El Tour

Saturday was the annual El Tour de Tucson, a renowned bicycle race around the periphery of Tucson. There are actually 4 races, 109 mile, 76 mile, 64 mile and 30 mile. They start at various points around the racecourse and all end at the 109 mile start, downtown. It's a big event and cyclers come from all over to race. This year there were just short of 8,900 racers!

That makes for a crowded race course!
One racer interviewed the night before the race was from Muscle Shoals, AL!






The winner made the 109 miles in 4 hrs 23 min. He was followed closely by the female winner who was only 2 minutes behind!

The course includes two washes, which are dry this time of year. It requires carrying your bike across, because the wash is just dirt and stones. Another thing that makes this race difficult is the up and down nature of the town. We vary from 2,500 elevation to 3,000 ft, but in between these extremes, the streets are hilly all over.

The course goes near our house and it's fun to go see the racers go by. The 109 mile race starts at 7 AM and the leaders pass by our vantage point about 8:45. We missed the leaders, but there were plenty of bikes to see, nevertheless.

There are cheerleaders at many corners along the route. Police man each turn and emphasize the direction of turn by voice and traffic cones.