Kids, parents, families and friends are invited to participate in El Tour’s Fun Ride, a 4-mile course routed adjacent to main event start lines at Red Mountain Park.
El Tour de Mesa benefits Perimeter Bicycling Association of America, Inc., The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training program, as it continues its important mission funding research to fight blood cancers. All contributions for the event must be sent to El Tour de Mesa event headquarters or brought to Packet Pick Up.
No event registration on Ride day except for Fun Ride.
Click on the links to the left and learn more
- News Release-
Course Records Broken at
Holualoa Companies 21st El Tour de Mesa
presented by Pierson Construction Corporation
TUCSON, Ariz. – Richard DeBernardis, Founder & Executive Director, announced that this year’s event, dedicated to Scottsdale resident Rich Pierson, welcomed nearly 1,300 registrants – the third-highest registration since event inception. Near-record temperatures and increasing wind speeds did not seem to hamper earlier finishers as two divisions set new course records – the women’s division and the men’s tandem division in the 72-mile event.
It was a very warm but beautiful day with many exciting finishes. Craig Streit of Scottsdale, fourth-place in last year’s event, nipped Mesa residents Joe Susco, second-place, and Kyle Reedy, third-place, at the line for the 72-mile men’s title, with all three times being listed as 2:49:10. It was such a tight men’s finish that the first eight finishing times are within twenty-eight seconds.
Tracey Perez of Phoenix claimed the women’s 72-mile title in a time of 2:50:39. Finishing thirty-fifth overall, Perez broke the 2010 women’s course record of 2:52:42 set by pro-cyclist Erica Allar. Kimberly Johnson of Queen Creek earned second place with a time of 2:59:23 and Cathi Ross of Tucson came in third with a time of 3:02:44.
Darien Newman and Michael Coyle of Tucson placed first overall for tandems in a time of 2:50:37, breaking the 2008 men’s tandem division course record of 3:01:20 set by Bob and Jim Pongratz. Joshua and Laurie Brown from Tempe took the mixed tandem title in a time of 2:58:10.
Ronald McKillip of El Paso, TX earned the Desert Tortoise Award in a time of 6:47:23 as the cyclist who, in under eight hours, brings up the “back of the pack” in the 72-mile event.
In the 26-mile event, Henry Novell Jr. of Phoenix finished first for the second year in a row, in a time of 1:09:57. Bridget Verhaaren of Mesa secured the women’s title also for the second year in a row, in a time of 1:15:28.
Sheri Younker from Mesa raised $2,048 and was awarded the Treasure Chest for the Highest Money Raiser. At present, the event has grossed over $16,000 for the Desert Mountain States chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Uphill Into the Wind, Not One More Foundation, other Perimeter Bicycling charities and a fund for disaster relief in Japan. Since its inception, the event has seen over 17,000 participants and has raised more than $370,000.
This year’s event was also supported by AZ-TV, CEP Timing, City of Mesa, Clif Bar, DakotaPro.biz, GU, Highway Technologies, Mesa Convention & Visitors Bureau, Pactimo, Swagel Wootton Hiatt Eye Center, The Bagelry, TransCity Property Management, Valley Guide and Wells Fargo Bank.
Perimeter Bicycling also organizes Holualoa Companies Tour of the Tucson Mountains presented by Town of Marana, April 16th, El Tour 10K/5K Run, September 17th, Cochise County Cycling Classic, October 8th and University Medical Center El Tour de Tucson, November 19th.
– end –
Perimeter
Bicycling