Part bike race, part eating contest, and a hole lot of fun, the 34th Tour de Donut took place 8 July in Staunton, Illinois. Known as America’s Sweetest Bike Race, this old fashion event attracted over 600 riders on a 34-mile route with two donut stops, where a five minute time bonus was awarded for each donut consumed.

It is the only bike race in the world where you are guaranteed to gain weight, if you want to win.

41 year-old Katherine Ancell from nearby Carbondale won her third-in-a-row Tour de Donut title this year. The veteran donut and gravel racer (she finished 7th at Unbound Gravel) completed the 34-mile race in 1:55:03 while also consuming 10 donuts for a 0:50:00 time bonus. Her adjusted winning “donut time” was 1:05:03, earning her 1st-place once again for the women and 7th overall.

The men’s race came down to a battle of the bulge – if you can stomach it. 42-year old donut vacuum Ryan Morge was up against a youthful and speedy Samuel Hancoth, 23. Morge consumed a massive 23 donuts (~4600 calories), with Hancoth only downing 15, but trying to ride at a faster pace.

At the finish, a double glazed and confused Morge (51:46) lost by less than a minute to Hancoth (50:58), with both weird-doughs tired of the hole thing and avoiding press with a “donut disturb” attitude.

59 year-old Scott Shaw opted for the traditional head-down, pedal to the mettle “Donut judge me” weekend gran fondo racer strategy. Although first to cross the finish line in 1:28:10 with an impressive average speed of 24.5mph, he did not down a single donut and finished a distance 20th in what is surely a cruller result.

The 35th Tour de Donut will take place next July during the 2024 Tour de France.

Photo Credit: M. Bartel/Tri-City News

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