There is a big change to the list this week. The Mountain Bike and Road Rides have been separated into different sections.
This Sunday there are 13 rides. One for everyone. The biggest challenge is deciding what bike and where to ride.
I’ll be at the El Grupo Fall Fondo. They still have room for a few more. I’m told that the swag bag is real nice. Add in a meal with Local beer from Iron Johns and it’s going to make for a great day.
At the same time for the downhill Mountain Bikers TORCA has a poker ride on Mt. Lemmon and the prizes include a trip to Whistler. You ride, you get cards, best hand wins.
At the same time the Sandbox Showdown will be riding through the washes of Tucson on Fatbikes. This ride brings out the most colorful characters in the bike world.
At the same time Old Pueblo MTB will be at Sweetwater Preserve to congratulate the OV MTB athletes on an incredible year at the High School Mountain Bike season.
At the same time GABA has 5 rides. At the same time…
REOCCURING WEEKLY RIDES
What |
Where |
When |
Distance/Time |
Speed |
Contact |
U of A Cycling Monday Mosey |
Flagpole – West Side of Old Main |
Monday
7:00AM |
1-1.5 hours Max 20 miles |
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www.UofAcylcling.com |
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Starr Pass Intervals |
Congress at
the Loop |
Tuesday 6:15AM |
About an Hour |
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Tommy Dean K7TPD@live.com
Robert Houts |
Hills, Hills Hills |
Bashas Kolb/Sunrise |
Tuesday
5:30AM |
20 miles
About an hour |
12-14
HILLS |
Damion Alexander
977-5664 |
Tuesday Shootout |
University/Euclid |
Tuesday
7:00AM |
2.5 hours
40 miles |
Fast |
www.Fairwheelbike.com |
Tuesday Night Fast Fixed Ride |
Flagpole – West Side of Old Main |
Tuesday
6:30PM |
Few Hours Varies |
Fast |
brownus_clarence@yahoo.com |
Tuesday Night Ride |
Flagpole – West Side of Old Main |
Tuesday
8:30PM |
12-18 miles |
Slow |
Facebook
Tuesday Night Bike Ride |
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Oro Valley Mountain Bike |
Oro Valley post office on Tangerine and La Canada |
6:00AM |
20 miles ish |
Tempo
1.5 hours |
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UA Cycling Wed.Worlds |
Flagpole – West Side of Old Main |
Wed
7:00AM |
40-60 miles |
|
www.UofACycling.com |
Mt. Lemmon |
University/Euclid |
Wed
7:00AM |
55-60 Miles |
|
www.Fairwheelbike.com |
JKG DnA Easy |
Udall Parking Lot |
Wed
5:30AM |
Udall-Mile post 3 on Lemmon |
Casual
NoDrop |
https://www.facebook.com/groups/579397565447522/?fref=ts |
Cyclo-cross |
Ft. Lowell Park |
5:45PM |
A few hours |
As fast as we can go |
https://www.facebook.com/groups/671108262985165/?fref=ts |
Heavy Pedal |
Flagpole – West Side of Old Main |
7:00PM |
Different route each week |
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Bike Polo |
UofA Mall |
8:00PM |
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https://www.facebook.com/tucson.bikepolo?fref=ts |
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Tim Carolan Ride |
Starbucks
River/Campbell |
Thurs
7:30AM |
46 miles |
18-21 mph |
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Up Oracle
Thursday Shootout |
University and Euclid |
Thurs
7:00AM |
|
Fast |
www.Fairwheelbike.com |
Hills, hills, hills |
Bashas Kolb/Sunrise |
Thurs
5:30AM |
20 miles |
12-14(but Hills) |
Damion Alexander
977-5664 |
U of A Cycling Thursday Thrill |
Flagpole – West Side of Old Main |
Thurs
6:30AM |
1-1.5 hours Max 20 miles |
Easy Ride |
www.UofACycling.com |
The JKG Flagship ride |
Le Buzz |
Thurs
5:30AM |
Le Buzz to Molina Basin |
Hammerfest |
JKG Strava on Facebook |
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U OF A Cycling Friday Freewheelin |
Flagpole – West Side of Old Main |
Friday
7:00AM |
2 hours
30-40 miles |
Team Time Trial Practice |
www.UofACycling.com |
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Bicycle Ranch Tucson Group |
Bicycle Ranch at Oracle and Ina
|
Saturday 7:00AM |
48 (shorter option of 35 as well) miles |
