With everything that happened with Brendan Lyons this past week I never had a chance to write about the Tour Of The White Mountains. Better late than never?
Tour of the White Mountains.
Have you had that break through moment in a race that makes you look back on that event with fondness. The TWM was the first race where I pushed myself to a level that has in many ways defined me ever since. It was about a year after I really got into riding, my longest Mountain Bike ride going into the race was perhaps 30 or 40 miles. I signed up for the 60 mile race( Oh, for the record, I love him like a brother, but Epic Rides mastermind Todd Sadow can’t count- it was nearly 70 miles). Summary: Made cut off by only a minute, was a mile past the last checkpoint when I flatted, my saddle bag was open and I had no spare or tire lever, I pumped the tire, rode a mile, flatted, pumped it again, rain started, rode half a mile, flat, mud, could not get tire pumped, more mud, mud and pine needles, mud like peanut butter, tires not spinning as a result of mud, walk, soles of shoes fell off, carry bike 8 miles to finish. Loved every second of it!!!
At the Finish of my first TWM
This year I was heading up to take pictures and enjoy the company of the bike community. My good friend David Tang was good enough to drive and had an extra bed in his cabin. We also had in our company a UA med student, Seth Turner, and David’s dogs, Taco and Tamale. Mentally I was set for a mellow weekend and a short ride with thousands of pictures. Somehow, plans changed and I somehow found myself entered in the 50 mile event. I‘d like to tell that story, it’s a good story, but to protect my sources I will skip it.
Tamale and Taco at Casas Tang
David, Seth and I had a plan for the race. Ride together. Push hard in the beginning. Ride strong. Finish strong. Drink Beer. It was a good plan. It fell apart somewhere on the ride from the cabin to the start line when we missed the gun by 15 minutes. It quickly proceeded to a social ride. I would ride ahead, take photos, let them pass, take photos, ride ahead, take photos, take photos as we rode, take more photos, have David tell me how annoying it is having someone ride casually past you taking photos. It is my favorite type of ride. Put in 20-45 minute efforts and then relax for a few minutes. If we saw a pleasant meadow, we stopped and had a snack. Aspen trees-stop. Cows-stop. Heavy equipment-stop, climb, photos. After every stop we would catch the same riders who passed us throughout the day. We took time at every opportunity to chat and thank the volunteers and eat oreos, pickles, and sandwiches at the aid stations. Boys out playing on their bikes!
Seth ” get me a unicycle” Turner
About 10 miles from the finish Seth decided to pick up the pace. At about that time David busted a nipple and due to rubbing had to ride brake free. He was in a bad mental place as he was struggling with the bike and the long time in the saddle. I held back a short distance, offering the occasional encouragement and enjoying the scenery.
Happy Tang getting it done.
About 4 or 5 miles to the finish David passed a guy who was off his bike. I stopped to ask what the issue was (and to get a photo). His bike shirt was in the design of a tuxedo and he had one of the most stunning handlebar moustaches I’ve seen. He was a big boy, tall, solid and 240 pounds. His trouble was that due to his massive size he had broken his chain. He found a master link and fixed it once, but snapped it again.
It’s like a Strider for BIG people
After introductions, (his name is Jeff) I told him to get on his bike and I’d try and push him. On the flats it beat walking, but it was a struggle for me to keep him moving. It became especially challenging on the single track as I was forced to ride one handed, on the side of the trail and avoid rocks. On the uphills he had to walk. He encouraged me to leave him, but I was content to talk with him and make his ride pass faster. Every checkpoint we passed they told us it was 2 miles to the finish. 3 times we were told 2 miles. It almost became a joke (Apparently not only can Todd not count, but it is contagious and all of the volunteers are mathematically challenged). At one point I decided to try and pull Jeff instead of push. I was feeling it and was hoping a new position might help. It was awesome. It worked so well I was even able to pull him up the hills. I grabbed his camel pack under his arm, leaned away from him as hard as I could land was able to grind out the last few miles. At one point I told him I needed to put on my music and disappear. At the end of a 50 mile ride I admit I was feeling it. A few times we bumped handle bars and it felt like we were going down. However, we rode to the finish with me holding onto the camel pack as we crossed the finish line together.
The race is put on by Epic Rides and it lived up to the name “Epic”. New Belgium beer was pouring free beer, my favorite type, at the finish line. Jeff and I had a toast to his finishing and I ran off to watch the award ceremony. I was loving life as many of my friends were getting hardware. After the last award was presented, Todd Sadow said he had a special announcement. He called Jeff and I up on the platform and recapped the last few miles of our ride to the audience. I was on my second beer by that time(recovery fuel) and must say, physically and mentally, It really felt good.
A toast to my new riding buddy, Jeff.
I never expected that I’d have a ride in the TWM that would be more memorable than the day in the mud. However, I think this day surpassed that one for one reason. Friends!!! Both new and old. If you are reading my blogs, you might have noticed how much I value community and how determined I am to bring the cycling community together. Physically, this might have been one of the greater challenges I’ve ever had, but mentally this fuels me. I’d gladly have pulled Jeff another 5 miles and would do the same for any of you. We have something really special going on with the bikes and I can’t wait to get out there and meet you on the trail. Thanks for reading.
I received a call today from Brendan Lyons. He was all choked up and asked me if I knew the news and had I seen TucsonVelo.com. He was fairly emotional and I have to admit that bad toughts came to my mind. Was someone else hit? Was there some bad news? I quickly pulled up he facebook page and saw it referred to an event that was created to benefit Lorena and Brendan(event info posted at the bottom of this post). In his typical form, he went off talking about how all he wanted to do was help out the community and how humbling this was. He was so touched the community would do anything like this to help him out.
