Nov. 21 update -- For the third year in a row, a Mexican cyclist has won the El Tour de Tucson. Rafael Escarcega completed the 109-mile course in 4:17:05, trailed closely by teammate Hector Rangel.
Members of the P&S Specialized bike team based in Hermosillo, Mexico, have won the perimeter race around Tucson in 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Results at the El Tour de Tucson results page.
Nov. 17 --Snow, rain and cold -- or a combination of all three -- conspire to bring an end to the recreational bicycling event season across most of the US by November. Not so in Arizona, however.
El Tour de Tucson, scheduled on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009, is the state's biggest one-day bike ride, drawing thousands of cyclists who want to get in just one more century before the end of the year. The forecast calls for sunny temperatures in the low to mid 70s.
This is the 28th anniversary of the fund-raiser presented by the Perimeter Bicycling Association, and more than 9,000 cyclists are expected.
Online registration has been extended to midnight Tuesday (Nov. 17); in-person registrations are available Wednesday through Friday at the El Tour Bike, Fitness and Health Expo at the Tucson Convention Center.
Ride options
The bike ride features routes of 109, 80, 67 and 35 miles this year, as well as a fun ride for kids. All riders will finish at the same location but start at different locations along the 109-mile course. Shuttle buses will take them back to their cars parked at their starting points.
Bike racers who meet certain criteria can join the platinum category for the century ride. These pros, amateurs and other fast cyclists enter the 109-mile course first to avoid accidents with slower riders. Other cyclists line up based on their expected finish time, and start showing up at the start at 4:30 a.m. to get a good position.
[Cyclists will start from new locations in 2009 along Church Avenue between Alameda and Pennington streets. Check the website for details for this and other route changes.]
Safety issues
Last year's winner, David Salomon, rode the 109-mile course in 4:20:35. He crossed the line with P&S Specialized teammates Carlos Hernandez and Eduardo Lugo.
The ride is unique in that riders have to dismount and walk their bikes across dry crossings of the Lower Santa Cruz River and Sabino Creek at the 8- and 48-mile points.
Also, cyclists are reminded that this isn't a closed course. A 91-year-old motorist turned into a group of 10 cyclists last year, injuring five, one with a life-threatening brain injury. Organizers are spending $150,000 in security costs this year.
All the proceeds go to charities -- Tu Nidito Family Services, the American Parkinson Disease Association, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Water for People, and Global Sports Alliance, among others. Last year, cyclists raised $1.4 million for the charities.
Dedication
This year's Thursday night Dedication Dinner honors Jeannette Mare-Packard, a local athlete and University of Arizona instructor who started the Ben's Bells Project in memory of her 2-year-old son.
Because of the sheer size of the event, about 125 bike patrol cyclists will ride the route to help with mechanical problems and injuries. They'll also be on the lookout for rules infractions.
For all the latest information on El Tour de Tucson XXVI presented by Diamond Ventures, go to the Perimeter Bicycling Association of America's update page.
Image of cyclists walking across Santa Cruz River in 2003 from dqtaz at flickr.com.
See also: Nov. 22, 2008 -- Salomon wins race; hit & run driver hits 10 cyclists