17-20
MPH |
Free Breakfast after ride |
Oro Valley Bikes Ride |
Oro Valley Bikes
4749 E Sunrise |
Sat
7:00AM |
50 miles |
17-18 MPH |
(520) 577-5511
Victoria Hunt |
The
Old Man Shootout |
University and
Euclid |
Saturday 6:45AM |
60 Mile (can be extended to 100) |
Fast
20 MPH+ |
www.fairwheelbikes.com |
The Big Boy Shootout |
University and
Euclid |
Saturday 7:00 AM |
60 Miles(can be extended to 100) |
Faster |
www.fairwheelbikes.com |
Performance Broadway Shop Ride |
7204 e Broadway |
Saturday 7:00AM |
17 miles beginner |
10-14
No drop |
pbs054@performanceinc.com
|
Broadway Bicycles Shop Ride |
Various Routes
Call Scott |
Saturday 7:00AM |
|
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Scott 296-7819 |
Miles Ahead Shop Ride |
Miles Ahead Tanque Verde Sabino Canyon |
7:00 AM |
50 plus/minus miles |
Fast |
Geoff 751-0555 |
Ben’s Bike Bide |
At Ben’s bike
7431 Houghton |
7:00AM |
6-10 miles |
Easy |
www.bensbikestucson.com |
Sabino Cycle Shop Ride |
Varies- email Steve to be on the list |
Saturday Morning |
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No Drop |
steve@sabinocycles.com |
Tucson Endurance Performance Center Ride Mountain Bike Ride |
Contact shop for details. Different route weekly. |
Saturday Morning |
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www.graskyendurance.com/weekly-workouts.html
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Tucson Endurance Performance Center Ride |
6448 N Oracle
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Sunday
6:30AM |
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www.graskyendurance.com/weekly-workouts.html |
THIS WEEKS ROAD RIDES
PLEASE NOTE- New category below just for Mountain Bikes
THIS WEEKS MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDES
PLEASE NOTE- This is New category. ^^^^Road rides are above^^^^
EVENTS
TIMED RIDES aka MOTIVATION aka RACES and Big Rides
Name |
Description |
Date |
Location |
Contact Info |
Colossal Vail 50/50 event |
This is a Running event, but they need some BIKE Patrol Volunteers. |
November 15
|
50K or 50 mile run (but whose running, this is Bike Partol) |
http://www.aztrail.org/cv5050/ Chris Carls <ccarls@cirrusvisual.com> |
TORCA Poker Ride |
Gordon Hirabayashi Campground |
November 16 |
Bugs to Molina |
https://www.facebook.com/events/267965483411579/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming |
EL GRUPO FALL FONDO. A Ride to Support Youth Cycling. |
El Grupo’s Inaugural
Fall Fondo |
40 or 80 mile option rides through the heart of the Old Pueblo. |
November 16, 2014
8 (ish) -3 (ish) |
El Grupo Clubhouse Start/Finish/Festa
610 North 9th Ave |
www.elgrupocycling.org
Email us at info@elgrupocycling.org
Call us at (520) 304-9682 |
EL GRUPO FALL FONDO. A Ride to Support Youth Cycling. |
Sandbox Showdown |
It’s not the miles that matter, it’s the mind |
November 16 |
In the sand and in a few drinking holes |
Sign up on the 15th at the Skybar from 7-9. |
- AZ Endurance Series Grassroots endurance race at Kentucky Camp.
|
While this is an individual endurance race / ride, we can start out as groups for the 29 and 46 mile events. |
November 19, 2011 • 7:30 AM |
This is an unsupported ride and riders should be prepared for physical and mechanical challenges. Be ready for up to 5-8 hours of riding! |
Carlos will lead the 46 mile and Jim the 29er
http://rockyroad5050.wordpress.com/kc/ |
El Tour De Tucson |
40,55,75,104 Mile Fully Supported Rides around Tucson |
Sat
Nov 22 |
Tucson |
www.perimeterbicycling.com/el-tour-de-tucson |
CycoXross at Horse Lovers Park by Bicycle Ranch |
Cyclocross |
Sat Nov 29 |
19224 N Tatum Blvd
Phoenix, AZ |
http://azcross.com/Matt DeMicco
mdemicco@cox.net |
Race Around the Farm |
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Sat Dec 6 |
1663 E Baseline RD
Gilbert, AZ |
Matt DeMicco
mdemicco@cox.net |
Dawn to Dusk an endurance mountain bike event |
16 mile loop. Space is limited to 125 SOLO riders, 100 TWO-Person, 50 FOUR-Person and 10 CORPORATE entries |
