43rd El Tour de Tucson Set for Saturday, November 21

It should be a star-studded 43^rd El Tour de Tucson on Nov. 21 as some of the world’s best cyclists are scheduled to be part of the race.

Joining in this year’s ride – and among the nearly 11,000 expected cyclists – will be reigning UCI Elite Men’s Road World Champion Brandon McNulty and U.S. National Road Champion Quinn Simmons in America’s largest charity cycling event. Their participation makes it a history cycling event. McNulty will proudly be wearing the iconic rainbow jersey.

Additionally, Canadian road national champion Jérôme Gauthier is scheduled to participate in the ride.

“Somehow, in my 20-plus years of cycling in Arizona, I still have never done El Tour de Tucson,” McNulty said, “so, there’s no better way to do it for the first time than in the rainbow jersey.”

McNulty, a Phoenix native, will participate in both the El Tour Prologue and the 43rd El Tour, bringing one of cycling’s most prestigious titles to one of America’s most celebrated cycling events.

“Brandon is bringing the World Championship home to Arizona,” said TJ Juskiewicz, executive director of El Tour de Tucson. “Adding Quinn to the event just elevates everything else. We appreciate them joining us. What a great way to celebrate their victories – in El Tour. Our cyclists can say they rode with world champions at El Tour.”

They will be part of an autograph signing the the TCC on Friday from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. which includes Sir Bradley Wiggins, George Hincapie, Bob Roll, Chloe Dygert and Bobby Julich, among others.

It’s a solid group of elite cyclists who will be riding in the event, including the popular Prologue which begins days before the big ride. Their participation solidifies Tucson as one of the meccas for road cycling.

It all begins at the annual three-day Expo & Fiesta on Thursday, Nov. 19 at the Tucson Convention Center. The Expo begins at noon, coinciding with packet pickup on Thursday.

Everything starts and finishes at the Tucson Convention Center, including the three rides (102 miles, 62 miles and 32 miles).

El Tour will have nearly 11,000 cyclists in the event but will also include nearly 1,000 walkers/runners for the 5K Run. It’s all to celebrate health and wellness throughout Tucson and parts of Southern Arizona.

The Expo & Fiesta is open to the public in Downtown Tucson and features more than 100 booths filled with activities, giveaways and merchandise for sale.

Each day will feature headline bands at the Stewart Title Main Stage.

On Saturday – Ride Day – it starts very early when cyclists get ready to ride their designated event. Cyclists will line up as early as 5 a.m. for the 7 a.m. start for the 102-mile ride.

In addition to cycling, there is an El Tour 5k Run/Walk which begins at 7:15 a.m. and is open to all ages. It’s a great family and community event. All finishers will receive a medallion.

Following the 102-mile start, the other rides will go off at 9 a.m. (62-miler) and 10 a.m. (32-miler). The Fun Ride – 3- and 1-mile – will go off at 8:15 a.m.

“We’re expecting a big week of cycling in Southern Arizona,” Juskiewicz said. “There’s no better place in the country to be at this time of year if you’re a cyclist and some of the best cyclists have taken notice. We have a cyclist from every state in America and from 26 countries in the world. In fact, 40 percent of our cyclists come from outside of Tucson.”