Tucsonan with Stage 4 cancer rides to raise awareness at El Tour de Tucson

Tucsonan Jeff Hartter has never let a little rain stop him from a bike ride.

As it started to pour on what began as a sunny day at last year’s El Tour de Tucson on Nov. 18, 2023, Hartter pedaled on as he made his way through the city’s east side.

Despite the rain hindering his vision and the roads remaining slippery under his tires, he crossed the El Tour finish line just under the eight-hour mark.

The 102-mile feat through the rain was an accomplishment in itself.

But sometimes, a little rain isn’t from Mother Nature herself, but an unexpected obstacle that life throws at you. However, it’s not about the obstacle itself, it’s about how you handle it, Hartter says.

When he crossed the finish line last year, Hartter completed his third consecutive El Tour while living with Stage 4 prostate cancer.

“Don’t let it (cancer) ruin your life and I’m not gonna let it do that,” he said.

The 73-year-old is riding in his fourth consecutive El Tour on Saturday, Nov. 23. For him, El Tour isn’t just a race, it’s an opportunity to chat with people and raise awareness about cancer and getting tested.

“I try and say, ‘Look, if I can do it. You can do it,’” he said. “I can ride 102 miles with Stage 4 cancer, taking oral chemotherapy. Get out there. You can do it. … Just get out there, do something. Even if it’s just a walk to the corner because it’s a mental battle, too. It’s hard to talk to other people about cancer, they may feel like, ‘Oh, poor you,’ but I’m the opposite. I’ll talk about cancer to anyone and try and motivate them.”

Hartter was diagnosed with fast-growing prostate cancer in 2014. Faced with various treatment options, he chose to get prostate cancer surgery, which involves removing the prostate.

The surgery initially went well. However, three months later, prostate-specific antigens that detect prostate cancer began showing up once again in his blood tests.

This time, he opted for radiation treatment. After completing five weeks of radiation, Hartter was in remission for a few years. Then, his PSA levels spiked once again.

During a CAT scan, doctors discovered that Hartter had developed four small tumors in his pelvic region.

Another round of radiation later and Hartter was once again in remission. Similar to the last time, it only lasted for a few years.

The back and forth of getting treatment and coming back out of remission remained a constant in Hartter’s life for the last several years and by 2021, he was diagnosed with multiple tumors throughout his body, including two in his bones.

So, he and his doctors looked toward hormone deprivation therapy.

“It stops all production of testosterone and most of your other hormones,” Hartter said. “And that used to be the standard for treating prostate cancer once they couldn’t do anything else. And hormone deprivation alone would work for about anywhere from three to five years.”

Combined with other newer medications, he is about a decade in with this new drug therapy.

Hartter the hero

Hartter is a retired advertising professional who grew up in Tucson. After living in southern California for some time, Hartter moved back to Tucson in October 2021 to be closer to his family.

The following month, he participated in El Tour de Tucson wearing a vibrant green cycling jersey adorned with iron-on letters that said “F**k cancer.”

“That’s when I really started not only riding to beat cancer but to also talk to men and say, ‘Listen, 94 men die each day from prostate cancer and half of those don’t need to,’” he said. “You don’t have to be a statistic. You don’t have to be like me. Start getting tested, educate yourself and do things before you get to this point.”

Hartter has a full caravan of supporters during his El Tour rides, including family members with homemade signs and his nephew-in-law, Andy Skaggs, whom he calls his best friend.

During the 2022 El Tour, Skaggs was out near the route supporting Hartter when an idea hit him. He realized that Hartter had left many of his friends behind in California when he moved back to Tucson in 2021, leading to him racing in El Tour by himself.

“When he crossed the finish line that second year, I thought to myself, ‘I’m not going to let him cross that finish line alone anymore, I can’t do it.’” Skaggs said.

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So, the month after the race he purchased a bike from Facebook Marketplace and began riding and training with Hartter.

The two completed their first El Tour together last year as they both rocked “F**k cancer” cycling jerseys.

This year, the duo is participating in the 62-mile race because Skaggs broke two ribs after falling during a bike ride and Hartter was recovering from a bout with COVID-19 at the end of September.

Skaggs, a Tucson Fire Department fireman, calls Hartter a hero.

After the Salpointe Catholic High School fire in the summer of 2022, Skaggs was one of the fire investigators for the incident. The high school had him return months later, honoring him as a hero and allowed him to give a speech to students about what it means to be a hero.

He told the students his uncle, Hartter, was one of his heroes because of his positive attitude and determination to live life to the fullest.

On a personal level, Hartter is more than a best friend to Skaggs. Over the last 15 years, Hartter has become a father figure to him after his father passed away in 2009.

He’s someone Skaggs can look up to and anytime he talks about his uncle and friend, he can’t help but smile, he says. When it comes to El Tour, Skaggs is proud of Hartter and looks forward to celebrating with family and a bowl of homemade albondigas after this year’s race.

“He tells me that he rides to live and there’s not a doubt in my mind that the reason he is who he is today is because he still rides,” Skaggs said. “And if you were to meet him on the street and judge a book by its cover, you’d never know he was sick or you’d never know he was going through any of that. I firmly believe, I 100% in my heart believe, that’s because he still rides. And I think he thinks in his heart, too, and I feel that he feels, when he stops riding, he stops.”

Yes, Hartter also says he’s riding to live, but he’s also riding for the most important person in his life — his wife, Bobbie.

“I ride for my family and my wife,” he said. “Without her, I probably wouldn’t be here in the same condition I am. I ride to live for her, so I can live with her. … She’s my rock.”

In a post-interview message to the Star, Hartter said, “Bobbie makes the worries go away. She makes me laugh instead of cry. She is my fiercest defender and supporter. She is life.”

Cycling as an outlet

Since his cancer diagnosis in 2014, Hartter has come to terms with the illness.

He’s not afraid of the physical part of dying, because that’s just a part of life, he says. What scares him the most is leaving behind his loved ones, like his wife and Skaggs.

While the devastating thought is always in the back of his mind, cycling has been an outlet for Hartter, who has been riding for over 40 years.

“I solve so many problems by riding and riding long distances, you can ride with really not focusing too much and your mind just kind of relaxes,” he said.

Before starting hormone deprivation therapy, Hartter was easily riding 60 miles on a weekend, but once the therapy and its long list of side effects kicked in, he could barely ride 15 miles. Hartter faced a lack of muscle strength and stamina, along with mood swings and hot flashes.

“I was just exhausted, just wiped out and cycling has been my happy place,” he said. “I’ve been cycling, not just riding your bike, but cycling to get better and riding groups and competing since 1985. So, to lose that, I was depressed, among other things.”

Now, Hartter is riding around 80 miles a week in preparation for this year’s El Tour. One of his favorite places to ride is around the Ventana Canyon area in northeast Tucson.

But he’ll always have a soft spot for El Tour and its breathtaking desert scenery.

Unlike last year’s El Tour, this year’s event should be a lot sunnier, with a forecast of around 80 degrees. But even if it was cloudy and rainy, a little rain would never stop Hartter.

“Last year was beautiful,” he said. “A lot of people didn’t come out because it was supposed to rain, or potential rain, but when you’re at the starting line and the clouds are clearing and the sun’s starting to poke through and the temperature is perfect and you get out there, it is so nice. Especially riding out Old Spanish Trail to Colossal Cave. It was just gorgeous. There was some rain coming down over there and by the time you got around to the mines, it’s sunny, it’s warm, it’s just a beautiful day. And that’s what makes something so wonderful.”