Sat Dec 6 |
16300 McDowell Mountain Park Dr.
Fountain Hills, AZ
Pemberton Trail |
http://www.dcbaz.com/ |
Triple C CX |
|
Sat/Sun
Dec 13-14 |
4600 N Silverbell Rd
Tucson, AZ |
University of Arizona
Joseph Iuliano
jiuliano88@gmail.com |
AZ Cross Series Finals |
It’s mud, it’s dirt, it’s grass, it’s pavement, it’s on the bike off the bike |
Saturday
Dec 20 |
2155 E. Knox Rd. Crossroads Park Gilbert, AZ |
canisbleu@gmail.comJeff frost |
TREK Arizona State CX Championship |
It’s more dirt, mud, grass, barriers . It’s all the fun of MTB with the racing like the road. |
Sunday
Dec 21 |
|
|
24 Hours in the Old Pueblo |
Burning man meets MTB race. Is this a race or a party? I say BOTH! |
Feb 13-15
2015 |
Willow Springs- An hour North of Tucson |
http://www.epicrides.com/index.php?contentCat=5 |
Tour De Cure- The Damion Alexander Team has a team for this event and is a major sponsor. E-mail me for a free registration code! |
50 and 100K rides
This is the motivation you are looking for to keep riding after El Tour De Tucson! |
March 1, 2015 |
Tucson Harley Davidson
7355 Interstate 10 Frontage Rd |
http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR?fr_id=10185&pg=entry&utm_source=Offline&utm_medium=Print&utm_content=tucsontour&utm_campaign=TDC&s_src=vanity&s_subsrc=tucsontour
BBiondo@diabetes.org | (520) 795-3711 x7112 |
Tucson Bicycle Classic |
3 day Stage Race |
March 13-15
2015 |
McCain Loop TT
Sauharita Road
Pima CC West Crit |
http://tucsonbicycleclassic.com/ |
Whiskey Off Road |
7 races. One fun weekend. Pro Crits, kids race, 25, 50, and pro 50 races. 40K Purse. |
April 24 – April 26, 2015. |
Prescott |
http://www.epicrides.com/index.php?contentCat=6 |
This list is a major time commitment and it is my pleasure to put it together. All I ask in return for the list is that you remember I’m A REALTOR. If you have a relationship with another REALTOR, I love loyalty and respect those relationships. However, if not, or if you need a second opinion, Please keep me in mind. Many agents spend money advertising for new business, others sit open houses or cold call. My business is based on referrals from past clients and friends. The less time I have to do traditional prospecting the more I can do for the cycling community. For example: this list.
This list is provided as a courtesy. It is all public information that is put here to make life easier for those looking for a bike ride. Biking can be dangerous. People crash, they break bones, get bloody, have road rash, destroy bikes and even worse. The Damion Alexander Team is not responsible for any of these rides or anything that happens on these rides. By going on a bike ride you are choosing to make a choice in your life, one that will most likely lead to a healthy and happy life. However, if the unfortunate does happen, it was your choice to go and not Damion Alexander, The Damion Alexander Team or anyone else that made you do it.
This past weekend Tucson had an incredible day for pedaling. It started with the GABA Bike Swap and continued with Cyclovia Tucson, Cyclocross and adult beverages at Tap and Bottle and in the parking lot of Ordinary Bike Shop.
I posted on my facebook page over 800 images of the day in 14 Albums. The links are below or look at The Damion Alexander Team on facebook.
These photos are a major time commitment and it is my pleasure to take the photos and share them with you. All I ask in return for the photos is that you remember I’m A REALTOR. If you have a relationship with another REALTOR, I love loyalty and respect those relationships. However, if not, or if you need a second opinion, Please keep me in mind. Many agents spend money advertising for new business, others sit open houses or cold call. My business is based on referrals from past clients and friends. The less time I have to do traditional prospecting the more I can do for the cycling community. For example: these photo albums.
