El Tour de Tucson 2007

Well, the long-awaited event has been finished! This was Dave's third year to ride the 109-mile El Tour de Tucson. He has been training for it most of the year, and was very excited to see how he would do this year. So, last Thursday we set off to Arizona to cheer him on! We stayed with some good friends, Hans and Teri Rohne, and enjoyed their family and home. On Friday we visited some other good friends in the area, Clint and Michele Sanders. Michele used to keep Garrett while I taught, so he and her daughter Kit had a blast getting reacquainted.
On Saturday, Dave left the house at 4:30 a.m. to get the best starting spot he could. About 9,000 riders entered his race, according to the announcers. So, he wanted to be as near the front as possible. His ultimate goal was to ride the Tour in under 5 hours, so that next year he could start in the "Platinum" section. This is for really elite riders (the top 2% or so) and they don't have to line up with the rest of the "commoners". They get their own section at the front and can waltz up 5 minutes before the race if they want to. He did manage to take about 25 minutes off his time, but fell short of that dream goal. Maybe next year.... Meanwhile, I think 5 hours 57 minutes is pretty darn good for riding 109 miles! That's something like 18 miles an hour! Personally, it would take me at least twice that long, if I could even finish it in the first place! So, Dave was very happy with his performance (and his gold medal), and we figured out that his time this year placed him around the top 25% of all the riders in the Tour. Not bad, huh?
The kids and I had fun at the finish line area waiting for Dave to come. In the morning, the kids and I went to the Tucson Children's Museum to see all the exhibits. They liked the fire truck and police motorcycle the best! My dad and brother, Jeff, also rode in the shorter 35-mile race. So, my mom, my sister-in-law, and my niece and nephew all played around while we waited. There were jumpers for the kids and a rock wall that Michaela and Garrett climbed. Otherwise, the kids just ran around and got absolutely filthy. Garrett loved cheering for the racers and ended the day without any voice, because he had yelled so much! Overall, our trip was an excellent success, and we thank God that we returned home without any injuries and with some great memories!
Click on the album to see some pictures from our adventure!

Tucson 2007