This past Saturday marked the 30th anniversary of El Tour de Tucson.
Once again, this event attracted thousands of bicyclists and a a really fast guy beat out the rest. That would be Arizona’s speediest chiropractor, Scottsdale’s Eric Marcotte, who has won the 110-mile race for three years in a row.
No Eric pictures here. Matter of fact, no winner pictures at all. And pictures of bicyclists pedaling through pretty Southwestern desert landscapes? Nix on them too.
Why not? Because I’m going to show you another side of El Tour. The urban side. Because that’s how this bike-tographer rolls.
Here we are at the final turn at 22nd Street and 6th Avenue. Automotive traffic’s tied up, and that’s just how things are on El Tour Saturday…
These two-wheeled riders couldn’t have cared less about El Tour de Tucson. They piloted their noisy bikes around the corner of 22nd Street and 6th Avenue while ignoring the bicycle racers. Who ignored them right back…
Welcome to the part of Tucson that just about everyone is afraid of. The South Side. Home of crime, poverty, decay, and nearly every other form of social dysfunction that you can name.
Not to worry, people. There’s a major Tucson Police Department presence on El Tour Saturday…
We’re a few blocks north of 22nd Street on 6th Avenue. It’s the last mile before El Tour’s finish in the historic (and much better looking) Armory Park Neighborhood. And this group is gunning for it…
