Ageless David Salomon captures second El Tour de Tucson championship

Last year, two cyclists vied for first place in El Tour de Tucson.

This time around, David Salomon wasn’t going to settle for second place. The Mexican crossed the finish line after the 100-mile ride with a sizable lead over the rest of the competition. His winning time of 3 hours 56 minutes 35 seconds was easily enough for his second career victory in El Tour, Southern Arizona’s top participatory sporting event. Salomon won the race in 2008, and finished as the runner-up a year ago.

“It’s a race we’re familiar with,” said Salomon, 38 and a Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, resident. “This year, the course changed a little bit, but it was a team effort. My teammates from P&S and Stone House (Group) did a great job and I was able to be there at the end to finish.”

Salomon’s time was much faster than last year’s 4:03:29, though — because of route changes — he was riding 6 fewer miles this year.

The new routes were fast. About 60 miles into the race, Salomon said he realized he and his competitors were setting a record pace.

Rene Corella was part of the group that traveled with Salomon. The 27-year-old said he enjoyed the changes to the course. He had missed the previous two El Tours because of trips to China and Mexico, respectively. Instead of riding through Oro Valley, the cyclists got to see some of Vail. And they only had to cross one wash instead of two.

“This year, they added the area through Colossal Cave and it was interesting because that was basically where the group started breaking away and the party started,” Corella said.

Salomon said he was able to keep the pace. Toward the last leg of the race, Damiano Cunego and Ulises Castillo made a move to catch up to Salomon. It was just a strategic slack. Cunego finished second with a time of 3:57.42.1, and Castillo (3:57.42.9) was third. The Tucson-based tandem team of Adam Bryfogle and Stephen Pedone finished fourth in 3:57.44. Paul Thomas of Tucson finished just behind them at 3:57.55.

“Behind me, there was a hard-working group,” Salomon said. “It’s hard for a solo rider to maintain those speeds and the lead I had built, that’s why I was able to keep up.”

Shelby Reynolds, a 27-year-old from San Diego, is familiar with teamwork. Last year, she and partner Philip Tinstman were El Tour’s mixed tandem champions.

The tandem partners made plans to return this year. But then Tinstman suffered a broken finger and several torn tendons, so the pair decided two weeks ago that Reynolds would ride solo instead. Reynolds finished in 4:14.29, the best time among El Tour’s female riders.

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“It was awesome,” Reynolds said. “It was surreal. I had to kind of figure out that we were first in the course.”

Reynolds didn’t have a time goal in mind when it came to the race. She said she just wanted to stay alongside the leading women.

“I literally stared at a butt for 106 miles last year, so the entire thing was a different experience,” Reynolds said.

“Last year, we got our gears broke, so we did it all in a huge gear. Being able to actually ride and do my own race was completely different.”

Reynolds said she has no plans to stop after winning two separate categories in as many years.

Salomon feels the same – he’ll keep riding in Tucson for as long as he can.

“The people of Tucson were very friendly and motivated us to continue riding. We hope to continue next year,” Salomon said. “While my health is good, I’ll keep coming. I see myself, possibly, in 50 years still competing.”