El Tour de Tucson is one of the nation’s premier cycling events.
The team that puts the marquee event together is making strides to ensure all athletes, including those living with disabilities, have the tools and resources they need to compete.
Transfer boards will be one of the most meaningful new options for riders. They allow riders on hand cycles to easily transfer into wheelchairs if they ever need to make a stop and use a portable restroom.
This year, the El Tour leaders will offer a fourth year of ever-expanding services, knowing that more than 100 adaptive riders will join the race. That's a significant increase from the 23 adaptive participants in 2019.
Paul Davis said it's important to see this kind of progress to grow El Tour. Davis is the access and mobility division manager for race sponsor, Omeo America.
“We’re not reinventing the wheel,” Davis said. “We’re simply listening to adaptive athletes and identifying how we can make the experience more inclusive, from transfer boards at rest stops to wider turning radii on the course. Even a small modification like this can make a big difference."
Mia Hansen said she wholeheartedly agrees with the upgrades. Hansen is the executive director of Southern Arizona Adaptive Sports. “Riding a bike should be accessible to everyone,” she siad. said. “We’ve worked with El Tour to address barriers, from accessible parking to ensuring the medal stands are wheelchair-friendly.”
Hansen also shared a bit of news that will mark a first for El Tour de Tucson; this year, we will see a blind cyclist join the race for the very first time, as part of a tandem team.
“It’s about radical inclusion," Hansen said. "Making sure everyone can participate and feel welcome,” she said. Steven O’Brien said he's felt that welcome embrace as a hand cyclist doing his third personal run on El Tour.
“The staging areas at the start and finish lines make it easier for us,” O’Brien said. “This year, the addition of wheelchairs and porta-potties at aid stations shows how much thought has gone into making this event inclusive.”
Davis said this year's project serves as a reminder that when leaders make time to include others, athletes of any background can shine. To that point, Davis said thanks to input from groups liek Omeo and SAAS, El Tour de Tucson has become a blueprint for other large-scale athletic competitions to follow.
“Our goal is to inspire other races to adopt similar practices,” he said. “This is just the beginning.”