I was aware of the event and had talked with Craig Honeker , who created the facebook event. He rides on the Tri-sport team and he and Ryan Hartman had been looking at some ways to help Brendan and Lorena. The event was created and some incredible donations have started to come in that will be raffled or auctioned off. According to facebook posts they include: CHECK BACK HERE AND I’LL UPDATE THE LIST.
Mike McKisson of TucsonVelo.com is offering up 6 months of advertising for the raffle. The person who wins will get a display ad on the site for six months with a link to their business or organization. In the last month they have had 19,000 visits from 13,500 different cyclists mostly from Tucson. The normal value is $1,200.
Jimmy Bees 20/24 black DT aero comp spokes. Sapin hex head alloy nipples. Rims are tubeless compatible. Shimano/sram 10spd
If you have something you would like to donate look up the page on facebook and comment, or if you are not on facebook, contact the BikePilgrim at 520-977-5664 or email damion@damionalexander.com and I’ll put you in touch with the event organizers.
“As many of you know, Brendan Lyons and Lorena Evans were hit by a car last Friday while riding, and Brendan has suffered severe injuries. We are going to have a very informal benefit this Sunday at Old Chicago to:
– Try to raise some funds for Brendan and Lorena, as they get through these difficult times.
– Gather well wishes for the two of them (we’ll have card(s) that you can sign)
– Brendan is going to need our support over the long term, so we’ll be talking about how we can all do that.
– Let them know that the cycling community has them in their hearts!
Please join us on Sunday at 6:00 PM at Old Chicago (Campbell south of Glenn) and offer whatever support you can. All monies raised will go directly to Brendan and Lorena.
We’ll also have a card and donation jar at TriSports (4495 S Coach Dr) on Friday and Saturday if you’re unable to make it on Sunday.
Please send the invite to everyone who rides a bike! Thanks for your support of the Tucson Cycling Community!”
This is a more of a mini novel than a blog. It contains the interview with Brendan Lyons and Lorena Evans about a collision with a car on October 4, 2013 . Also, interviews with Senator Farley and Representative Orr about what bike laws we might be able to create in the next legislative session.. My break down on why this all came together. Having been there for the entire time and seeing the final news reports, it is incredible how 45 minutes is condensed into a 2 minute segment. I tried to omit nothing to give a more in depth perspective (perhaps too much).
My good friend Brendan Lyons was hit by a car while riding his bike last week with his girlfriend Lorena Evans. Lorena got off easy with a broken wrist (at least that’s all that I know she hurt). Brendan on the other hand ended up In the Hospital and is still there.
Brendan is a fire fighter with rural metro and the founder of Look!Save a life/ Arizona This is what Brendon says s the purpose of Look! “Look! Save a Life / Arizona is a campaign to promote cycling safety and awareness. Many cyclists are unaware of, or choose not to ride according to the laws which govern the use of public roads. Most drivers only expect to see other cars on the road, or even deny the right of cyclists to be on the road at all. (Or worse yet, feel cyclists should not be on the roads at all.) That creates a disconnection between what drivers expect and what cyclists do on the road. These problems culminate in at best, apathy towards cyclists, and at worst, deliberate, hostile, unsafe, and possibly fatal confrontations between drivers and cyclists. My hope is to “Realize that we can not change personalities, but to help in better changing the “attitudes” drivers and cyclists have for one another.”
I went to visit Brendan at UAMC Diamond’s Children in his hospital room. For some time I have helped him manage the facebook page for Look! Save a Life. I have known many cyclist who have spent time in ER and the hospital, but this is the first time I went down to see if I could help (I’ve never been a huge fan of hospitals, I was told as a kid the best way to stay healthy was to avoid hospitals and I have been living that lifestyle).
Even with the pain meds, I could see the grimace on his face every few sentences, but his mind was clear and we had a very long conversation. We talked about what he remembered from the crash, nothing. My favorite topic after a bike crash. How was his bike? Shattered in 13 plus pieces. Where it happened? Sunrise heading East before Kolb. One point was very clear. He wanted to find a way to make this into a positive experience. The question he wanted to know was how could he help save even one life or prevent one collision as a result of his current situation. The conversation went to how Look! Save a Life could get recognition and use his misfortune for the benefit of the community. We went over the downside to being public, but he was set on doing anything that could to save someone from the anguish he was going through.
Together we discussed what he wanted to see. Laws that really protect cyclist! A state wide no texting while driving law! A hands free law!!!!! Expanding the 3 foot to a 5 foot wide passing law and more teeth and penalties for cars who hit a cyclist.
After we had the idea the rest fell on me. Fortunately, I have great political connections on both sides of the isle in the state legislator and know the Representatives and Senators who believe in protecting the safety of cyclist. ( If anyone has 1ooK and want’s to support me for a year I’ll become a full time bike lobbyist for the state of Arizona) Both Senator Steve Farley and Representative Ethan Orr were willing to shuffle their schedules to meet with Brendan to talk about the laws we discussed.
With the assistance of Katie Riley from UAMC and Grant Cesarck from Rural metro we were able to coordinate the logistics of bringing news crews in the hospital and to get a press release out. THANK YOU Katie and Grant!
Everything went very well and KVOA and KGUN both sent crews out. KOLD was not able to make it, but we might do another interview in a few days. AZ Daily Star sent a reporter as well. Senator Farley, Representative Orr, Karen Mlawsky, CEO of UAMC, Andy Theodorou, MD, Chief Medical Officer of UAMC all attended the meeting.
