CELEBRATING ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL TOUR DE SUMMERLIN
Cyclists enjoyed some beautiful weather this past Saturday (and braved some afternoon breezes…. okay maybe breezes is being a little kind) at this year’s 12th annual Tour de Summerlin. The day started off with some delicious coffee and hot chocolate compliments of Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. At 7 a.m. we sounded the horn and started off with one of the coolest ride outs we’ve ever put on. Approximately 350 riders (both 100 & 75 mile routes) followed a Metropolitan Police escort through the streets of Summerlin all the way out to Alexander Road. Our number one priority for this event has always been safety, and the police escort gives us greater peace of mind.
Shout out to our volunteers who helped us man the aid stations and water stops. Aid station #1 at Lone Mountain Park was handled by the Greg Barton Gym group. Not only did they handle the entire aid station for us, but the also had a large number of volunteers show up at the Vistas Park early in the morning to help set up. A great big thank you goes out to Greg Reffner and his entire team for all the enthusiasm and assistance. Did anyone besides me happen to notice how fit they all were. Maybe we should head over for some personal training sessions over at their very hip and unique gym. The Vistas Park was a new aid station added back in this year with our start & finish moved back to the park. The Candlelighters brought so many volunteers out this year and we could not be more grateful. They not only manned the Vistas Park aid station, but they also held the fort down at our most busy stops – Blue Diamond. In the 12 years we’ve done this event, we’ve never run out of cuties (mandarin oranges) at any of our stops. At one point, Blue Diamond actually ran out of cuties and we could not understand why. When we checked in with the volunteers out there, we found out that they were hand peeling the cuties and bananas for the riders! How awesome is that! I have personally worked that aid station and know how crazy it can get, so to be able to handle the traffic flow that comes through there and still peel oranges and bananas for riders….. that’s over the top! You guys have raised the bar and I hope we can get all of you to come out next year (we’ll make sure to load up with more cuties). Our Mesa’s Park aid station was handled by the Pancreatic Cancer group. These enthusiastic volunteers tackled probably our most challenging location. They brought out a large number of people who were committed to making the rider experience a memorable one. We got wind of the fact they even brought out their own cowbells to energize and cheer on the riders. What a complete and welcomed surprise that was. We’re hope you guys will come out and support us next year too.
A huge thanks goes out to Arrowhead water who hooks us up every year so we can make sure our riders stay hydrated. This year they even loaned us a couple of water stands to place out at the entrance to the Red Rock loop so those 100 mile riders could refresh before beginning that challenging climb. They also provided us with bottled waters for our rider luncheon. Lastly, we cannot forget our good friend and supporter Renato Lebron from Trader Joes. Renato has participated in our event from the very beginning and is one of the kindest and most generous individuals we’ve ever met. Every year we are able to load up the aid station with fruit, granola bars, breakfast bars, peanut butter, jam, bagels, pretzels, cookies and more…. all from Trader Joes. We are so thankful for your friendship and support Renato. You’re the best!!!
As the riders made their way back to the park they were greeted with music, ongoing announcements and acknowledgements from our very enthusiastic director (Pat), and fabulous smoothies compliments of Jamba Juice. Our good friend Marisa from the Lev Restaurant Group (Daily Kitchen/Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf/Jamba Juice/I Love Burgers) spent the entire day with us making sure the coffee, hot chocolate, smoothies and lunch wraps were delicious and incredibly tasty. We were so lucky to be introduced to her this year and her involvement made such an incredible difference. She worked her tail off making sure we had everything we needed and spent the entire day with us on Saturday making sure the riders were taken care of.
A very big shout out to our new friends over at Benson, Bertoldo, Baker & Carter law firm. They were instrumental in coming to the table this year to ensure we would be able to put on a delicious and filling lunch spread for the riders. ClearSpan Tents put up a huge tent so we could provide shade for our amazing lunch wraps from the daily kitchen, fruit from Trader Joes, chips and lets not forget about the amazing giant Tour de Summerlin cookie and cookie treats from our friends over at Great American Cookies. We had some 40 mile riders eyeing that work of art (ready for a taste) as they assembled it on site. They also passed out cookie treats to all the riders as they entered the luncheon area. Becky Solomon (who owns GAC along with her husband) actually rode in the event. The cookies and massive cookie were over the top and the perfect finish to a great post ride luncheon. The Vistas Park offers a great location where riders can sit and relax in the cool grass after their long ride and look back on what was hopefully a fulfilling day.
