The race is designed to simulate an ordinary errand run, and demonstrates how cyclists can “run the same errands around town as quickly and more efficiently” than someone driving a car, said Phil Smith, Missoula's bicycle-pedestrian program manager.
Spanning a roughly three-mile circuit, depending on each contestant's route, the Pedal Versus Metal Challenge celebrates the 2007 Bike Walk Bus Week in Missoula. In its seventh year, the event is organized by the Missoula Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Board.
While participants were allowed to choose their own routes, they're required to visit every location, obtain a signature inside and obey the rules of the road.
Drivers were required to park legitimately, but were spared the inconvenience of feeding parking meters, while cyclists had to unsaddle and walk into the businesses.
Businesses participating in this year's event were: Le Petite Outre, Adventure Cycling Association, the Montana Natural History Center, Rockin Rudy's, the Good Food Store and the Missoula Urban Demonstration Project.
And while cyclists have dominated the race with landslide victories in previous years, a few motorists scored competitive times on Wednesday, stealing both second and third places. But even the more sluggish motorists made a compelling argument for driving - they stayed dry.
One elite cyclist, Valerie Coulter, of Mountain Goat Couriers, continued the company's multiyear stronghold by placing first, covering the circuit on her bike in a mere 26 minutes, 10 seconds.
However, Coulter refused to disclose her victory route, calling the information privileged.
“I can't tell you the super-secret, bike-courier ninja route,” Coulter said.
Local celebrity motorists Hasalyn Harris and Monte Turner, of KECI-TV fame, came in second place at an impressive 26 minutes and 26 seconds, besting most cyclists and proving that with the right amount of gumption, some technical maneuvering and your own billboard, even local motorists can spell proficiency on Missoula's roadways.
Cyclist Ethel MacDonald, 69, who represented the Bike Walk Alliance for Missoula on Wednesday, said her route took advantage of Missoula's cyclist-friendly facilities, like the Northside bicycle/pedestrian bridge.
“It was just a matter of principle,” MacDonald said of choosing her route.
The event was emceed by Missoula Mayor John Engen, who participated as a driver in 2005 where he finished dead last due to his unfamiliarity with Phillips Street.
New to this year's race was the Corporate Challenge, a kind of relay race involving three six-member bicycling teams, which were represented by Adventure Cycling Association, Missoula Bike Works and Free Cycles Missoula. One member from each team started the relay race, making their way to an errand stop where the next team member waited, and so on until the finish.
“This really brings to the foreground the relative convenience of being able to get around this town on a bicycle,” Smith said. “Almost any collection of points in the middle of our city is going to be convenient for cyclists.”
Reporter Tristan Scott can be reached at 523-5264 or at tscott@missoulian.com
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