Senator Farley, Representative Orr, Lorena Evans, Brendan Lyons, Karen Mlawsky, Andy Theodorou, MD.
Prior to the media being allowed in Brendan had an opportunity to talk to the others about what he wanted to accomplish. What hit me was that everyone in the room except Dr. Theodorou ride bikes on a regular basis. The conversation was really preaching to the choir and it seemed that not only was everyone in agreement but that it was more of a brainstorming session. Dr. Theodorou had many points to ad from his prospective in the hospital and seeing so many patients who were in collisions. One point everyone really agreed on, WEAR A HELMET! Brendan would be dead, no question, if he was not wearing his lid.
Even before the actual interview began it appeared that Brendan would grimace in pain while talking. I thought, What type of a person is willing to expose themselves to this when they are hurting so much? My answer is, a public servant of the highest caliber. He is the fire fighter through and through. A man who is willing to sacrifice himself for the good of the many. I cried a few times listening to his passionate speech.
The interview: Surrounded by Farley and Orr with Lorena next to him on the bed the news crews took turns interviewing Brendan. I TOOK THE BEST NOTES I COULD. I DID NOT EMBELISH AT ALL, BUT I’M NOT A GOOD SECRETARY AND EXACT WORDING MIGHT BE OFF.
Brendan Lyons: On Friday, We were on a training ride for El Tour de Tucson in the bike lane, a very wide bike lane, Lorena was on the left of the lane and we were struck from behind. That is all I remember.
KVOA :A picture tells a thousand words, How are you doing with all of this?(she pointed at the bike)
BL: As you can see I suffered some serious injury and I’m very fortunate to be here to talk to you. Because I was wearing a helmet I’m here today.
KVOA: You mentioned you were a fire Fighter.
BL: It puts taking care of people on a whole. I need to take care of myself and my girlfriend now. Hopefully, by talking to you today, I can help save lives and I can help people.
KVOA: What do you want cyclist and drivers to take form this?
BL: If I was not wearing a helmet, hands down, I would be dead. My helmet was crushed in and I would be dead. Follow the rules of the road. Don’t oppose traffic. Ride in the bike lane. Ride with the flow of traffic. For drivers, Most important, keep your hands on the wheel and pay attention. Get off the phone, don’t text , two seconds with your hands off the wheel can kill someone.
KGUN: You said you advocate for riders safety with Look! Save a Life, did you ever think you would be in this position?
BL: I never believed this. I hoped that I could help share the mission of keeping people safe. This is a two way street. This is not an attack on drivers. I want drivers to pay attention. Give a little extra space. Even if it is a 3 foot law, give five feet. There is no reason not to give space. To have a big truck blow by you in a bike lane is hard to comprehend if you are not a cyclist.
KGUN: Why are you doing this?
BL:I’m doing this to potentially save lives. I’m a fire fighter. I care about people. I genuinely care about people. I don’t want to see anyone else hurt or killed. I’m doing this to save lives.
KVOA: Anything else you want to say?
When I see my bicycle I do not know why I am here. I should be dead. I keep thinking that over and over. We are both incredibly lucky to still be alive.
KGUN: Fellow riders are they offering support?
BL: Fellow riders, fellow fire fighters, people I don’t even know have been coming forward. Put a smile on your face and pay attention to the road.
KVOA: You have been working with some local leaders. Can you talk about this?
BL: People don’t understand why there are so many cyclist here. We have the weather, we have the infrastructure. There are hundreds of mile of roads in Tucson and Pima county with adequate bike lanes, but there needs to be more, there is a 55 mile loop being built, if we don’t have the laws that support this we are doing a disservice to not only cyclist, not only to cyclist but to Firefighters, Doctors, Police offices, Mothers, Fathers, sons and daughters, we are doing disservice to your family members. There is a law that if you hit a cyclist in a bike lane that it is a $500 fine, if you kill him it is a $1000 fine, but in part of Arizona you can be fined $2500 for feeding a wild animal. Where is the human element? It is really disheartening.
KVOA: And this is something you are going to work on changing?
BL: Absolutely. Perhaps Arizona can adopt the California law on no texting and hands free devices only? There is no reason not to be paying attention to the road
KVOA: So what are you going to do now? You obviously focus on recovery
BL: I’m going to focus on my recovery, and advocacy. Focusing on helping people and getting better. Focus on Tucson being better. We don’t need to follow other states. We can step up. We are a huge cycling Mecca. We can set the example for other states. Take care of your brother. Pay attention to drivers as well.
KVOA: Lorena, Do you want to say anything on your experience or hearing him say he should not be here?
LE: It’s hard, I remember everything and he does not. I saw him on the ground and honestly thought he was dead. I’m thankful we are both alive and here and able to heal to move forward from this.
KVOA: I’m getting the impression from listening to you that this is not going to stop you from getting on the bike?
BL: Still going to get on a bicycle! Still going to ride! Still going to be safe! Still going to look out for traffic! I’m a driver as well. I pay taxes. I helped pay for these bike lanes. It’s wonderful to have a means to be healthy and ride to work, It’s good on the economy. Absolutely, I’m still going to ride a bike.
KVOA: Anything else you want to ad?
BL: I’d also like to see any laws that are implemented to be added into the driver education test. Many people just don’t know the laws. It needs to start in the high school.
END BL Interview. Start Steve Farley Interview.
KVOA: Tell me what brought you here with us today?