Cyclovia Tucson Fall 2014 Album 1
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154804712790154.1073742157.228735085153&type=3
Cyclovia Tucson Fall 2014 Album 2
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154806308815154.1073742161.228735085153&type=3
Cyclovia Tucson Fall 2014 Album 3
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154807970405154.1073742162.228735085153&type=3
Cyclovia Tucson Fall 2014 Album 4
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154809621935154.1073742164.228735085153&type=3
Cyclovia Tucson Fall 2014 Album 5
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154811067035154.1073742166.228735085153&type=3
Cyclovia Tucson Fall 2014 Album 6
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154811601795154.1073742167.228735085153&type=3
Cyclovia Tucson Fall 2014 Album 7
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154813128545154.1073742168.228735085153&type=3
Cyclovia Tucson Fall 2014 Album 8
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154815333815154.1073742170.228735085153&type=3
Cyclovia Tucson Fall 2014 Album 9
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154816546715154.1073742172.228735085153&type=3
Cyclovia Tucson Fall 2014 Album 10 https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154817214695154.1073742174.228735085153&type=1
Fall Bike Swap 2014 Album 1
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154804820735154.1073742158.228735085153&type=3
Fall Bike Swap 2014 Album 2
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154806256005154.1073742160.228735085153&type=3
Fall Bike Swap 2014 Album 3
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154808058790154.1073742163.228735085153&type=3
Fall Bike Swap 2014 Album 4
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154810979930154.1073742165.228735085153&type=3
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.
KVOA: Can you walk us through what happened?
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;-)
El grupo had one of the most important practices of the year Wednesday night. It included an effort of only 9-10 minutes on a trainer at Carmichael Training Systems (CTS). The entire workout consisted of riding a three mile computer course in order to establish training parameters for the year.
Based on the results from the test the kids are able to figure out what their heart rate and Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) should be for different workouts. CTS breaks the different zones into Foundation Miles, Endurance miles, Tempo, Steady State Intervals, and Recovery miles. If you are so inclined to know what each of these is, I’ve copied the summary of them at the bottom of this post.
CTS offers a state of the art facility that has 8 trainers hooked up to computers that allows for group races. 23 kids showed up to determine their base line fitness . The A team had a little more challenging course that offered more uphill, while the others had one climb and a majority of the TT like race was downhill. For what seems like an easy 10 minute effort I have not seen as much anguish and outright pain in these kids. The computer not only tracks your watts and speed, but a huge monitor shows exactly where you are in the race compared with the other racers and how many feet you are behind the racer in front of you. For this test, they turned off the “drafting” feature, but it’s possible to set up a life like drafting feature.
Kyle Helmke giving it everything and more.
Head Coach, Jason Tullous, broke down all the info that was gathered to show the kids what their zones are. I’d like to give a special Thanks to all of the CTS staff who stayed very late to get this done. Having industry leading coaching available for El Grupo and all of us who live in Tucson is one of the reasons that Tucson is such an incredible cycling community. Most teams would need to travel many a mile to find what is generously given to EL Grupo. Again, THANKS!
Endurance miles: This is one of the primary workouts for building an aerobic energy system that will increase your endurance capabilities. Expected benefits include: Increased size and strength in slow-twitch muscle fibers. Increased stroke volume from your heart. How to do it: Although similar to the Foundation Miles workout, the pace during the EM workout is quicker than during the Foundation Miles (FM) workout. It is performed at a moderate pace, but at a slightly higher heart rate (or power output) than the FM workout. Use your gearing as you hit the hills to remain in the saddle as you climb. Expect to keep your pedal speed up into the 85-95 RPM range. As with the FM workout, you will have a certain heart rate (or power) range for this workout. The goal is to not exceed the prescribed heart rate (or power) range. Even though the intensity is greater the closer you get to the heart rate ceiling, you are still using aerobic energy to power your cycling. At end of your EM ride, you should have spent at least 95% of the ride below your heart rate ceiling. If you are training with power, the longer the EM is, the lower your average power output should be and vice versa. The appropriate intensity will be determined by the results of the CTS field test. If you are training primarily with heart rate, you don’t need to stay near the top of your EM heart rate range all the time. The range is wide to accommodate the changes in effort level resulting from uphills, downhills, headwinds, tailwinds, stop signs and stoplights.
