It’s the Saturday before Thanksgiving, which means thousands came out today for the 41st annual El Tour de Tucson .
This year’s races had about 10,000 participants; representing all 50 states and 13 countries.
“Just being part of something so big,” 102-mile rider, Matt McDonnell said. “There’s not a lot of opportunities to do something this large in our own town. It’s so cool.”
Events Included:
- 102-mile
- 5K run/walk
- 1 mile and 3 mile fun rides
- 62-mile
- 32-mile
For some participants, it’s a tradition they participate in every year.
“Going 100 miles at the speeds we’ll be going out of this platinum corral does take a significant amount of training,” Eddie Monin said. “So you do have to spend maybe three to six days a week for several months to get the fitness required for this type of event.”
However, for many, it was their first time participating. Isabella Macazani recently learned how to ride a bike and participated in the three-mile fun ride.
“I do two to three-hour bike rides normally, so me and my Tata decided why not come out to El Tour de Tucson,” Macazani said.