Bikers take off from the starting line at the beginning of the 33rd annual Tour De Donut in Staunton July 9. Coal Country Times photo by Jackson Wilson. By JACKSON WILSON Weather consisting of rain showers and a mid-60s temparature isn’t usually expected in the middle of a Midwestern July. However, this was the case for the 33rd annual Tour De Donut July 9. Although there came quite the downpour at the starting line in Staunton, the forecast cleared up after a few minutes and the end result was ‘great conditions for a ride.’ “Obviously, it was a bit wet but thankfully the temperatures stayed down,” said Tour De Donut race director Christian Hasselberg. “It was like this about 12 years ago. When it’s raining, people eat more donuts.” The 32-mile race route featured two stops, located in Mt. Olive and Eagarville, where riders could stop and enjoy an endless surplus of Krispy Kremes. Every donut consumed meant a five minute time bonus. Roughly 1,000 bikers from near and far gathered to participate in the family-friendly event, which also consisted of a shorter ‘Donut Hole’ 12-mile loop. It’s such a fun time,” Hasselberg said. It’s nice to see the larger community get together and participate. Plus, I get to try to make everyone’s day in some way. We actually had about 100 fewer riders from last year. I think the high gas prices kept some people from traveling longer distances.” Complaints have been rare, according to Hasselberg. However, this year was an exception because one of the bar code scanners died, leading to the loss of a few donut counts. Awards were presented based on gender, overall times and age groups ranging from 1-15 and 70-99. Four recipients were Staunton natives, including Matt Miller, who was crowned the 30-39 male champion after clocking an unadjusted final time of one hour and 31 minutes. Bikers chow down on Krispy Kremes at a Tour De Donut stop in Mt. Olive July 9. Every donut consumed meant a five minute time bonus. Coal Country Times photo by Jackson Wilson. A complete list of the award winners is listed below. AWARD WINNERS Overall Single Rider – Unadjusted Female Single Rider – Unadjusted 1-15 Male Single Rider – Unadjusted 1-15 Female Single Rider – Unadjusted 16-19 Male Single Rider – Unadjusted 16-19 Female Single Rider – Unadjusted 20-29 Male Single Rider – Unadjusted 20-29 Female Single Rider – Unadjusted 30-39 Male Single Rider – Unadjusted 30-39 Female Single Rider – Unadjusted 40-49 Male Single Rider – Unadjusted 40-49 Female Single Rider – Unadjusted 50-59 Male Single Rider – Unadjusted 50-59 Female Single Rider – Unadjusted 60-69 Male Single Rider – Unadjusted 60-69 Female Single Rider – Unadjusted 70-99 Male Single
Rider – Unadjusted 70-99 Female |