SF: Traffic safety has been one of the top priorities in the legislator. Jan 2007 I was the first legislator in the country to introduce a bill to ban driving while texting for anyone, Here in Arizona we are now one of the last state in the county that has no law for texting while driving for anybody, but we also collect no data on our accident reports. I’m tireless on this because over the course of my seven years in the legislator I’ve had many families and people who were hurt, injured, killed, come to my office and tell me about inattentive driving. We have to stop this. We have to save lives.
KVOA: What does Brendan and Lorena’s story show us?
SF: There is a huge problem. If you talk to anyone in the ER here ,firefighters, first responders, they have seen countless examples of the carnage that happens when people indulge in distracted driving. There is nothing that says you can’t stop distracted drivers right now, and that is one thing I want to emphasis. Every time you are doing a story out here about these types of things, you are saving lives, But when you put a law in place against certain practices that are dangerous then you strengthen that little cop in our head that says “don’t do it.” You put in in the driver education curriculum, So that every kid and every person who learns to drive understands it is unacceptable to do and we need a law, we need everyone to look at the road ahead of you. We have to get that message to everyone we need a law, we need education and we need enforcement.
KVOA: And those will be the basis of laws as we see going into the next legislative session?
SF: I will never stop that effort. I have seen the type of pain you have seen here today. It is so preventable. It does not need to happen.
KGUN: Tucson is one of the best cycling community, isn’t it ironic our laws don’t reflect it?
SF: It is ironic. Too often you have seen peoples ideology, partisan stuff get injected into this, this is not a Republican or Democrat thing, this is a life saving thing, The distracted driver does not look at your political ideology when he runs you over.
End Steve Farley Interview
KVOA You mentioned you are a cyclist yourself. This must have hit close to home for you.
EO: You are incredibly vulnerable out there and what a lot of drivers don’t understand is a bump or tap that might scratch their paint may kill someone.
KVOA: So what are you hoping to accomplish here by getting Brendans story out there?
EO: We have been working in a bi-partisanship way with the South West Community on a series of bike safety protection laws. Had these laws been in place, now, we might not be here today.
KVOA: And what sort of laws are we talking about here?
EO: The laws we need to look at are expanding the 3 foot rule passing law to 5 foot rule, allow helmet cams to be used as evidence, looking at how cyclist start and stop at 4 way stop signs to make sure you don’t create wrecks among groups of cyclist (A very nice way of saying Idaho stop- way to sneak that one in there Ethan. Love the way you worded it.)
KVOA: Is that what you will be focusing on come the next session
OE: I will. But the other thing I want to do is meet with cyclist around the state to work on platinum recognition and international standards and to get other cyclist ideas to incorporate them into legislation.
KVOA: And you said this is a joint effort and it does not matter on the party. Are you in this together?
EO: It does not matter what party you are in. Doing the right thing, that knows no partisanship. And when it comes to saving a life, when it comes to protecting our community, and enhancing our quality of life, It’s just common sense.
KVOA: Have you had any close calls when you are on the bike?
EO: Certainly. I have had cars that will literally pass within a few inches of me and then go around a pot hole 10 feet in front of me., if a pot hole is more valuable than a human life, something is wrong.
KVOA: We talked about drivers. Do you feel there is some improvement that can be made on the cyclist side as well?
EO: I think it is about communication. If we are building all of these bike lanes. We need to connect all the bike lanes. We have the infrastructure. There has to be an understanding of what cyclist bring to the economy and what we bring to the quality of life.
KVOA: And when you said economy, we have el tour coming up, it’s a huge community here.
EO: When you think of it, all of our resorts, they need amenities that bring people here and cycling is big business. We need to understand what the cyclist bring to the economy.
End of Ethan Orr Interview.
Some of the video was not as clear as I would have likes. I tried to be as accurate as possible, but omitted some points that I could not make out or were overly redundant. It has been a long day, both pulling this off as well as selling real estate. I do appreciate any feedback, especially if you read everything and made it this far;-)
It’s Tuesday. I’ve gone nearly a week without going for a bike ride. Before that, I don’t think I’ve gone two consecutive days without riding is the past two years. At one point I rode every day for over a year. So how is it possible a guy who was riding every day can find himself off his bike? Am I hurt? No. Was I super busy at work? No. Did I opt to swim, hike, climb, ski? No.
I just had a few days where I did not ride and then I found it hard to get the motivation to get back on the bike the next few days.
The last time I experienced this was after a Solo 24 hour race a few years back where I was really burnt out. What was incredible was how 5 days can quickly become 5 weeks. Months later you look in the mirror and realize you are really in shape, the shape of a pair that is.
Today I’m writing this as much as a memo to myself to get back on the bike this afternoon and not repeat the mistakes of my past. If you have been out of the saddle for too long, I challenge you to get back on the bike tonight. The weather is cooling down in the late afternoon and the light is still up after work. If you get home after dark, Ordinary Bike Shop has 200 Lumen lights for around $50 and 300/400 lumen lights for around $100 bucks. This really extends your riding options.
