First to register Van Derlaske says ‘it’s been awesome’ to ride in El Tour

Matt Van Derlaske has ridden in El Tour de Tucson five times and was so eager to ride in his sixth event that he, um, set his alarm to register at noon on April 17.

“I signed up as soon as my lunch hour hit,” he said, with a slight laugh.

In fact, he was the first one to sign up for the 42^nd El Tour, which will be held Nov. 22. He is one of more than 1,600 cyclists who have signed up just three weeks into registration.

He hasn’t ridden in El Tour since 2021 but is looking forward to returning to the scene with an expected 10,000 cyclists on ride day.

He’s ridden in every level – the big ride to the smaller rides – and has enjoyed it, getting to ride with friends and family at various times.

He finished third in the 28-mile ride a few years ago. He loves cycling yet has only “been riding for eight or so years,” he said.

“El Tour was the first road bike ride I ever did,”  said Van Derlaske, 43. “It was just a buddy and me doing it. He said, ‘you should ride a bike’ and we started riding together. And (El Tour) was one of our goals.”

He took it on aggressively the first time, riding more than 100 miles.

“It was pretty good,” he said, saying his time was just more than five hours. “I missed platinum, but I was proud of myself.”

Now, he’s ramped it down a bit, given he has a wife and family now and “it’s hard to put all that time into training.”

But he’ll be back on the course riding in the 32-mile event.

He’s looking forward to No. 6.

“It’s been awesome (riding in it),” he said. “I think it’s great for the community and it’s a healthy thing where the people can get out there and ride. Then there’s the Bike Patrol and the police who are out there making sure everyone is safe. It’s a great opportunity for Tucson – to be with family and friends.”

To join Van Derlaske and the thousands of others on Nov. 22 visit eltourdetucson.org to sign up.