Letcher: ‘I really like cycling’ so he’ll ride his fifth El Tour in November

Mike Letcher used to be a pretty good runner back in the day, but a little more than 10 years ago he transitioned into being a cyclist.

He hasn’t looked back – and well – he loves the feeling he now gets.

“I just felt it was time to look at things,” he said.

It happens that his cycling partner – Corey Thompson – had a bike available to use so, he got going.

“From that point on, that’s what I’ve been doing,” said Letcher, 72.

The transition has been great – although he admitted “I had no clue about cycling’ –  save for the learning how to clip in and out of his bike. That took some getting used to.

“I had to switch my mentality,” he said.

“There was kind of a transition, but it was just getting used to it.

Now, he’s getting ready for his fifth El Tour. In fact, he knows El Tour on a couple of levels. He’s ridden it at every different distance.

On Nov. 22, he’ll be one of the many – nearly 10,000 cyclists are projected to participate – who will be on the course, riding either the 32-mile, 63-mile or 102-mile event.

“I had done every distance and last year I tried the 32 (miles) and I really liked it,” he said.

So, he’ll be back, riding primarily for his health and, of course, his enjoyment. He has long understood the benefits of staying in shape, whether it be through running or cycling.

“I considered myself to be a competitive runner, but I don’t think of myself as a competitive cyclist so the nice thing about the (32-miler) is that you don’t have to train too (seriously),” he said. “It’s not like riding a lot of miles on a bike to do the shorter distance.”

Still, he and Corey ride every weekend to get their cycling in. There was a time when they ran with a group called Slow Dogs but they now cycle.

“We’ve been cycling together since 2016,” he said.

Year’s later, he still considers himself a newbie, but one thing is certain: “I really enjoy cycling,” he said.

He also saw the benefits while Tucson’s city manager back then.

“It’s a major event,” he said. “And it’s a money maker for the city, bed taxes and things like that. We wanted to make sure the event was pulled off effectively but also a good experience for those who came to visit our great community.”