Gabrielle Giffords plans to ride 40-mile El Tour route

Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords may have impressed Tucsonans by riding 11 miles in last year’s El Tour de Tucson, but this year she has bigger plans.

Giffords, who lost most function of her right side in the 2011 Tucson shooting, is planning to ride the 40-mile portion of Saturday’s annual Tucson cycling event. It is expected to have 1,500 to 2,000 riders at that distance, organizers say.

The ride begins at noon in Oro Valley, adjacent to the Sanofi offices at 2090 E. Innovation Park Drive. It will end downtown on South Sixth Avenue in front of Armory Park.

The longest ride in the Tucson Medical Center El Tour de Tucson presented by Casino del Sol Resort is 104 miles, followed by 75-mile, 55-mile and 40-mile rides.

There are also three “fun rides” of 11 and 5 miles and a quarter-mile. More than 6,000 cyclists are expected to participate.

Giffords, 45, plans on riding a recumbent bicycle alongside her husband, Mark Kelly, who is expected to ride a regular, upright two-wheel bicycle. Giffords and Kelly will be honored as the “dedication recipients” of this year’s El Tour and may or may not speak before the start of the 40-mile event, El Tour marketing director Sally Valenzuela said.

Valenzuela said numerous other cyclists will be riding recumbent and hand cycles in the 40-mile event.

“Mark and I are so excited to ride again in El Tour de Tucson and join with our fellow Tucsonans and people from around the world who’ve come to see our beautiful city by bike,” Giffords said Tuesday in an emailed message.

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“I’ve been working really hard so I can hit my goal of riding 40 miles in this year’s El Tour. I’m looking forward to a great ride.”

An avid athlete, Giffords rides her bike year-round but has been training specifically for El Tour all fall.

She typically rides two to three times per week, Giffords spokeswoman Mark Prentice said.

The former congresswoman steers her three-wheel recumbent bicycle with her left arm and most of her pedal power comes from her left leg. Prentice said Giffords will be riding the same recumbent she rode in last year’s event, though she has a new gear shifter this year.

The Tucson native loved cycling prior to the Jan. 8, 2011, shooting and had been on a bike ride the day before the tragedy.

In the shooting, Giffords suffered a bullet wound that went through the left side of her brain; the injury affected her speech and movement on her right side. She also lost significant portions of her peripheral vision as a result of her injury, Prentice said.

The Tucson native ultimately resigned from Congress to work on her rehabilitation and has since founded Americans for Responsible Solutions along with her husband, who is a retired astronaut. The couple lives in Tucson.