TJ Juskiewicz has been named El Tour de Tucson's new executive director, part of a succession plan announced by the 40-year-old organization on Thursday.
Juskiewicz, who starts July 1, will work alongside current executive director Charlene Grabowski through the Nov. 21 ride. Grabowski will then depart, ending a turnaround helped implement many changes and modernizations for an event that faced both financial and logistical problems.
Juskiewicz comes from Des Moines, Iowa, where he was the longtime director of The Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) and a member of the Des Moines Register's marketing staff. Started in 1973, RAGBRAI — a seven-day ride across Iowa — is the oldest, largest and longest multi-day recreational cycling event in the world.
Juskiewicz resigned from his position in 2019 in response to his paper's coverage of Carson King, a social media sensation who went viral when he held up a sign asking for beer money at a football game. King raised $3 million, donating all of it to the University of Iowa's children's hospital.
When the Register reported on racially insensitive tweets King sent as a teenager, RAGBRAI riders responded angrily. Juskiewicz said he was not allowed to respond to the concerned riders the way he wanted; he and the entire RAGBRAI staff resigned in protest.
Juskiewicz went on to start a rival race, Iowa's Ride. The first Iowa's Ride, scheduled for July, was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In a Facebook post, Juskiewicz called his time in Iowa "a great 17-year ride."
"El Tour is one of the country’s top cycling events and part of the culture of cycling in Arizona," he wrote. "Perhaps what appeals to me the most about El Tour is that since 1983 their events have raised over $100 million for local and international charitable organizations. I look forward to working on these great events. This is not a farewell as we plan to come back to visit. I know I will be back in Iowa next summer to ride across the state on Iowa’s Ride."
John Cole, Perimeter Bicycling's chairman of the finance committee, said El Tour was happy to add an executive director with "the years and breadth of cycling event management and experience that TJ has.
“We’re looking forward to TJ leading the organization into this year’s ride and the future," he said. "We’d also like to thank Charlene for her help and support of the organization. She took the El Tour team to a new level and hands that off to TJ for a running start.”
