.  Utah sets the price of alcohol in the state so the bars pay the exact same price for alcohol that you do at the Utah liquor stores.  We got to Mike's Tavern, which was a block away, and met Janelle the bartender who happened to be one of three wives in a polygamist relationship that lasted 18 years.  The man sitting next to us at the bar retired as a gold miner from Newmont Mining, a company that we owned stock in for several years.  You meet the most interesting people in these little bars.   We watched the race until about 20 minutes from when the race would be rolling into town then we walked back to the finish line.  It was a very good time with a lot of excitement.  After the race we went back to the motorhome and grilled chicken out.  We also cleaned up a couple of things and got the car hooked up so we can take off when we get up tomorrow.  We will be south of Salt Lake City tomorrow after a three hour and fifteen minute drive.

Here are the pictures for today.  Enjoy


Here is the finish line at 1:14 a couple hours or so before the bikes will cross it.

This is a jumbo tron they had set up downtown.

 My colors, but I doubt my style, and damn sure not my size.

 

 We are chillin and watching the race on TV at Mike's Tavern a block away. At this point in the race the two leaders are about 7 minutes ahead of the pack and they are over half way through the race.  This worked out great since we were watching the race live on tv.

Our bartender who happens to be a converted polygamist.  Not her fault, her father was involved in the same relationship so she was brought up in this environment.

Mike's kind of typical run down little bar.  Most of the bar and a couple of tables were full of people who had the same idea we did.

We are back at the finish line which is just down the street a ways.

On the first lap of three around town these two riders who have led most of the race are just now about to be caught.

Lots of photographers were here.

 

 You need to be careful because I bet some riders were less than a foot away from people as you can see by this riders shoulder on the left.

 

 This says 4:11 but I believe I read the official time was 4 hours and 12 minutes to go 111.4 miles or maybe this is official and the time I read was incorrect.

 

 The best seat in town.