Tumacacori Success!!

First THANKS GABA!!!!

So Gaba every year before the El Tour does a whole bunch for the cycling community in Tucson. They put on all sorts of training rides and centuries so the locals can ramp up and get ready. So for the past two years El Grupo has taken full advantage of this awesomness and has partcipated in the Tumacacori Century ride.

The bike ride starts in Sahuarita, just south of town, and heads further way south to the old mission at Tumacacori.

El Grupo has many riders that are trying to get ready to do the whole distance of El Tour 109 miles, so we decided to try and do 80 this weekend with the help of GABA.

We made it for sure, and the best part is we all learned a lot and realize that the month we have left is important. We are on track but I want all parents and riders to know that this next month is critical. We have to do all the little things right. Eat well. Sleep well and enough. Drink a lot and no soda or sugar drinks. Come to practice ready to work hard and to learn. We can do it, but we have to be mentally and physically ready. I am proud of what we did and I hope all riders are as well. Thanks for a great ride team!

Tumacacori GABA ride this weekend

Ok Folks, the great people of GABA have invited us to participate in one of there awesome events again. It is called the Tumacacori Century ride. We will not be riding the whole distance, however I want to ride 80 miles as a team. This will be our longest ride yet as a team and an important stepping stone for doing the whole El Tour distance of 109 miles. The ride starts in Sahuarita and travels south to the mission at Tumacacori and then returns to the school in Sahuarita. The great thing about riding with GABA is that they do an amazing job supporting the ride. That means that every 20 miles there is a table full of food, water, and drinks for riders to stop and enjoy. This will make our day easier and a little more enjoyable. The ride starts at 7:30am so will have to leave my house at 6:30 to make it there is time. I presume the ride will take us awhile so don't plan on having your kids back for afternoon chores.

So
When: this Sunday October 26th

Where: Start is in Sahuarita, AZ (Exit 75 off of I-19)

What: 80 mile bike ride--- longest ever as new team

Who: All of the Sunday riders, also please print and sign the registration form for the ride from the GABA web site and bring it with you on Sunday morning or you may give it to me on Friday.

You may look at the GABA website for more info at www.bikegaba.org

State Champ X 2

Congradulations MAX!!!!!!!!!!!!

Again!!!! (because he also won the State Time Trial Championships)

Max won the Arizona State Hill Climb Championships by being the first of his age group to reach the 10 mile mark on Mt. Graham. He will now get a polka dot jersey so everybody knows. We are super proud of you Max and we promise that you will not have to go up the mountain alone next year. Well done!

PS. Go ahead and order a few more of those jerseys, I'm a size medium.

Pics from Get Fit Festival

Ignacio

El Grupo 2008 Orchestrates first Bicycle Obstacle Course

First off thanks riders!! This past Saturday almost all of the El Grupo team came together to put on a bicycle obstacle course in downtown to allow other kids to hone their bicycles skills and to just have fun. The event was put on by the Public Libraries and it was called the Get Fit Festival. So there were a bunch of tables and booths talking about health, fitness, and active lifestyles. There was a climbing wall, free apples, nutrition information and the bicycle obstacle course that El Grupo helped the Pima County DOT Safe routes to school project put on. We had at least 50 kids stop by and ride and all riders recieved a free helmet. As each new rider would come up they would get paired with an El Grupo rider and they would show them around and teach them a few skills. It was super fun to have young adults teaching kids. We had a great time, and I look forward to do doing more outreach like this in the future.

Thanks Team
Ignacio