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Anyone going to the "El Tour de Tucson?"

G-Cracker

Monkey
May 2, 2002
528
0
Tucson, beatch!
Yep, I'm going to be there. I'll be my first El Tour. I want to ride the 80 or 109 mile, but I'm riding with a couple friends who only want to do the 67. So I'll hang with them and save the big ride for next year.
 

Reactor

Turbo Monkey
Apr 5, 2005
3,976
1
Chandler, AZ, USA
I was there 109 mile group. Got too excited and tried to hang with a group of gold riders, didn't drink enough, didn't eat enough, got dehydrated and had quad cramping. But I finished.
 
Better late than never to get back to this thread.

I did the 109 mile ride. Overall time was 7:34 and some change. Actual ride time was 6:04. (Just missed my 6 hr goal - damnit!)

At about the 65 mile mark, the three person group I was in hooked up with a fast riding group of about 20 -30 people. (Fast being 26-28mph) We jumped on the back and joined the pack. I made my way up to the front a few times and pulled the pack at about 28-29. It was such an awesome experience riding in that group. Luckily, they were all good riders (mostly ASU and shop teams with group riding experience.) That scenario lasted about 10 miles or so. Unfortunately, I used quite a bit of energy pulling at that pace and ended up struggling (read digging really deep) the last 10 miles. But hey, I didn't bonk and I finished!

Our group of three stayed together and crossed the line as a group with identcal times. Such an overall great experience.
 

G-Cracker

Monkey
May 2, 2002
528
0
Tucson, beatch!
sweet. I was in a group of three for about half of my ride and kept a steady 26 for most of the way. Then the two stopped at the I-10 and Frontage road aid station. Then just after Rattlesnake Pass, a fast group caught me and I managed to suck wheel for a few miles but at that point I was getting tired and couldn't hold the 28 they were doing.
 

Reactor

Turbo Monkey
Apr 5, 2005
3,976
1
Chandler, AZ, USA
My official time was about 6:30 but a lot of that was sitting at an aid station trying to recover. I was going to finish the ride if it killed me. I saw a lot of accidents, and saw a lot of water bottles take people out. I'm not sure I'm going to ride it again next year.
 
Reactor said:
My official time was about 6:30 but a lot of that was sitting at an aid station trying to recover. I was going to finish the ride if it killed me. I saw a lot of accidents, and saw a lot of water bottles take people out. I'm not sure I'm going to ride it again next year.
Great time Reactor! Congratulations!!

Yeah, there were definitely alot of people on the ground and quite a few tossed/dropped water bottles. In fact one of our teammates got taken out by someone where the 35 mile riders blend in to the main course. I didn't see it as our group of six had split up at the 50 or so mile mark. Anyway, this guy blends (and I use that word loosely) into the pack not paying attention and squeezes her into one of our coaches, she clips his back wheel and blam! Lands on her a*s and smacked her head on the pavement and was out for about 30 - 45 seconds. She ended up with a broken tail bone and nasty concussion. Fricken newbs....oops, I'm in the road section, fricken Freds!