The word spread around Tucson like wildfire: “Grey’s Anatomy” star Patrick Dempsey is coming to town! And he’s going to be organizing a big ride with racer Tom Danielson and Bicycling magazine editor Peter Flax! Mark your calendars for Sunday, January 20!
The hastily organized event was called Ride On, Tucson, and you just HAD to be there. Including non-TV watchers like me. I’ve never seen the “Grey’s Anatomy” TV show, so sorry, Patrick Dempsey, you just weren’t setting my heart a-flutter.
But Dempsey’s nickname is “McDreamy,” and he sure didn’t come by that one via the guys. There were a lot of lovestruck ladies pedaling the Ride On, Tucson course.
Me? I was there for the bike-tography. Because there’s nothing quite like combining riding a bicycle and photography. Even if that means getting off the bike and throwing myself down on the ground for shots like this one…
Call this the “Feet and wheels, don’t fail me now!” shot. Got it just a few moments before the start of the ride, which attracted more than 1,000 people. They were joined by around 1,500 others as the afternoon went on.
So, there you have it. Approximately 2,500 people are drawn to a ride headlined by a TV star. The goal was to get more people on bicycles, and on that score, I’d say that Ride On, Tucson 2013 succeeded. There’s talk of making it into an annual event.