Everyday cyclists rode El Tour, where even 40 miles can seem epic to a first timer. A mountain biker and a Mayor from Sahuarita participated for the first time, and a Tucson triathlete celebrated her father's birthday on the 66 mile ride.
Joe Romero, who usually rides a mountain bike, purchased his road bike four weeks before El Tour. The Sahuarita resident managed to ride four days a week, and he pre-rode the 66-mile route before the big day. “With rest stops, my friend and I took about six and half hours on the pre-ride,” he said. “I finished in 4:53 on Saturday. The wind really slowed me down. Without the wind, I could have made my goal of 4:30.” He explained that on the pre-ride, “I really opened up and cranked on Tangerine Road. But on the day of the event, the headwind there just killed me.” He did join in a pace line of other cyclists briefly, but mostly rode solo.
He didn’t suffer as much as others he saw toward the end of the ride: “On the Frontage Road, riding into the headwind again, I saw a lot of people just stopped on the side of the road. I don’t know if they were tired, or having cramps, or what.” Romero accelerated for a strong finish, passing several riders in the last mile or so of the ride along Congress. He might have pushed a bit too hard: “On Pennington, I stood up to sprint the last 200 yards, and my legs just gave out, like jello, I barely managed to fall back down onto my saddle. But then I knew I had really given it my all. I felt pretty good.”
Sahuarita Mayor Lynne Skelton also rode in her first El Tour, conquering the 79-mile course in just under six hours. She began training seriously in mid-September with a combinatin of road cycling and spinning classes at O2 Modern Fitness. When asked about the wind, she replied, “I trained quite a few days in windy conditions, so I was okay with it. A few gusts blew me around a little.” She continued, “I just put my head down, concentrated, and rode intervals.”
Her FitWorks coach Kurt Rosenquist developed a special training program for her that included course reconaissance. “I rode the Oracle Road and Rancho Vistoso part of the course, then decided to check out the east side too.” She made sure to pre-ride Snyder and Sunrise Hills, then enjoyed the west side’s descent down Tangerine Road. On the day of the event, she said the most challenging part of the course was “Lambert Road, it’s just in terrible condition with broken pavement and potholes and it tires you out even more.” But she found a second wind as she approached the finish downtown, “I really concentrated on maintaining my speed and finishing strong, I passed a few people toward the end.” She finished in just under six hours.
Mayor Skelton’s next big ride of 100 kilmoters (66 miles) will be in Sahuarita next spring. “I’ve signed up for the March 6 Tour de Cure to benefit the American Diabetes Association, it will be fun to ride on familiar rodes.”
Tucson’s Lori Ann Cahill just started riding her new hybrid this summer, to prepare for her first El Tour 40-mile ride. “I just went on lots of long rides with my friends,” she said, with her longest ride being about 30 miles. On the day of the event, she said, "I felt really safe with all the bike patrol riders along the course. The traffic cops did a great job at all the intersections, and the aid stations were perfectly spaced." Like other riders, Cahill battled the wind: "The last 20 miles, we headed south, right into the wind, and it slowed everyone down."
Cahill tried to ride twice a week to get ready for El Tour. She also participated in Pima County's Bicycle Safety Class where she received training in safe riding, bike repair, and free schwag like bike lights and tire repair kits. "I really felt like I've accomplished something. I was really glad to see the finish line," says Cahill who is already thinking about next year. "Maybe I'll go for the 66 mile ride."
Tucson Tri Girls team member Jen Strosin said she loved riding with so many people but adminted, “I had butterflies Saturday morning. First, I've worked very hard on my fitness since February and was hoping to see a marked improvement in my time. Also, my dad was going to be riding the 66 mile in honor of his 66th birthday and I wanted that event to be a big success for him.” She was also had climatological concerns: “I had heard all the weather reports about the appearance of my arch nemesis, wind.”
In the middle of 66 miles, “I felt unstoppable as I flew with easy up Sunrise and Oracle,” she said. “then we turned into Rancho Vistoso and the wind about swept my tires right out from under me! But I put my head down and cruised through. I got to visit with Elaine and some other Tri-Girls that I saw along the way. Huge thanks Elaine for the encouragement that after Mt. Lemmon, I could do anything.”
Even with the wind, Strosin said, “I still finished about 20 minutes ahead of last year, so I'll take it.” Her time was four hours and fifty minutes. She added new handlebars to her bike a few days before the race: “My new handlebars rocked, and my dad finished the race too!”
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