Mayors' bicycle wager is riding on big game

A "fitness challenge," proposed by Provo Mayor Lewis Billings and accepted by Salt Lake Mayor Ralph Becker, calls for the mayor of the losing university football team's city to bike approximately 50 miles to the other's city hall and deliver a donation for the Utah Food Bank.

The donation will be part of the annual Utah/BYU Rivalry Week Food Drive, a friendly competition between the University of Utah and BYU to see which school can raise the most funds and food for the Utah Food Bank.

Becker and Billings will attend the game together, along with Bountiful Mayor Joe Johnson, who jokingly promised to sit between them and keep the peace if necessary.

Becker will be pulling for the unbeaten and No. 8-ranked Utes, while Billings will be cheering on the 16th-ranked Cougars.

Earlier this week, the city councils in Provo and Salt Lake City also made a friendly wager on the game. The terms of that deal have the losing city council visiting the winner and singing the victorious team's fight song.

The respective cities' chambers of commerce also are getting in on the act, with the losing team's chamber promising to fly the flag of the winner in a prominent place for a full business day.

"Both schools have had outstanding seasons," said Salt Lake Chamber President Lane Beattie, noting the Utes' 11-0 record and the Cougars' 10-1 mark. "The real winner is the state of Utah with the two teams serving as incredible ambassadors for this truly great place to live, work and enjoy top-notch college football."

The game gets under way at 4 p.m. in Rice-Eccles Stadium. The sold-out contest will be televised on The mtn.

E-mail: jpage@desnews.com

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