When I made the commitment to ride every day that ends in a ‘y” for an entire year, I found a few tricks that made riding much easier. At the end of every ride, make sure your bike is ready for the next ride. If you have any mechanical issues, take care of them immediately. Never, ever leave a bike with a flat tire!!! Those pesky squeaks need attention. It will cost more later, so keep your steel horse running in the best condition. I have a few bikes, so in the case that something does break on the way out the door, I grab another bike. I’ve also come home and swapped out bikes just to make sure I get a ride in. Leave your bike clothing out and ready for the ride. This should include everything from socks, shoes, road I.D., shorts/bib, butt butter, sun screen, jersey, music, gloves, helmet, nutrition bars, and water bottles. Keep a saddle bag full of Co2(I have 3 cartridges) 2 tubes and a patch kit and a multi-tool with a chain tool. Learn at least the basics for maintaining your bike and fixing flats. Get the rides in before work, as the day moves on, it gets harder and harder to get on the bike as more distractions present themselves. Join teams, group rides or friends to add a level of accountability. Commute to work. If you are feeling a little sick or low on energy, go for a recovery ride or quick easy spin. Often times this will clear your head and lead to a longer ride, other times it just makes you feel better.
After typing this I’m pumped. How about you? I’ll be on my bike today at 4:30 with El Grupo. Time set, clothing is ready to go, LETS RIDE!
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I’m typing this at 8:52 PM. I wrote the post above this morning. So life got in the way today. I had a party at 3:30 at 5 palms. Free food, free booze, networking. It would have been so easy to give up on the ride and stuff my face. Choices. Life is full of choices. I went to 5 palms, said hello to the people I needed to see, gave my free drink tickets to a friend and went and rode my bike.
Who would stay up until midnight for the chance to register for a limited opportunity to race solo in the 24 hours in the Old Pueblo? Apparently, it is a whole Lotta folk. Every year the Solo category fills up the first day. What makes someone want to push themselves to do this ride Solo? Personally having done it twice I think the answer is something between a lack of common sense and a desire to see how far you can push your body.
Having trained for the race I think the actual training was a greater challenge than the actual race. I once mentioned To Todd Sadow, promoter extraordinaire of Epic Rides, that the Solo is potentially the ultimate race as you can go out and do your thing and not be responsible for a team. If you ride 2 or 16 laps, it is your race. I think he did not like the idea of the people signing up with the intent of doing a few casual laps and saying you were a “solo” rider. Especially since it is limited to so few riders and many who would really try it is robbing some legitimate riders of the opportunity to ride. Whatever your intent, best of luck in signing up. It is an incredible experience and one I’m sure I’ll do again some time soon (but not that soon).
Coincidentally, another race, The Dirty Bunny, was scheduled for a 12:01 registration this evening, but has moved registration back to 5:30 AM so the race director can monitor the entries in real time. It is limited to only 50 riders. This secret race is a participant favorite. The cost of the race is a 6 pack of your favorite craft beer. The race is a 12 lap race on the Bunny loop at Fantasy Island. When the first rider completed the 60 miles the race is over. All riders essentially finish within a 30 minute period. Afterwards, the party begins. There are two categories, one where you must drink a can of PBR or do a shot after each lap called the lush bunny (only 12 spots). I’m excited to say I’m the completely unofficial official photographer of this event and might just pop up here and there to click a few images of this race.
Arizona, you have made me proud. Across the nation NICA is spreading from state to state. So far Utah has the record for the most athletes in the inaugural race with over 200. Arizona is now number 2 on the list with 170 athletes. Just for a second, imagine how incredible that is. Imagine how great it will be. Tell you friends with high school aged kids there’s a new game in town and it is fast and fun.
I must admit that I had concerns coming into this race. There was some frustration that Tucson did not have the first race as planned. I understand that the logistics just did not come together, but it created some lingering concerns about how the race was going to run. A three hour drive to the race with a lot of that in Phoenix traffic did not set a great tone. Finally, when I arrived and discovered that an athlete on our team forgot his bike(not saying who-he’s already miserable enough about it), I was really questioning what I was doing there. It did not get any better when it became clear that the layout of the campground was not going to lead to much interaction between teams.
An easy registration of our teams, a great dinner and a comfortable nighttime camping temperature and the anticipation of the first high school mountain bike race in the history of Arizona had me off to a good start on race day. At the coaches meeting hearing how many details were taken care it was clear that this was just another race, something NICA has been doing for a long time and not just some thrown together ride in the desert. As team after team started to populate the staging area and I saw hundreds of bike enthusiasts the energy started to flow.
This course was really well designed for the el grupo riders. It was not that technical and the temperature was hot, not unlike our normal practice conditions. The trail was wide with plenty of room for passing. We had only 2 girls racing from El Grupo They finished in 1st and 4th places. In the freshman race we just missed the podium and 1st-6th place were separated by under a minute. In the sophomore race we cleaned up with a 1,2,4 finish. We had a large group of sophomores and juniors who raced in the varsity race and we had a third place podium. In the all around Tucson High/El Grupo finished in 3rd place. That excluded the points from a 1st, 3rd and 4th place finish that we’re the regular ElGrupo team( we are two teams in one….or is it the other way)
My favorite finishers are often those who don’t win the race or even come close to the podium, but show a character in finishing the race. There were two racers in particular who caught my attention. One of the athletes was on the course when two recreational riders came around a corner and crashed into her. The riders just left her and continued on their way. She tweaked her hand, but finished with one hand. My favorite was racer 600. He finished the race with a broken chain, using his bike like a scooter. He had every opportunity to pack it in early, but choose to cross the finish line. This is the type of character that I feel is the truest winner in life. The persistence to stick with it when it’s hot, miserable, things are breaking. 600, get a huge ATTABOY!!!
It was great to see so many people who read this blog, follow me on Facebook and have my shared passion for cycling. Thanks to all who came up and introduced and reintroduced yourself. It made me feel like this is a real community that we are growing together. If there was one thing I would have done to improve the event and league would be to introduce everyone and see how we can get the teams to interact more. Please accept this as my invitation to come to Tucson and ride with our team. I have this vision where these kids have a chance to show each other the best trails in each other’s backyards all across Arizona.
