Tour de Tucson, Tucson, AZ
November 20, 2010
This ride is unlike anything in Texas. For the uninitiated, this is a perimeter ride. That means the ride encircles the city via a set of interconnected streets that pretty much frame Tucson. Second- and this is a big one- everyone rides the SAME ROUTE. So regardless of whether you're doing 109mi, 79mi (which I've done both times), 66mi, or 40mi route, EVERYONE rides the SAME ROUTE! So how do they do that? Simple- if you're doing a shorter distance than 109 (which basically does one full lap), you start somewhere else on the course. I love this format for several reasons: 1) If you do a shorter distance, you get to sleep in!!; 2) Staggered start REALLY means staggered start- it's pretty unlikely 66 guys are going to try to start with 79 guys or 79 guys with 109. This makes sure you're really in with your group. Now as you might imagine, this does NOT prevent mixing of groups later out on the course. The start times are staggered such that if you're a fast rider (20+), your group will pass the start of each subsequent distance (in my case 66,40) before their lead riders for that distance are let out on the course. If you're a moderately fast rider, you might find yourself getting passed by the leaders of the shorter distances. Slower riders (< 17mph) are typically not even to the start point of the next distance when they go, so they stay out of contention with fast groups. Most mid-pace riders of the longer distance(s) are courteous staying to the right but our 79mi lead group did have to get around a few groups that either infiltrated us and shortly realized they wouldn't last or were riding 3-5 across. Still, it was pretty easy to maneuver around. Even with its shortcomings I'm still a big fan of this format. I like everyone riding the same course and groups starting together.
The roads deserve comment. Tucson doesn't seem to like middle-ground! It really seemed that every road was silky smooth asphalt (you WILL feel like a pro-tour rider on long stretches of this course) or crummy broken-up concrete. Thankfully, the crummy parts are a relatively small portion of the overall but there are long stretches. The ride does paralyze major transportation routes in several places so it's not unusual to get stopped once or possibly twice on this course so that they can control the balance of 8000 cyclists with traffic movement. We had one stop last about 2-1/2 minutes. There's also a busy RR crossing. Your odds of getting stopped there are actually pretty good but they're typically intermodal trains that last about 30 seconds. Otherwise, police generally control intersections pretty well on this course. There are only a handful of unmanned intersections- all NOT dangerous and out away from primary traffic routes.
There are other unique aspects to this ride. EVERYONE is chip-timed. You must decline if you do not wish to be. Chip fees are built into your registration. NO AERO BARS! Yes, they do check for that though I saw one guy they missed. Violating this rule will get you in trouble- DQ and probable suspension from future participation. They do claim to enforce the centerline rule but typically will not make an issue out of it unless you're blatently violating it and one of their on-course riding marshals sees you.
If you've never done this event, DO go to the pre-event ride briefing. We all like to know what's on the course. Well, in these briefings held typically every hour on the day before the ride, they go over the course... REALLY go over the course... which brings me to probably the most unique part of Tour De Tucson. There are TWO dry (usually) creekbed crossings on this course! The first is done only by the 109 mi riders. It is about 1/4mi in length! In most cases you will NOT be able to ride through it. You must carry your bike through it... on FOOT! The second one is ridden by riders on the 109mi, 79mi, and 66mi routes and is 1/3mi long and has some deep sand! There is no chance you will be able to ride through this one so it's time to hump the bike again. Cyclocross guys will be in heaven. You WILL come out of the second one with sand in your shoes. Just plan for it!
You do not need to be a climber for this course but expect long uphill grades at 3-4% in several places and one spot that's steep at prob 10-11% for about 50 meters. I brought a standard crank setup with a 12-23 and suffered a bit on that climb but otherwise never found myself wishing I had a 25 or larger. For most I suspect a 12-25 would be more than sufficient.
For weather, you can expect warmth. In fact, it typically gets to 80+ but with cool mornings so make sure you plan for that since typically by this time, Texas has cooled off considerably from that. This year was super-windy; 25-35 from SSW which really impacted finish times. We had blowing sand at times since there's a lot of that.
Final note for you fast 100milers. Do the 109 in under 5 hours and you qualify for platinum status (as well as the platinum finisher medal). The 109 has it's own staggered start (similar to Hell's Gate Scorchers, Keepers, and hopefuls) with Platinum-certified riders getting privileged start position at very front. You must earn this privilege via previous rides or status as a pro-1-2 racer and they absolutely do enforce it. You will not get into the platinum 'cattle pen' unless you have the certification card they give you. The remaining two start groups for 109 are gold and silver. Both are first-come first serve though they ask you to line up with your expected finish time (gold = < 6 hours and don't forget this is 109 miles with two water crossings, NOT 100mi so that's faster than the math might tell you). Gold riders will start lining up in their pen at 4am and I've heard it fills up crazy fast! Once full, that's it- you're in silver!
One note on lodging. There are event hotels and they're not bad deals but the local economy offers tons of options. We found a very nice hotel out by the airport- suite with big screen HD TV, breakfast, and nice furnishings for $80/night. TdT is not like HnH where they gouge you for the weekend- there's tons of available lodging. Tucson looks big but we were able to get to my start line in only 15 min of nice surface street driving.
Finish medals are very nice. Very much like the nicer running events in the country. The 109 medals will be platinum, gold, or silver based on your finish time ( < 5hr, <6hr, other) Due to the distance from north texas and the higher cost of entry, it's probably not an event you do every year but it's worth doing every few years.
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