El Tour de Tucson with links to pics

[azfiddle]

I wasn't quite ready for participating in El Tour de Tucson yet (108 miles!), but my husband and I really enjoyed watching a portion of it yesterday. We rode to a spot 6 miles from our home, and perched at the crest of the first real hill on the route. We had a great view of the first pack as they rounded a corner and proceeded en masse up the hill toward us.

After a gap, a 2nd pack swept through and eventually there was a steady stream. The 80 mile riders starting line was just a couple of miles before the turn to the hill, and after they entered (with a later start time), the two groups mingled as they passed us. It was really fun to smile and wave the riders on- and I hope to join in next year.

My husband also was able to get to the finish line and has pictures of the winners (The 1st and 2nd place riders, both from Hermosillo, Mexico, were just a few seconds apart, and were 5 minutes ahead of the 3rd place rider).

Pics are here: http://picasaweb.google.com/dadgad1/20091121TourDeTucson?feat=email#

[badgercat]

My boyfriend rode the 66 mile route this year. He rode it in under 4 hours (according to his computer), but finished in about 4:30 because he got a screw THROUGH his tire... in the sidewall, out the tread. He had a spare tube, of course, but had to "patch" the inside of his tire with a Clif Bar wrapper. :o

I'd love to ride next year, probably not the 109-er, but maybe the 66 or 80.

Thanks for sharing the pictures!

[PinkBike]

thanks so much for the pics! i really enjoyed them as we spent the day mourning the fact that we weren't able to ride this year, first time we've missed in five years!