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TMCNet: Changes alter route along I-10, Oracle Rd.

[November 21, 2009]

Changes alter route along I-10, Oracle Rd.

Nov 21, 2009 (The Arizona Daily Star - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Course changes have shortened the route for El Tour de Tucson by about a half-mile and could lead to a faster race today, founder Richard DeBernardis said.


For the first time since 1992, the 109-mile bicycle race will have new starting and finishing lines on Church Avenue between Alameda and Pennington streets. The route also has shifted to avoid construction on Oracle Road, and riders will use the Interstate 10 frontage road instead of the Silverbell Road stretch.

The alterations shorten the 109-, 80-, 66- and 35-mile races by about half a mile, DeBernardis said, so if the weather is calm, times could be at least five minutes faster, he said. More than 8,000 cyclists are expected to participate in the 27th annual El Tour events.

"If the weather stays without wind, a 71-, 72-degree day, sunny, they'll break the course record because it's a shorter distance," DeBernardis said.

By Thursday night, 7,854 cyclists had registered for all the events, including the Indoor El Tour and Fun Ride. DeBernardis said he hoped the figure reached about 8,600, making it the third-highest total in race history. The 2007 event, which marked the 25th anniversary, drew the largest number at 9,122.

"If we get within 8,000, that's an incredible feat in the economy we're in," DeBernardis said.

Both 2008 men's and women's champions -- David Salomon of Hermosillo, Sonora, and Erica Allar of Fogelsville, Pa. -- return. Salomon and three teammates took the top four spots last season. His teammate Carlos Hernandez, who finished second last year and was the 2007 champion, is back.

Eric Marcotte, a 29-year-old from Scottsdale, finished fifth behind the team from Mexico after he had to stop twice to tend to a broken spoke during his first El Tour in 2008.

"It could have been better," said Marcotte, who will ride for the Pista Palace team. "I was lucky enough to have a teammate who gave me a wheel, so I changed it and chased back on." A rider set to be on Lance Armstrong's new RadioShack team also will join the field. Matthew Busche, a 24-year-old from Las Cruces, N.M., will ride for the Kelly Benefit Strategies team in his first El Tour before the RadioShack team becomes official next year.

"I've heard about the two wash crossings, so that's got me a little nervous," Busche said. "Other than that, there's nothing I'm too concerned about." The race's previous finishing line was on Granada Avenue, south of Congress Street, near the Tucson Convention Center. Officials changed the location of the finish in anticipation of a modern streetcar system.

To avoid Oracle, cyclists will take Calle Concordia, La Canada Drive, Naranja Drive and First Avenue before they rejoin last year's route at Moore Road.

The frontage road change is a concern, said Jame Carney, Tucson resident and three-time El Tour champion. Riders can encounter debris from Interstate 10, he said. But the road will be swept before the race, DeBernardis said, adding the Tucson Police Department wanted the shift to the frontage road because parts of Silverbell are unsafe.

Because the frontage road slants downhill, that also could mean faster times.

"I heard it may be a little faster," said Tucson resident Spring Clegg, 33, who finished third among women last year. "There's a lot of luck involved. Anything can happen." If you go --What: El Tour de Tucson --When: Today, with rides of 35, 66, 80 and 109 miles --Where: Around the perimeter of Tucson --Who: About 8,000 cyclists More Tour --In Sunday's Star, get a special El Tour section that features the names of every finisher.

--For a searchable database of finishers, video and slide shows, go to: azstarnet.com/special/eltour To see more of The Arizona Daily Star, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.azstarnet.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

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