Tour de Summerlin starts on Saturday

It's that time of year again.

Cyclists from across Southern Nevada are readying their bicycles and filling up their water bottles in preparation for the fourth annual Tour de Summerlin, scheduled for Saturday.

This series of non-competitive bike rides gives participants an option to choose from one of the three course distances through Summerlin and Red Rock Canyon.

Staggered starts will begin from Summerlin Centre Community Park, 1800 S. Town Center Drive. The 62-mile ride is set to begin at 8 a.m., with the 35-mile ride scheduled to start at 9 a.m. Participants in the 10-mile ride are slated to start at 10:30 a.m.

The Tour de Summerlin has become extremely popular among riders because it offers selection and scenery, according to event organizer and creator Randy McGhie, owner of McGhie's Ski Bike & Board.

"There are a limited number of non-competitive rides in Southern Nevada," McGhie said. "The three distances cater to cyclists of just about every skill level. Riders get to utilize beautiful bike paths that weave through Summerlin's master plan, a unique feature in our city."

McGhie explained how the event came into existence.

"I'm the one who started it originally and took it to Hughes (The Howard Hughes Corp.) and sold them on the idea," he said. "We talked to our advertising agency about doing some kind of bike ride and then we heard that Hughes was considering some kind of a bike ride ... so we took a proposal to them to do the bike ride.

"They were originally considering doing a race and we told them a bike ride would be more of a community event and that we'd get a lot more participation, whereas a race would be limited in the amount of people involved and would have some logistics problems. So we sold them on the idea and we did the first one in 2002 out of Gardens Park and we had about 450 riders."

For the first time this year, the Tour de Summerlin has teamed up with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Society's Team in Training, a nonprofit organization that trains athletes to compete in marathons, century rides and triathlons.

"This year we formed a partnership with the Leukemia (& Lymphoma) Society," McGhie said. "We interviewed quite a few charities and the reason we picked them is they have a Team in Training program so they're already really actively involved in cycling.

"We picked them because we think they can really bring in a lot of participants. And everything runs in a circle, so if we can bring in more participants, then we get a hotel chain like Station Casinos -- who we're trying to work with now -- because they could get (sell) a lot of rooms out of it. So the whole thing can grow. Next year we think this will grow tremendously. The advantage for them is we're giving them all the profits. And we're all excited to think that the Tour de Summerlin could become a signature ride for Team in Training."

McGhie expects about the same number of participants this weekend as the event's previous two installments.

"The last two years we've had about 600 and we expect about that this year," he said. "It might have gone up last year but we did it in conjunction with Earth Day so the advertising's diluted a bit because it's split between the two (events)."

The ride will be followed with a day of community celebration, including the Summerlin Earthfaire to recognize Earth Day, and a post-ride luncheon for all participants.

McGhie said several factors make the Tour de Summerlin such an enjoyable event.

"I think the scenery adds a lot to it," he said. "We see burros every time we ride up there, sometimes deer. There's a lot of camaraderie that goes along (with the ride) and it's just fun to have a supported ride so you can go out and do a longer distance and know you have rest stops where you can get food and water and then a meal at the end of the ride. And then you come back to the park and the Earth Day festivities are going on."

And McGhie said all who ride reap benefits.

"It's a chance to push themselves ... it's a chance to really test yourself and see what kind of shape you're in and push yourself a little bit. But to just be able to do it and say you did it (is part of the appeal). If you finish, you're a winner."

Registration is scheduled for 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Summerlin Centre Community Park and 7 to 9 a.m. the day of the event. The 62- and 35-mile rides cost $45 each to enter, while the 10-mile ride costs $25. Online registration is available at www.active.com.

All riders under age 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian and all participants, regardless of age, are required to wear American National Standards Institute-approved helmets. Participants must pick up Tour de Summerlin packets and sign ride waivers from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Summerlin Centre Community Park.

For more information, call 252-8077 or visit www.tourdesummerlin.com.