Cyclists will have to wait a few months for the 38th El Tour de Tucson.
After carefully monitoring the ongoing public health concerns brought on by the coronavirus pandemic and an abundance of caution for the safety and wellness of our cyclists, volunteers, staff and the communities through which we pass, the 38th Banner – University Medicine El Tour de Tucson has been postponed to April 10, 2021. The event was originally scheduled for November 21, 2020.
“After holding out hope that the coronavirus pandemic would let up enough to allow us to welcome thousands of cyclists from all over the world in the traditional November timeframe, we will postpone the 38th El Tour de Tucson until April 10, 2021,” announced El Tour de Tucson Executive Director TJ Juskiewicz. “Our top priority is always the safety of everyone involved with the event and feel this is the most prudent decision.”
The organizers carefully monitored the evolving pandemic and consulted with a multitude of local and national health and safety officials to base any decisions. Although various protocols and processes of mitigating health concerns were explored, we still concluded that it would not be feasible to host this mass participation event as originally scheduled.
All registered participants will have the option to roll their registration to the postponed date of April 10, 2021 or defer their registration to the 39th El Tour de Tucson that will be held in the traditional weekend before Thanksgiving timeframe of November 20, 2021.
There will also be virtual options announced soon for El Tour riders and teams to safely experience the joys of the ride this November.
“El Tour has been part of the Tucson community for nearly four decades, raising over $100 million for local, national and international charities. Unfortunately, the pandemic forced us to postpone the event until spring, but this allows our riders to challenge themselves to ride in an unprecedented two El Tour de Tucson events in the same calendar year,” Juskiewicz said.