It’s well after 9 on Sunday night as I’m finishing up this post. Samuel, my son, is exhausted, but still has homework to do and is plugging away. These are student athletes and NICA is just like any other school sport( except better because they get to use a bike). The dedication both on the bike and off is very commendable and my helmet is off to everyone who raced this weekend.
Finally, thank you to all the staff and volunteers who made this run so smooth this weekend and who made the league a possibility. Also, to all the financial sponsors. Unfortunately, this is not a cheap sport and can’t happen without the all mighty buck. Thanks to those who choose to invest your money in something that will make the community, State and all of us better off.
I keep seeing it play over and over in my mind. We are practicing hole shots. I’m in 4th place, my gears are messed up so I had a bad start. We are flying into the first berm, the 6 foot one with the near vertical wall. The rider in the second spot, Ben, perhaps the best rider among us, the fastest hits the wall wrong and instead of whipping through the turn is launched off the top. His bike sails 15 into space as he does a Superman 10 feet above the ground before I lose sight of him as I rail the turn. As I come out of the turn and look back I see the bike coming to a stop in a cloud of dust. Before I can make it to him he is up, calmly saying he broke his wrist. The bone did not come through the skin, but it clearly is broken. Both Knees are torn up and the blood is just starting to seep out. His kit is covered in dust, but surprisingly has no holes. He does not shed a tear, nor a curse word or even utter an ouch, and shows true grit .
As I tried to go to sleep last night I kept seeing it over and over. What made the scene so hard for me is that it was one of the El Grupo kids. Having spent so much time with them I am starting to see each of these kids as a part of my family. It’s bad enough when anyone crashes on a bike, but when it’s a kid, and a kid you really care about, it is mentally taxing.
The bike was in otherwise fine condition sans saddle.
What might have been the most challenging part of this for me was that we were still early into practice. This weekend in the first race of the high school Mountain Bike League and we still needed to stretch the legs. Coach gave me some drills and told me to continue with the practice as he kept Ben company. What followed was one of the most somber and lifeless practice I’ve seen with El Grupo.
The ‘A’ Team definitely took it harder. These kids are tight knit. After years of riding, training, and racing you can see that they are a true TEAM. Even though there are many races to come, they are all stoked at the start of the High School League and having a friend and team leader go down hurt.
What really struck me was the reaction of the other riders on the team. The rider who was closest to him during the launch was very melancholy. I attempted to engage him in conversation, but he was not very talkative. It was clear, and in conversations afterwards with others, that he felt responsible for the accident. Having watched it all, he definitely had no responsibility. It was just one of those things that happen when you ride and race. You are going to have the occasional crash. However, it was nice to see a level of concern from one so young that he was willing to take partial responsibility, deserved or not.
One of the kids who Ben has described as “overwhelmingly nice” really impressed me. Even if you did not know him, just watching form a distance you could see the empathy in the look in his eyes, his body position, his tone and voice. He told me how much they have been practicing and his desire to lead Ben out for a podium in the race this weekend. His disappointment was only equal to his understanding of what it is to be a team player.
Another kid said that Ben would want then to continue with practice and be as prepared for this the race as possible. I see this as an admirable trait. The recognition that something bad just happened but that there was nothing they could do about it at that time, so get on with life. Ben was with Coach, his Dad was on the way to pick him up, we had a job to do, so “get er done”. This is the kid I want heading up FEMA someday.
The B and C teams felt very bad, but you could tell that the relationship is not the same. They were naturally curious how he was doing, but I did not feel the same depth of emotion. It is possible that I was focusing more on the other riders and just did not pick it up. I do think that it slowed many down as they came into the tighter parts of the course, but on the mental side I could not say.
Of course no one ever wants to see someone they care about get hurt, bu this, like so many of the challenges will make the team and the individual riders better. I have been messaging back and forth with Ben today. He is in for a 6 week recovery and a small surgery to hold the bone in place is not out of the question. He gave me permission to mention him by name, otherwise, I would not have. Knowing him, he will be on the trainer tonight and will come back even stronger. Heal well my young friend.
National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) is kicking off the inaugural season this weekend with a race on September 29th at McDowell Mountain Regional Park on the Pemberton Trail System. The distance of the race will depend on what class the kids are in. Freshman will be completing one 8 mile loop, Soph 2 laps and Varsity 24 miles over three laps.
The first race was supposed to be in Tucson. Why the change? I think it is best to say that we are all excited that NICA is finally in Arizona and that many of the glitches, bumps, kickers, ruts, should be excused this first season and instead we can focus on building a sport that so many in Arizona cherish and want to see flourish.
The NICA website says the following about its races “NICA -sanctioned races provide student athletes an arena in which to set and accomplish competitive goals, do achieve their personal best. Most NICA leagues have a 4- or 5-race schedule, held in the Spring or Fall depending on the regional climate. Professional race promotion, timing, course preparation and risk management guarantee every participating student athlete is given a fun and fast environment.”
Tucson is going to be well represented. Two teams that I know of are participating. A Northwest team that I expect will be representing either Ironwood Hills or Canyon Del Oro. I look forward to filling in the details in the post race blog. Of course, El Grupo will be representing as well. A few of the kids will be sporting their school colors. Tucson High has a team that is made up of El Grupo kids. The other student athletes will be racing under the El Grupo colors with new sponsor free kits ( No the kits are not free and it is big $$$ to participate).
