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The average finish time of University of Utah's cycling club in the 2009 Bikes for Kids Utah Red vs. Blue Time Trial yesterday won the club the Intermountain Financial Group Cup, a $1,000 cash prize to help fund its future racing efforts. The combined scores of Utah fans participating in the time trial also won them bragging rights as the fastest university on two wheels along the Wasatch front.
Brigham Young University (BYU) and University of Utah (Utah) Time Trial riders, along with the event vendors, supported Bikes for Kids Utah Saturday morning by riding despite road construction along the course. Bikes for Kids Utah President Debbie Reid said, "We really appreciated the community's enthusiastic support of this event even with the road construction. It is awesome that there are so many people dedicated to getting kids on bikes."
Over 40 cycling club and team members, alumni and fans of BYU and Utah gathered at Traverse Ridge for a three-mile hill climb time trial with an elevation gain of more than 1,300 feet and 10 percent to 12 percent grades in some locations.
Millisecond Sports Timing averaged the speeds of the university's official cyclists to determine that the Utah cycling team won the time trial with an average time of 18 minutes, 18 seconds, winning them the $1,000 Intermountain Financial Group Cup. The BYU cycling club followed with an average time of 21 minutes, 2 seconds.
Utah's cycling club members, fans and alumni won bragging rights for their school for averaging a time trial finish time of 21 minutes, 56 seconds. BYU supporters finished the race in average time of 25 minutes, 58 seconds.
BYU and Utah riders a like participated in the Bike for Kids Utah Red vs. Blue time trial in the tradition of fun-spirited rivalry and comradery.
Though a Utah alumnus, John Gardner raced for BYU along with his 11-year-old daughter, Jenna, and his 16-year-old daughter and time trial national champion Jillian.
Gardner, a dentist, supports Bikes for Kids in its mission to keep young people healthy. He said, "Being a health care professional, I see a lot of kids that need to get out and move."
Two riding companions with Team Bad Ass racing for Utah had their own friendly competition. Dina Hannah said of her riding companion, Kurt Wagner, "I beat Kurt! And he has beaten me every Bikes for Kids Utah time trial for the past three years."
Dylan Pratt, president of the Y Cycling Club, hopeful that BYU will have a similar about face next year, said, "It's fun to have the BYU and Utah rivalry be part of a time trial. It helped motivate fans to win last year and it will help them win back bragging rights from the U at next year's competition."
Joel Hsia University of Utah, president of Utah's cycling club, said "It felt good to see a lot of the Utah riders in a pack towards the front ahead of BYU, but I was still cheering for the BYU riders coming around the corner. We're all cyclists. We all support each other and the Bikes for Kids mission."
The next Bikes for Kids Utah event will be the dinner auction this coming Tuesday, September 1, 2009 at La Caille restaurant. The annual Bikes for Kids Utah bike giveaway will take place Saturday, May 29, 2010.
About Bikes for Kids Utah
Formed in 2006, Bikes for Kids Utah (bikesforkidsutah.com), a non-profit 501 (C)3 organization, provides bicycles for underprivileged children of second grade school age throughout the Salt Lake Valley by means of its event registration proceeds, auctions, and through private and corporate donations. Its annual bicycle fundraising events raise money to provide 1,000 underprivileged children with bicycles each year.
Media Contacts:
Maura Lansford, SOAR Communications, P: 801.523.3730, C: 817.929.8123, E: mlansford[.]soarcomm.com, or
Debbie Reid, Bikes for Kids Utah, P: 801.232.2681, E: debreid[.]comcast.net.
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csmith[.]soarcomm.com 
