Valkyrie Segment: Road Biking
Full
OVERVIEW
The Valkyrie Relay spans nearly 100 miles of Utah’s spectacular ‘Wasatch Back’ mountain range. The event pits teams of up to 9 specialized competitors, each racing against the clock and exchanging between trail running, kayak/canoe paddling, marathon, mountain biking, stand-up paddleboarding, open water swimming, and road cycling.
The Road Cycle course is a 35.0-mile route through one of Utah’s most cherished scenic byways of the Wasatch. Elevation gain is formidable but so is the descent. Surrounding mountains cast cooling shade in the late afternoon through evening, but also challenge cyclists’ light adjustment as they pass in and out of the shadows. And then, after a tour of Midway, bring it home to the Finish at Soldier Hollow.
INFO
Teammates 1
Distance: 35.0 mls / 56.3 km
Elevation Gain: 3786 ft / 1154 m
Max Elevation: 7986 ft / 2434 m
Start: Deer Creek Dam Trailhead Parking Lot
Finish: Soldier Hollow Nordic Center (SHNC)
Time: 10:45 am – 8:00 pm
Register
Parking Information
MTB > RCY Exchange: The limited parking at the Deer Creek Dam Trailhead parking lot is for Valkyrie Relay operational vehicles and mountain bike & road cycle competitors and gear load & unloading only. Wingmate vehicles may park for their turn to load/unload at a small stretch of service road nearby and at a UDOT sand/gravel deposit lot on the opposite side of Hwy 189. (see course diagram)
VALKYRIE Finish / Soldier Hollow Nordic Center: Ample parking is available at the SHNC with a walk of 0.3 miles to the Finish Line and Exchange Zone. Wingmates with Vehicle Access and Parking Permits (VAPP) will be able to access the Exchange Zone near the Finish Line for drop off and pick up of athletes and gear only. Vehicles cannot park or wait (with a driver) at the Exchange or Finish Line. Limited space is available for waiting vehicles (with driver) at the Biathlon Range area.
*Parking is limited along the course so we highly suggest that your team travel together as much as possible, ideally having a team vehicle (s) with non-competing drivers that can pick-up and drop off team members and gear along the course as the race progresses. Please review the section on Wingmates, event parking, and the Valkyrie Relay Bivouacs.
Transition Information
Exchange Zone Details: MTB > RCY: MTB riders arrive at the Deer Creek Dam parking lot upon exiting the trail and tag their RCY counterpart waiting for them there with their cycle.
Exchange Zone Details: RCY and Valkyrie Relay Finish: Cyclists cross the timing sensor plane and Finish Line on the asphalt tarmac in front of Soldier Hollow’s Competition Management Building. This stops the team’s aggregate and Road Cycle split time. Timing consolidation of the SUP and SWM split times is now made. Total time and Finish Placement/Rank will be displayed on a monitor inside the venue where the Endurance Sports Summit is taking place. Teammates from each sport are encouraged to all rendezvous at the Finish as the cyclist crosses. Then together, assemble on the podium to signal their finish and stand for a photo. The team’s time and rank will be displayed above the podium in front of a cheering crowd of Endurance Sports Summit and Valkyrie Relay participants. Any post-relay interviews will be made in a designated mixed zone near the Finish.
Segment Rules
1. To maintain the aggregate timing of your team's progress, your team member must complete this leg and cross the Valkyrie Finish Line before the Road Cycle course has closed.
2. The Road Cycle leg is the final leg of the relay and will end at the Soldier Hollow Nordic Center where you will meet up with the rest of your teammates to officially finish the race together and receive your final team time and receive your team's finisher medals for the relay.
3. Please consider the course when choosing your road cycle (i.e. this is NOT a triathlon or sprint event). Cyclists are personally responsible for choosing the correct equipment for course and ability.
4. All riders must wear a protective, securely fastened helmet that meets either the US DOT helmet standards or the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) standard for bicycle helmets.
5. Per USA Cycling Rulebook, aerobars are NOT allowed. ""Handlebars used for steering with ends that point forward or upward nor that provide support for the rider’s forearms are permitted only in time trial and pursuit events (not in road races).”
6. The Road Cycle leg is considered a ""Rules of the Road"" race. While competing, competitors must obey all relevant pedestrian and cyclist laws of the community in which the course is located. For further study, please see (link).
7. Strollers, roller or inline skates, skateboards, scooters, bikes, dogs, pedestrians, unregistered cyclists and cyclists against race traffic will be prohibited from entering any closed portions of the course and strongly discouraged by race staff and Public Safety Officers from entering or otherwise obstructing race traffic in open course areas. Competitors should remind any spectating family and friends of race ettiquette with regard to course access.
8. Public Safety Officers will not prevent general public vehicles from circulating on open portions of the course. But Team support vehicles with a visible Valkyrie Vehicle Access and Parking Permit (VAPP) will be given preference by race staff and Officers to approach racers.
9. No drafting (2-minute penalty).
10. Headphones or any device that would reduce a racer's ability to hear are not allowed by racers or her/his support crew while on the Road Cycling course.
11. The event organizer reserves the right to remove a Cyclist from the course if, in our judgment, it is possible that serious or fatal injury could result from continued comport or participation.
12. Bikes with integrated electric motors or any other device used to assist propulsion are not allowed.