El Grupo is heading up on Saturday to camp and pre-ride the course. Ignacio likes to say we are a road team that are new to Mountain Biking. It will be very interesting to see how the well conditioned “roadies” do on the single track. We have been told the course is not very technical and that may be a bonus for our athletes. Samuel will be competing in the 8 mile Freshman race.
Hopefully, many other schools and teams will also be camping so we can start to build lasting friendships with the other riders across the state.
Check back here at BikePilgrim.com early next week for a follow up and look for photos that will be posted to The Damion Alexander Team on Facebook.
This month I was in Colorado working(riding my bike) and missed the BAC meeting. The following are a condensed version of the DRAFT minutes.
DRAFT Tucson-Pima County Bicycle Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes Wednesday, September 11th, 2013 Himmel Park Library 1035 N. Treat Ave. Tucson, AZ 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM Prepared and Submitted by Kylie Walzak
Call to Public – Don Melhado – US Cycling Association. Seeking BAC for Velodrome support to the PC Bond Committee. Mr. Melhado is deeply involved in racing, for the past 30 years. Not here to tell you that the Velodrome is something the entire community will benefit from, but it will provide a venue for Tucson’s youth to train and will provide Tucson with a building that will highlight Tucson’s leadership role as a cycling-mecca for pro/semi pro racing. A facility like the Velodrome will draw international attention, including many people from northern Mexico. Mr. Melhado asks BAC to give support for the facility (Velodrome), which is a multi-use facility (and presumably can be used for other sports), at the upcoming public hearing.
Law Enforcement Staff Reports from TPD and PCSD – Sgt. Fernandez, TPD – Four accidents, two of which were cyclist only. Two were vehicle crashes, no major injuries. Two hit and runs, no major injuries. Park and University lights are on and there has been some confusion – there is targeted education occurring at that intersection. Enforcement may come later.
Old Spanish Trail at Houghton– cyclist hit from behind, 3 days in ICU. Eric Post asks Fernandez if he knows anything about that incident
Marana and Twin Peaks – hydraulic fluid sprayed on bike lane and rider went down.
Rohrer – tacks on Catalina Hwy continue. PC deputies are actively investigating. Reminds riders to call in suspicious activity. Rider and a patrol car made contact, traffic person is reviewing the case. Town of Marana is doing a great job cleaning up the landfill area on Tangerine.
Facilities Subcommittees Re-establishment & New Member New members are encouraged to join subcommittees, like the facilities subcom., which is in the process of being reorganized and formalized. Education Subcommittee has been dormant since Karilyn Roach had to resign from the BAC. Any member interested in advising govt’s on things like PSA’s, messaging, and outreach are encouraged to ask the Chair about reviving that subcommittee. Call for volunteers for subcommittees? Allen Kulwin volunteers for the Facilities Subcommittee Reminder that if you don’t receive a formal agenda from Karen Rahn, the meeting is not officially happening.
Bike Share Programs – An Overview of Trends in the USKylie Walzak present a summary of latest research regarding Bike Share programs across the US. Submits Motion (below), discussion followed. Questions about funding sources, consultation fees, need for strategic planning for locating stations, and issues of equity.
Motion: BAC will write a letter to local governments urging COT, PCDOT and PAG to investigate creative funding sources for a regional Bike Share program sooner rather than later.
Motion is approved unanimously.
Strategic Highway Safety Plan UpdatePlan updates specific deficiencies in AZ with regard to cycling and safety. Gabe Thum reports from recent meetings with ADOT. Letter in our packet is asking the State to leave some discretion to local governments in deciding how best to spend highway safety money.
Ensuring the funds are spent appropriately… replace with “safety improvements are directly related to a data-driven process.”Motion to approve letter as amended. Approved unanimously
Bicycle-related Bond Project Grouping Process
Review of all of the Bike related projects still being considered in the Bond Package. The intent of tonight’s discussion is to provide input to the Bond Committee from the BAC about what our priorities as a BAC are.
David BW presents on recent bond projects related to cycling
Bicycle Education Center (Velodrome): Most recent memo to the Bond Committee does not include this project. This was in the June, 2013 memo, but not in memo from August 5th, 2013.
Oro Valley, Cañada del Oro: Catalina, Big Wash connecting to Rancho Vistoso, north side of CDO. This will connect La Cholla to La Cañada.
Marana Linear Park (Barnett): extends from I-10 W. Frontage road to just beyond the town’s municipal complex.
Tucson Urban Greenways: Most recent memo to the Bond Committee does not include this project. This was in the June, 2013 memo, but not in memo from August 5th, 2013.
South Tucson El Paso Greenway: This project has been in planning since 1989. South Tucson has been waiting for their share of projects for a long time.
Loop Gaps (acquisition, construction, several parts): Design and construction of soil cement bank protection along both banks of the Santa Cruz River between Sunset Road and Ina Road. Provides for stabilization for an area of the Santa Cruz River that has been heavily mined by sand and gravel operations.
CAP Trail (Avra Valley): Uses Central Arizona Canal Project and put bicycle paths on either side. Looking for a connection over the Tucson Mountains to the Loop. Estimates this project at $10m. Currently asking for $10m on this Bond. 27 miles. Can be viewed as an alternative to Sandario Rd. which has seen increased vehicular traffic and subsequently has driven recreational (road) cyclists from that road. On the other hand, this particular project seems geared towards a single user group (road riders) and does not rank high in terms of being built for multiple users, commuters, etc.
