Swart retiring but will still be a big part of Tucson’s cycling scene; donates bike parts to El Tour for distribution

Mike and Rachel Swart are looking forward to riding in the upcoming El Tour de Tucson. It’ll be one of the many they’ve ridden in so far.

But months before that – like recently- Mike contributed a lot to El Tour and those who ride bikes. He and a couple of his crew brought in what was left of their inventory at HMS Bikes in Marana.

“We had a lot of parts that we had accumulated over the years,” he said, of the donation. “We wanted to bring them to a place that knew what to do with them and give them to someone who could use them. WE know Perimeter Bicycling works with a lot of nonprofits and organizations that will make it happen.”

El Tour will give the donations to local nonprofits.

As for Swart, he’s a cyclist and former attorney who traded in litigation for selling bicycles in the Marana area for the last decade or so. He’s been part of El Tour before, back when ET had one of the rides originating in the Marana area.

“I’ve always loved cycling,” he said. “I had been frustrated there was not a bike shop on the northwest side west of I-10. I figured I’d kick myself if someone opened one up and it’s not me. I decided to jump in and open one up.”

Now, he’s decided to retire, but will keep cycling.

“It was amazing,” he said of the bike business. “There were the ups and downs and there was a sharp learning curve. I had never done anything like this. But it was great. The people we met and the relationships we were able to have were people we would have never met.”

He’ll still be into cycling, that never leaves someone. And we’ll see them in November.