As we gear up for Saturday’s El Tour de Tucson, the Star spoke with local cyclist and platinum rider Adam Bryfogle about some of the contenders for top finishers — though, as he said, someone could surprise because of the difficulty and distance of the course.
“I always go with the idea that any race is as hard as you can make it. I’ve completed in higher-tier races that aren’t as hard as local races,” he said. “This is 100 miles and it has some elevation gain which has its challenges. It’ll be not quite as difficult for everyone, as it ranges from people doing it for fun and a small handful trying to do their absolute best.”
Bryfogle said last year’s top two on the men’s side — Rob Alvarez, a first-time winner last year, and Monster Media teammate David Salomon — will be returning.
“We had a super-strong team,” Alvarez told the Daily Star after winning the race last year. “We knew we had to stick together. Myself and (second-place finisher) David Salomon stayed close and we kept attacking.”
Three-time champion Eric Marcotte is expected to race, as he’ll attempt to win his first crown since pulling off a three-peat from 2010-2012.
The race will also welcome Kyle Trudeau, a Tucson native and UA grad who races mountain bikes for the Construction Zone team. Trudeau managed a solid ninth-place finish last year.
Bryfogle also said to look out for Jetset Racing, which will bring Tanner Thornton and Kyle Reedy, who finished first and second in the Tour de Mesa.
Dave Zabriski, a returned professional cyclist who won stages in both the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia, is expected to ride. The five-time national time trial champion is among the most decorated cyclists in the event, along with Floyd Landis, who is a new UCI Continental team down with him to Tucson.
On the women’s side, Alison Tetrick is a contender for the Cylance team.
“She’s a really good road rider, and she’s won road world championships, which this race is,” Bryfogle said. “She’s got good endurance and is good at elevation gain.”
Anna Sparks, whom the Star profiled on Thursday, will be in the mix after finishing second the last two years, and defending champion Betsabe Salomon returns, as well.
The tandems should be led by Ben and Jennifer Sharp, whom the Star featured on Friday, and the teams of Phil Tinsman and Shelby Reynolds, as well as Stephen Pedone and Chester Triplett.
Whomever wins, Bryfogle knows the race will continue to be one of the most important sporting events in Tucson.
“It’s massive,” he said. “It’s almost the heart of Tucson. We have up to 10,000 riders and the idea is that Tucson is a great place to ride. The weather is perfect.
“A lot of people from all over the country, even Canada, just come here to train because the weather is so great.”