Oro Valley Trailheads: $600k, trailheads to benefit Mountain Bicycling somewhat and hikers/walkers.
Marana Heritage River Park: Tangerine Farms Road, accessible from I-10.
All members of the BAC get the opportunity to rank the existing projects by placing numbered stickers next to priority projects. Reminder that the letter will be written with low, medium, high priorities – not a numerical value.
Motion approved unanimously to write the letter as outlined in the packet.
Staff Reports
Matt Zoll, Pima County – Safety outreach plan with Bike Ambassadors for outreach along the Streetcar corridor. Trailhead dedication for Roy Schoonover, December. Southside Loop projects under design, should go to construction in January. Outreach work with low income youth on southside and Flowing Wells. UA Bike station going well. “Michigan left” for east/west at Ina and Oracle, try it out before you do it. Safety and diversion classes are full.
Nancy Ellis, Oro Valley – Updating biannual bike plan.
Brian Varney, Marana – Creating short list for the TAP projects.
Gabe Thum, PAG – Bike/Ped Subcommittee met. Tucson Bikeway maps coming in. Look for official announcements for Bike Count, mid-October.
University of Arizona – UAPD has been very active educating and issuing citations. Streetcar track crashes are prominent. Sept. 18th is next UABAC meeting.Bike Share usage on campus is 90% per day.
Subcommittee Reports
Downtown / University Facilities (David Bachman-Williams) – Would like to change name to “Urban Core” Facilities. Monday Sept. 16th 3:30 pm.
Enforcement (Colin Forbes) – No meeting last month. Next mtg is Sept. 26th. Need more people!
Executive (Ian Johnson) – We talked about items for the agenda. Anthony Foxx came out and said recently that the FHWA supports the use of NACTO. Always send Ian agenda items.
GABA (Wayne Cullop) – Tumamcacori ride will be slightly different this year.
Downtown Links (Kylie Walzak) – Met last Monday to report on the work of the Bike/Ped Subcommittee. Next meeting will be corridor bike/walk through with the engineer team.
Living Streets Alliance (Kylie Walzak) – Gary Fisher event is Sept. 25th and Architecture on Wheels Hike and Bike Tour is Sept. 29th.
Broadway Task Force (Naomi McIsaac) – Latest meeting was exciting, considering adding a Cycle Track to the Broadway cross-section. Please join Naomi on Sept. 26th community meeting. It’s a really good opportunity to provide input on the priorities of the entire corridor.
I had an interesting discussion with a leader of a Tucson cycling team about doing an interview about the Tacks in the road. This team sent out a very nice e-mail with some recommendations of what to do in case you encounter tacks on the road. Matthew Schwartz with KVOA news contacted the author to do an interview and update on the tacks, but they declined because they did not want to bring additional attention to the issue. They feel that the result of additional TV exposure might be to send the a“tack”er underground. They wanted to have a discussion of all the good things cyclist do for the community and change the dialogue away from the tack issue.
Personally, I think the more attention we bring to the subject will have 2 results. 1- the A”ttack”er will stop for fear of being caught. 2-Someone will turn him in. See the KVOA Interview here. http://www.kvoa.com/news/tacks-back-on-bike-paths/
What do you think? Are we better off keeping a low profile or screaming from every rooftop?
Here is a copy of the letter sent out to the team. I really appreciate the “DON’T BE A JERK ON THE BIKE” comment
“Here are some things to do:
1. If you come upon some tacks in the road, you should take the time to
call 911 and hang around for the police. You should especially call 911
if you flat, as you will be there for a while anyway. The sheriffs are
pretty quick about getting to the scene.
If you can’t wait to call, DO NOT PICK UP THE TACKS AND FLING THEM INTO
THE DESERT. Instead, pick them up and put them in a pile just at the
edge of the pavement, and send me an an email with the location.
To help the investigation, it’s really critical that we know the date,
day of the week and the time of the incident. A pattern is developing
and needs to be corroborated.
2. If you flat from a tack and have the tack in your tire, you probably
picked up the tack anywhere from 1/4 to many miles earlier. I had an
occasion where I picked up a tack and then rode to work for 15 miles
and only at the end of the day saw the tack in the not quite flat tire.
The reason that I say this some have flatted further up on the mountain,
and have assumed they got the tack there. If the tack is in the tire,
you almost certainly did not get tacked on the mountain. If the tack is
not in the tire, and you flat, it could be that you picked up the tack
on the mountain, but more likely, the tack came free and you flatted.
It’s important to report these, but you might not necessarily assume
that the tack was placed on the mountain. The sheriff’s department is
trying to determine if the mountain is being tacked, because this is
very much more dangerous than on the flats. If you don’t call 911,
email me.
3. Riding etiquette:
Remember the rules of the road when you are on a bicycle. This means
don’t blow through the stop sign at Snyder Road. At least slow down
and be prepared to stop. You should actually come to a complete
stop, but you don’t have to put a foot down. This is especially
necessary when there are motor vehicles at or approaching the
intersection, so those drivers don’t see all cyclists as jerks.
The bike lane on Catalina Highway is wide and usually pretty clean,
which means, if you can ride 4 across and still be to the right of
the fog line, then fine, but riding to the left of the fog line, is
and always has been illegal if there are more than 2 cyclist abreast.
Since the bike lane is so large, there is NO reason for any cyclist
to be riding to the left of the fog line, unless they are passing
other cyclists.
The bottom line on all this etiquette is DON’T BE A JERK ON A BIKE!
Please talk to other cyclists about this email. The cycling community
can help find this person with proper reporting.
