- News Release –

Holualoa Companies 19th El Tour de Phoenix presented by Pierson Construction Corporation
Honors Sterling Baer

TUCSON, Ariz. – Richard DeBernardis, Founder & Executive Director of El Tour de Phoenix, announced that this year’s event is dedicated to Sterling Baer – cycling guardian and protector and cofounder of the Not One More Foundation – who will be honored at the Thursday, April 8th Dedication Dinner in Building C of the Mesa Convention Center.

Dedication Dinner Reservation Form

Baer – a BYU graduate, president of the Red Mountain Brumby’s Cycling Club and long-time supporter of Perimeter Bicycling – is a senior partner at IBM in Mesa, Arizona.  A simple effort on the part of Baer and fellow-cyclist Dara Schulenberg in 2008 to deliver meals and assistance to a cyclist hit by a car while riding her bicycle, became the Not One More Foundation.  Today, the non-profit organization provides assistance to injured cyclists, educational opportunities focused on sharing the roads, and political advocasy to insure legal protection for victims.

DeBernardis also announced that Holualoa Companies continues as the event’s title sponsor for the fifth year in a row as part of a second three-year commitment. 

Holualoa Companies is a real estate investment and development company headquartered in Tucson, Arizona.  The company operates a diverse portfolio of real estate investment properties throughout the United States and Europe and has offices in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Tucson, Kona and Paris.  Holualoa is dedicated to providing excellent return on investment through intensive asset management.  I. Michael Kasser, president of Holualoa Companies and 8-time Ironman Triathlon finisher, sponsors many athletic-based charitable events.

Pierson Construction Corporation will be the presenting sponsor of El Tour de Phoenix, scheduled for Saturday, April 10th, which begins and ends at Red Mountain Park at Sun Valley Parkway off Brown Rd. in East Mesa.  El Tour de Phoenix XIX main-event cyclists will ride 72 miles clockwise around the perimeter of scenic Red Mountain, beginning at 6:15am.  26-mile cyclists will begin at 9:15am and kids and their families will ride 4 miles or ¼ mile in the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety El Tour Fun Ride beginning at 10:30am.

For the tenth year in a row, proceeds from the event go to the Desert Mountain States Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, raising funds to support research for leukemia and other blood-related cancers.

The Tour, Central Arizona’s premier springtime cycling event, will challenge 1,350 cyclists with the help of over 400 volunteers.  Since its inception, the event has seen over 14,000 participants and has raised nearly $325,000.  This year’s event is also supported by AZ-TV, CEP Timing, City of Mesa, Clif Bar, DakotaPro.biz, 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.

Applications can be found in Tail Winds, at local bicycle and running shops or online.  Packet pick-up and last-minute registration will be held at the Bike, Fitness & Health Expo in Building B of the Mesa Convention Center on Friday, April 9th from 10:00am to 8:00pm.  Participants for the Fun Ride can also register on event day.  For more information, call (520) 745-2033.

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