The Tour de Summerlin would not be possible without the continued trust and confidence from the Summerlin Master Plan. They have been by our side from the very beginning and we cannot imagine a more scenic or enjoyable ride. Summerlin has done an incredible job by recognizing cyclists and providing miles and miles and miles of bike lanes. We have not seen another master plan of this size that has made such a concerted effort to provide bike lanes throughout most of its streets. That’s a credit to their organization and makes Summerlin the most unique and desirable master plan in all of Nevada.
EARLY REGISTRATION ENDS MARCH 31ST. SIGN UP TODAY AND SAVE!
If you haven’t already done so, please follow our pages on Facebook and Twitter. It’s a great way to get weekly information, news and updates regarding the event. We look forward to seeing you again this year!
NEW SPONSORS ADDED TO OUR 2013 LINEUP We are very excited to announce a number of new sponsors who are partnering with us this year.
Benson Bertoldo Baker & Carter Law Firm is sponsoring our delicious post ride lunch.
Great American Cookies is providing mini cookies for aid stations and giant cookie cake for lunch.
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf will be providing pre-ride coffee shots in the morning.
Jamba Juice will be providing refreshing mini smoothies at the finish line.
Candlelighter volunteers will be manning the Blue Diamond and Vistas Park aid stations.
David Barton Gym is providing a larger number of volunteers to help throughout the day.
Team Challenge will be providing volunteers throughout the day
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN & ROUTE MAPS ARE AVAILABLE
Take advantage of early registration rates for this year’s event. The start and finish will be at the beautiful Vistas Park in Summerlin. The park provides a great location with ample parking and a picturesque mountain backdrop. The location also gives us the opportunity to add yet another aid station to the mix as our 100 & 75 mile routes come right back by the park before heading off to Red Rock Canyon. We hope that you will join us so and help us support the Candlelighters of Nevada. We cannot think of a more deserving charity to be associated with, and we are honored and humbled that they have chosen the Tour de Summerlin year after year as their trademark cycling event. Check back soon for more updates and information as we get closer to the big day!!!
SAVE THE DATE • 2013 TOUR DE SUMMERLIN • APRIL 20TH, 2013
Please mark your calendars for APRIL 20TH, 2013 for next year’s Tour de Summerlin. This will mark our 12 year anniversary and we are excited to team up again with our event charity, the Candlelighters of Nevada, and hopefully raise even more money for this wonderful organization. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for event updates as we start to prepare for another eventful day. Hope that you are all enjoying the summer and time on your bike.
CANDLELIGHTERS OF NEVADA RAISE $81,000 AT THIS YEAR’S TOUR DE SUMMERLIN
We were overjoyed when we heard that the ride participants for the Candlelighters of Nevada raised $81,000 at this year’s event! We are looking forward to next year in hopes that we can help them raise even more money next year. Pictured in photo from left to right: Nikkole McCartin/Summerlin & Howard Hughes Corporation, Randy McGhie/McGhies Ski, Bike & Board, Melissa Cipriano/Candlelighters of Nevada, Brooke Harless, Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa.
2012 TOUR DE SUMMERLIN
Welcome to our ‘new and improved’ Tour de Summerlin website. This year marks our 11th anniversary and we are so appreciative for all of you who have supported our event over the past 10 years. We couldn’t have made this event possible if were not for the support and sponsorship of the beautiful master plan of Summerlin and the Howard Hughes Corporation. We set out to create the most ‘rider friendly’ bicycling event in the southwest, and remain committed to doing so year after year after year. This year’s event will benefit the Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation of Nevada.
We are very excited to announce that we are adding a 100 mile distance (full century) to our existing 75 & 40 mile rides. Our scenic routes will continue to utilize miles and miles of designated bike lanes throughout the northwest and picturesque Red Rock Canyon is always a highlight for any rider.
