Kids, parents, families and friends are invited to participate in the Tour’s Fun Ride, a 4-mile course routed adjacent Red Mountain Park main event start lines.
El Tour de Phoenix benefits Perimeter Bicycling Association of America, Inc., The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training program, as latter continues its mission to fund research to fight blood cancers. All contributions for the event must be processed by El Tour de Phoenix event headquarters.
Fun Ride registration may be done on Ride Day.
Click on the active links to the left to learn more!
– News Release –
Registration and Course Records Broken
at Holualoa Companies 19th El Tour de Phoenix
presented by Pierson Construction Corporation
TUCSON, Ariz. – Richard DeBernardis, Founder & Executive Director of El Tour de Phoenix, announced that this year’s event, dedicated to Mesa resident Sterling Baer, welcomed 1,400 registrants – beating the 2008 attendance record of 1,308. In addition, moderate temperature and wind conditions helped cyclists in four divisions set new course records – the women’s and the mixed tandem divisions of the 72-mile event as well as the men’s and the women’s divisions of the 26-mile event.
It was a beautiful day with many exciting finishes. Clay Murfet of Youngtown, Tazmania nipped Mesa resident Joe Susco for the 72-mile men’s title, with both times being listed as 2:51:28. Chris Fusselman of Phoenix rounded out the podium in a time of 2:51:30.
Pro-cyclist, Erica Allar from Charlotte, NC, claimed the women’s 72-mile title for the third year in a row in a time of 2:52:42. Finishing tenth overall, Allar broke her own 2009 course record by five minutes and 2 seconds. Mildred Lopez of Calexico, CA earned second place with a time of 2:58:15 and Heidi Melendez of Chandler came in third with a time of 3:01:09.
Gerd Pfister and Susana Martinez of El Paso, TX placed first overall for tandems in a time of 2:54:11, breaking their own 2008 course record of 3:01:27 for mixed tandems. Eddie McKee and Sid Ogino from Gilbert and Mesa took the all-male tandem title in a time of 3:24:48.
In the 26-mile event, Henry Novell Jr. of Phoenix finished first in a time of 1:09:36 – twenty seconds faster than the 2009 course record set by Phoenix resident David Murray. Bridget Verhaaren of Mesa secured the women’s title in a time of 1:14:44 – four minutes and thirty-nine seconds faster than the 2008 course record set by Holly Frith of Cave Creek.
Grady Pearson from Phoenix raised $2,175 and was awarded the Treasure Chest for the Highest Money Raiser. The event grossed approximately $30,000 for the Desert Mountain States chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and for the Perimeter Bicycling Association of America.
Since its inception, the event has seen some 15,784 participants and has raised over $350,000.
This year’s event was also supported by Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, AZ-TV, CEP Timing, City of Mesa, Clif Bar, DakotaPro.biz, Empire Machinery, GU, Mesa Convention & Visitors Bureau, Performance Bicycle Shop, Primavera Online High School, The Bagelry, Valley Guide and Wells Fargo Bank.
Perimeter Bicycling also organizes Holualoa Companies Tour of the Tucson Mountains presented by Town of Marana, April 25th, El Tour 10K/5K Run, September 19th, Cochise County Cycling Classic, October 9th and University Medical Center El Tour de Tucson , November 20th.
Perimeter
Bicycling