The Town of Marana will be participating in the kickoff to the 60-day 2016 El Tour Season: Pima County El Tour Loop the Loop, scheduled for Saturday, September 17. The event will go from 6:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and will be held on The Loop. There will be a post-ride party after the event.
As part of this activity, riders can stop at a station in Marana, west of I-10 between Orange Grove and Ina Roads. At this location, Marana will host informational materials from the Marana Community Food Bank, Catalina Brewing Company, HMS Bikes, and Discover Marana, the Town’s tourism portal. Between now and ride day, the Town welcomes requests from other community partners to participate at this station. At this location, participants will also be able to sign up for the 28-mile Marana Start of El Tour on November 19, 2016.
Loop the Loop is a FREE, easy, casual, fun ride open to individuals of all ages and abilities. It’s a cycling celebration encouraging everyone to take up cycling as a means to better physical and mental health and to use The Loop to get from one end of the County to another. While on The Loop you can meet as many as 30 of the 50 non-profit organizations that will benefit from the 34th El Tour held on Saturday, November 19.
Starting and finishing anywhere on The Loop at any time during the festivities, cyclists are invited to ride any distance on the route at a leisurely pace along the multi-use paths of the Rillito, Santa Cruz, Pantano and CDO River Parks , and the Julian Wash Greenway, avoiding motor vehicle traffic on the streets. There will be a post-ride party from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Trident Grill (2900 North Swan), El Tour’s official restaurant. There will be live music, prizes, drawings (including a Merckx San Remo Ultegra bike valued at $3999 provided by Tucson Endurance Performance Center), bicycle-valet parking, and taste the new El Tour Ice Cream created by The Screamery of Tucson.
To earn entry into the prize drawings, cyclists will visit any or all of the 12 stations along The Loop to pick up tickets. (go to website for maps and location details here: http://www.perimeterbicycling.com/el-tour-de-tucson/loop-the-loop/ ) Turn in all your tickets for entry into the drawings beginning at 11:15 a.m. and continuing every 15 minutes until 2 p.m. The Merckx bicycle will be drawn at 2:00 pm. You must be present to win!
Loop the Loop will provide the chance to learn what’s new on The Loop, find out about social events on and off the bike, visit with experts who can get you geared up and ready to ride, join a charity team, sign up for El Tour or Indoor El Tour and find out about the different group rides or training events that will prepare you for El Tour. Look for free swag and advice at the 12 stops along The Loop.
For more information please call 520-745-2033, email info@perimeterbicycling.com visit www.perimeterbicycling.com, follow on Twitter @tourdetucson or find us on Facebook ElTourLoopTheLoop/
Tucson Medical Center 34th El Tour de Tucson presented by Casino Del Sol, Arizona’s largest cycling event and one of the ten largest cycling events in the United States, is produced and directed by Perimeter Bicycling Association of America, Inc and is scheduled for November 19, 2016. Cyclists of all ages and abilities may ride 106, 76, 54, 37 or 28-miles or a Fun Ride of 11, 5 and ¼-miles. The 34th El Tour is projected to raise over $20 Million for over 50 non-profit agencies including Easter Seals – Blake Foundation and 50 supporting beneficiaries (including JDRF, Rotary – Polio Plus, Susan G. Komen for the Cure). For a complete list of all non-profits and El Tour Information & Registration, go to perimeterbicycling.com.
The theme of this year’s El Tour is Come Together, Ride Now. “El Tour gives all the cyclists, sponsors and charitable agencies a chance to celebrate together, to ride together,” said Richard DeBernardis, founder and president of Perimeter Bicycling. “No matter where we come from, what age, what ability, we like to have a good time and show our community how we come together year after year for a terrific event. It is about reaching across all the boundaries that separate us from each other. We come together, ride together, share together and succeed together.”
