This 7-year-old and her grandpa inspired their family to cycle in El Tour de Tucson

Melody Guzman was only 6 years old when she hopped on her bicycle and rode El Tour de Tucson’s 25-mile route last year.

She was among the youngest cyclists there and her mom says she was the youngest one to complete the 25-mile route completely on her own.

Years before, Melody had watched her grandpa, David Montijo, cross the finish line of El Tour.

She decided she wanted to do it, too, and with the help of her grandpa, she started training.

“My dad was the one who got Melody riding the bike that my sister’s daughter had grown out of,” Melody’s mom, Eva Guzman, says. “She enjoyed it so much that he took her on The Loop so she could ride for longer periods of time with no interruptions.”

Melody’s drive for cycling soon inspired her mom and grandma, Carmen Montijo, to ride last year.

“I said, ‘If Melody’s going to do it, I want to do it.’ So did my mom,” Eva Guzman says. “It was my first time as an adult getting on a bicycle. To see the joy on my dad’s and my daughter’s faces made it all worth it for us.”

Just when everyone was ready for the big ride, a day before the event, Melody came down with a fever.

She felt better the day of the ride, but she started to trail behind.

“At one point, she was in tears because she didn’t want to do it anymore,” Eva Guzman says. “We got to the last checkpoint, with about 7 miles left, and I said ‘Melody, you’ve worked really hard. I know you don’t feel good. If you want to stop, we can stop.’”

But Melody persisted.

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“We crossed the finish line and the emotion of it was just incredible because she’s only 6 and on top of being sick, she did it,” Eva Guzman says. “It was her motivation that not only got her past the finish line, but it got my mom and myself on a bike to work with her as well.”

But as they crossed the finish line, with the rest of their family cheering them on from the sidelines, Melody turned to her mom and said: “I never want to do the Tour again.”

But that mentality didn’t stick. The now 7-year-old is signed up to do the 25-mile ride again on Saturday, Nov. 23, alongside both her parents and grandparents, and her 6-year-old brother Michael Guzman.

Michael had just turned 5 at the time of last year’s race, when he decided he wanted to ride, too.

“Michael started training that very next day to ride a bike,” Eva Guzman says.

The family is also using the ride as an opportunity to raise funds for the Easterseals Blake Foundation, a nonprofit that provides resources to children and adults with disabilities, veterans, seniors and families. Easterseals works with El Tour de Tucson each year.

Eva Guzman was a college student and wasn’t working when she and her husband, Antonio Guzman, learned they were pregnant with Melody. Eva Guzman’s doctor shared the resources available for first-time parents and passed their information along to Easterseals.

Easterseals was able to provide an in-home nurse to the Guzmans at no cost to the family.

“It was nice to have that extra support from a professional,” Eva Guzman says. “Once (Melody) came, there were no nerves. I attribute that — of course to my family — but to Easterseals and Nurse Amy.”

Last year, Eva says the Guzman family raised $1,500 for Easterseals. This year’s fundraiser can be found at tucne.ws/guzman

“(Easterseals) were there at a time when I really needed them and I feel blessed that I don’t need them anymore,” Eva Guzman says. “If I can give back, it’s the least I can do to show our gratitude for what they did for us.”