El Tour notebook: 91-year-old cyclist takes on his first ride

Saturday's Special Olympics El Tour de Tucson presented by Casino Del Sol Resort hosted riders of all ages.

Take 91-year-old George Nicholls, for instance.

The Tucsonan rode in the 5-mile fun ride event on his three-wheel trike. It was Nicholls' first time riding in El Tour de Tucson and said it was his first competition of any sort.

“I’ve been riding all my life,” Nicholls said. “The past 25 years I’ve been riding quite a bit.”

Nicholls rode Saturday accompanied by his son, Kent. The Nicholls men trained by riding around George Nicholls’ Civano neighborhood.

“I’ve watched the tour every year and I read about the 5-mile and I said, ‘I could do that’,” George Nicholls said.

George Nicholls’ son wanted him to try the 11-mile fun ride course but never gave it much thought.

“I might think about it for next year,” George Nicholls said. “Of course at my age you don’t buy green bananas.”

Dynamic duo

Paul Thomas and Noreen Cary have become something of a dynasty at El Tour de Tucson when it comes to the mixed-tandem race.

The good times kept rolling Saturday for the couple, married since 2006. Cary and Thomas won their fourth straight — and fifth overall — tandem title at El Tour.

“Shocking,” Noreen said. “I keep thinking I’m getting too old to do this, but every year it’s like we have to defend the championship.”

Added Paul: “It was good. This is our big event”

Paul and Noreen met in 2000 at a Rock N’ Roll Marathon, and something clicked. They rode their first El Tour together when Noreen was still a law student at the UA.

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“There’s an athletic-based synergy that continues to go,” Paul said.

Saturday’s finish was particularly impressive since Noreen was only really able to start training for it six weeks ago mostly due to her job as an attorney.

Paul said he tallied it up, and Noren rode 1,300 miles for the entire preparation.

“I do all sorts of races, but this is the most satisfying," Paul said. "I really gotta give her props. She has no athletic experience, but she’s in the race with all these top pros, going bar-to-bar, 3 inches away on each side, with people that have done the Tour de France.

“Noreen is probably the only person in this race that’s finished in the four-hour bracket, five-hour bracket, six-hour bracket, seven-hour bracket and the eight-hour bracket.”

Looking good

As the 104-mile race wrapped up, El Tour officials picked the winners in a kids competition for best-decorated bike.

Seth Villa, with his turkey bicycle, and Carmen Roe, with her bee-themed bike, both took home first-place trophies.

“First we bought this turkey hat, my grandma got it as a joke,” said Villa, 11. “But then I thought, ‘Hey, El Tour is coming up why don’t we make a turkey bike?’”

For Villa and Roe, both Tucsonans, this was not their first time competing for best-decorated bike. The two have been battling it out for a few years now.

Roe collected her third first-place finish on Saturday, and Villa got his second. But this is the first year they both won, together.

“I knew if we put lots of effort into it that it would pay off,” Roe said. “And I’m very happy I could share my prize.”

Next year is the final year Villa and Roe can compete in the best-decorated bike competition because of age limits, but that won’t stop them from at least trying to defend their tittles.

“I think we got (next year) in the bag,” Villa said. “After next year I’ll fake my age, obviously.”