Jesus Villa, right, holds up a sign to cheer on his Nana as she rides her first 32-mile race during the 39th Banner β University Medicine El Tour de Tucson in Tucson, Ariz. on November 19.
It all started with a Spiderman bike for Izek Saiz. The 10-year-old, who rode in the 32-miler Saturday at the Banner-University Medicine 39th El Tour de Tucson, would take short rides around his neighborhood. Once he tried taking a much longer ride, the bikeβs chain broke and he needed something a little nicer.
At the time, Saiz was watching his aunt, who was 10 at the time, train and take spin class at the JCC in Tucson. She was a member of junior El Tour.
βHe would say, βI want to do that. I want to do that.β I said when you are 10, weβll do it,β said his grandmother, Veronica Saiz, who is the director of marketing and corporate engagement at Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Saiz trained by taking spin classes and riding the Loop. Saturday, he posted a time of 3 hours, 32 minutes and 53.3 seconds.
His favorite part of cycling? βI like to go fast,β he said.
Watch that tire pressure
Mike Leland, the service manager at Bicycle Ranch, spent much of his time Saturday checking tire pressure. Temperature at the start of the 102-mile ride was 40 degrees; when it gets cold, tiresβ air pressure goes down.
Leland said that the newly filled tires will last the entire race. He advises people to check their pressure before going out on a ride this time of year. If itβs at 50 psi, they, βare going to have a little bit of a softer cushy ride. Theyβre going to go slower and theyβre going to be more susceptible to pinch flats while theyβre out on the course.β
These days, tire pressure is determined by each riderβs weight. The range is around 65 to 95 psi.
β(Tire pressure of) 110 psi is great if youβre on a velodrome, a perfectly smooth track, but something like this pavement β chip seal β youβre just getting over all those little bumps and slowing you down. So a little bit lower psi is actually going to be faster and more comfortable.β
Leland has participated in El Tour a number of times and hopes to get back out next year.
Saturday, Leland saw a broken spoke, torque adjustments, crooked handlebar stems and a damaged tubular tire with a broken valve stem. Leland and his crew came up with a solution on the fly: Saran wrap.
Still honeymooning
Elga Soto was sitting to the side of the El Tour course with homemade signs for her husband, Gabriel Rodriguez, who was doing the 32-mile ride. Soto, who has lived in Tucson since 2007, was attending El Tour for the first time.
The two have been married for four months. Soto attended her first bike race last month in Albuquerque.
When they were first dating, Soto told her now-husband that she wasnβt so sure about the cycling thing.
βI was like, βOh, really?β Because I love hiking. I love to go hiking all over the place here,β Soto said. βWhen he said, βbiking,β Iβm like, βNo, itβs better to hike the mountains.β And heβs like, βNo, this is going to be nice. Youβre going to like it.β Yeah, (now) heβs getting me into it. Heβs getting me a bike next year.β
When Rodriquez, who is changing his last name soon to Soto β a surprise to Soto, who thought it was βbeautifulβ β saw the signs, he smiled from ear to ear. He finished in a time of 2:02:09.3.
βEven though he participates in these frequently, he gets very nervous,β Soto said. βHeβs like, βOh, thanks for doing that. I really love it. It means a lot.β He said calmed him down.β
Twins or ...
Juniper John and Elle Lambson are 10-year old cousins who look a lot alike. John is from Marana, while Lambson lives in Santa Fe.
They took different tracks to training. Lambson rode on bike trails to prepare for the 10-mile fun ride. John didnβt train.
Yet, at the same time they both said that the best part of the day was, βSeeing and passing the finish line β and getting a medal.β
Both were excited to ride again next year, but first John had to finish her potato chips.
Mother-daughter connection
Scottsdaleβs Lisa Fuller took part in the 63-mile ride using her motherβs Trek bike. Linda Prior, now 80, bought the bike in 1995 and rode the Trek in seven El Tours over the years.
Prior passed the bike down to her daughter in 2018. Fuller estimates that she has put more than 3,000 miles on it over the last four years.
βItβs sentimental,β Fuller said.
Prior didnβt give her daughter any El Tour tips, but did share how difficult training was before the Loop was built.
βBack then they didnβt have the Rillito or Santa Rita washes finished, so it was a little harder to put together a good 100 mile training ride,β Fuller said. βThe paths they have now are fantastic.β
Fuller, 59, was a runner before turning to cycling in 2018. She and Mesaβs Allan Disner started slow, riding five miles a week. In 2019, Fuller decided to add a mile a week.
βI didnβt tell him right away that I was gunning for the El Tour de Tucson. It was like a little more, a little more. and then one day I was like, βWell, you know, weβre up to 30 miles, we could probably double that,β Fuller said.
They rode in their first El Tour last year.
Photos: 2022 El Tour de Tucson bicycle race in Tucson