Go to Perimeter Bicycling Association of America for the latest unofficial ride results: www.pbaa.com. Thousands registered to ride the 111, 85, 60, 42 mile rides, plus the Indoor El Tour. All you have to do is click on the individual rides you are interested in to see the long list of names and home towns, as well as finishing times.

New this 29th year – disposable timer chips, unlike the previous years when there were $50 to $85 deposits/charges if you failed to return the chip band.

I volunteered off & on for 3 days at the El Tour Bike, Fitness & Health expo (click here) at the Tucson Convention Center.

Perimeter Bicycling Association of America is located at 2609 E Broadway, Tucson, Arizona 85716,(520)745-2033, email:info@perimeterbicycling.com.

Congratulations to all the participants & winners!

http://www.perimeterbicycling.com/%21ETT/ETThome.html

Participants may cycle 111, 85, 60 or 42 miles, plus the 6, 3 & 1/4- mile Diamond Children’s El Tour Fun Ride presented by McDonald’s, open to all abilities.

New this year:

The 111-mile startline (and finish line for all events) is located at Armory Park, across the street from the Tucson Children’s Museum in downtown Tucson at the corner of S. 6th Avenue at 13th Street. Upon crossing the finishline at the end of their ride, cyclists collect a special finisher’s medallion to commemorate their accomplishment. El Tour’s Downtown Fiesta will be in Armory park featuring food vendors, kids activities, the Michelob Ultra Beer Garden, El Tour Perimeter Store merchandise booth, and non-stop music and celebration throughout the day!

Don’t forget the “El Tour Bike, Fitness & Health Expo”

Tucson Convention Center (TCC)
260 South Church Avenue, Tucson
Downstairs in Exhibition Hall

Registration & Packet Pick-Up

Wednesday, November 16, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Thursday, November 17, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday, November 18, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The El Tour Expo is the exclusive packet pickup location for over 9,000 cyclists.
◦It is free and open to the public.
The Expo offers something for cyclists and non-cyclists alike with over 100 booths offering:

•Sports and fitness products
•Athletic apparel
•Cycling gear
•Exercise equipment
•Recreational activity displays
•Nutritional products
•Free samples

For exhibit information contact Expo Director Kristi Wagner at (520) 745-2033 or development@perimeterbicycling.com.

I volunteer at the El Tour Expo every year, to assist Perimeter Bicycling’s efforts to fundraise for Tu Nidito Children & Family Services, a non profict agency. The 11 year old daughter of a friend of mine, Sydney Clanagan, was a Tu Nidito child and she passed away in April, 2003. Who they are:

Tu Nidito Children and Family Services provides comfort, hope and support for children and families whose lives have been impacted by a serious medical condition or death. Through its array of support groups and individual services Tu Nidito provides emotional, social, and educational tools to children and families and empowers them with strength and skills for the future.

Enjoy El Tour for the 29th year!

I just noticed the bi-monthly Tucson Pedaler (“Southern Arizona’s bicycling community newspaper”), which is complimentary at the Pima County Public Library.

The front cover of the January/February 2011 issue (pictured below) is of one of the two bike vigils held at University Medical Center (UMC) for Congresswoman Gabrielle “Gabby” Giffords and the other 18 victims of the January 8, 2011 mass shooting.

The companion article by publisher Damion Alexander is entitled “Community comes together during tragedy” (page 3). The cover photo is of bicyclist Adam Zeldin, who as a teen had served as a Congressional page in the U.S. House of Representatives, and met Gabby.

Alexander eloquently writes “the word community is what it’s all about. We are a bike community. This gives us an opportunity to share and do something positive. What happened was awful. It’s so sad. And whenever something bad happens, you have an opportunity to be brought down by it or to look at how you can lift up spirits and make a better place to live.” Very true Damion.

Another article on page 8 by Mike McKisson, editor of TucsonVelo.com is an interview with Gabby entitled ” Giffords Thoughts on Bikes”. In that October, 2010 interview Giffords (a bike rider) said that “Tucson is a top-10 biking city and that the city makes bicycling a priority. Giffords said she supports all types of alternative transportation from bike infrastructure to projects like the modern streetcar.”

Pick up your copy of Tucson Pedaler as it has a comprehensive calendar of biking events (page 7) and more news about upcoming bike events, such as the Tucson Echelon Gran Fondo (May 1st), and upcoming meetings of the Tucson Pima County Bicycle Advisory Committee. The issue has lots of bike shop ads as well.

Tucson Pedaler is also online at www.tucsonpedaler.com, published by Tucson West Publishing Inc., 520-578-1505, 3029 S. Kinney Rd. Tucson 85713. Editor is Tonja Greenfield, who can be reached at editor@tucsonwest.com.

Next issue will be March/April, as they publish every two months for now. I’m looking forward to reading it as I’m sure they’re tell us about the upcoming Cyclovia Tucson event on March 27, which was a very popular bicycling event last year at its inception.

I’m a bike rider (though not competitively) and volunteer every year at the El Tour de Tucson bike expo, having been a Tu Nidito mother. And my husband commutes to work every day on his bicycle. We also strongly advocate for alternate modes of transportation, to discourage dependency on the vehicle.

Keep on biking!