Steady State Intervals “Goal: Increase your lactate threshold by training at the edge of your aerobic/anaerobic threshold.
Tempo: Strategically placing tempo workouts into your training program has many advantages: Greater comfort while cruising on rolling terrain. Better fuel utilization during long races or rides. Increased capacity for more intense workouts. Better power at moderate intensities. Increased muscle glycogen storage capacity. Improved free fatty acid oxidation, which spares muscle glycogen. Increased mitochondrial development, structures within the muscle cells that produce energy. Improved aerobic efficiency. How to Do It: Pedal speed should be low. Try a 70-75 RPM range while staying at the prescribed heart rate intensity. This helps increase pedal resistance and strengthens leg muscles. Also try to stay in the saddle when you hit hills during your tempo workouts. This adds more pedal resistance and readies the connective tissues and supporting muscle groups before training heads into more explosive workouts. It is important that you try to ride the entire length of the tempo workout with as few interruptions as possible – tempo workouts should consist of consecutive riding at the prescribed intensity to achieve maximum benefit. This intensity will be determined by the results of the CTS field test.
Recovery miles goal is to speed the recovery process by riding at an easy pace at low resistance on flat terrain. Benefits include increasing blood flow to the muscles to help remove muscle soreness, reducing free radical build-up that cause muscle stress and damage. Studies have shown that active recovery at an appropriate pace leads to faster recovery than complete rest. How to do it: Recovery rides should be between 30-120 minutes in length on flat to rolling terrain. Keep your pedal speed slower than normal, staying in a light gear to keep resistance low. Heart rate must also remain low even if you hit any hills, just slow down and use your gears to keep the resistance low. The key to recovery rides is to ride just enough to engage the active recovery process but not long or intense enough to induce a training stress upon yourself. This is a workout that you will use during all your training periods. Even though the temptation is there to vegetate on the couch the day following a tough workout, use RR as an active recovery workout to jumpstart the process of repair and regeneration.
You can expect to see many posts on BikePilgrim.com about El Grupo Youth Cycling.
I have had the joy of riding with these kids for a few years and my son Samuel is starting his second year with the team. I’m hoping that as Samuel moves up to the B and A team I’ll be able to keep pace. Currently, I’m assisting as the Coach of the C squad.
On August 13th our practice was a ride to the UA crit course at the UA Biopark located at Kino Parkway and 36th street. The Biopark is the ideal location for practicing as there is a section where cars have NO access and we have the safe access. As with most rides, El Grupo rides start at the clubhouse at 6th and 6th.
This practice was divided into a few different drills. The A team were practicing for the State team TT and focused on hard 180 degree teams in formation. The others did laps on the crit course. The laps were mellow for the first two turns, picking it up to a 7 out of 10 effort into the third turn and 100% for the final turn and straight away. We rode a total of 10 laps in 104 degree heat, 90 minute practice and back to the clubhouse.
As for the heat, on the way out I saw the Tucson High Football team practicing. If kids can be out playing ball there is no reason you can’t ride a bike. The bonus for us is we have the benefit of a cool (OK, warm… hot) breeze.
A little more about El Grupo form their website.
“Through our programs Team El Grupo & Youth Empowering Youth Outreach, we are getting youth on bikes, and they in turn are teaching, inspiring and empowering other youth to ride, enjoy and love bikes.
Through the use of bicycles, El Grupo’s goals are to…
Enable youth to become life-long bike enthusiasts
Instill personal and social responsibility and leadership skills
Empower youth to set and achieve personal and community goals
Educate and inspire youth to overcome obstacles, both personal and societal
Make riding bikes safer, cooler, and more accessible for those under 18 years of age
We embrace all forms of cycling from road and mountain bike racing to bicycle touring and daily commuting.
El Grupo is developing the next generation of active, healthy, and community-minded cycling enthusiasts and leaders in Tucson.
No special skills or gear are required. The lack of cycling gear should not be a deterrent, as we have access to free or low-cost bicycles, helmets, lights, etc. Through donations from the community, El Grupo provides all bikes, equipment, clothing and gear to youth.”