The Tucson Bicycle Classic & Rest Day

After 10 straight days of hiking and cycling, I reached Friday and a good day for a rest day.  Having volunteered for the registration desk at the Tucson Bicycle Classic, a position for which I had volunteered last year too, I welcomed a day to ask people for their racer license, telling them to wear "3 numbers for 3 days" and wish them good luck.  Then, out of the blue, Nick Perhala shows up!  It was good to see him sporting a SoCal haircut or maybe it is a surfer;s haircut.  Anyway, the Thursday New Albany peloton is losing a good one as Nick is staying in CA.

The field is deep with 521 having preregistered but the pro field was not as strong as last year, with about 40 compared to 100 last year.  I heard Tommy Danielson's place, on Spanish Trail Road, was humming as usual with lots of pro team vans there each day but since an event the week preceding the TBC was cancelled, not so many came to train.  I also have read the "Tour of Gila", a long time event, is having sponsor issues and may also cancel.

Nick told me the fields around here are very deep.  Rather than having a Cat 1/2/3 combined field, each category has its own start time.  Nick shoved off with around 40 in the Cat 2 for a time trial, road race and crit, over 3 days.  Too bad the weather did not cooperate with warm temps but winds at 20-25mph for the final two legs. Once my obligation was mostly finished, I was asked to walk through the parking lot and pick up trash so with a large bag, I walked the aisles and did my best.  Been a long time since I was told to pick up trash but that's ok.  I asked about moving up the ranks but after registration comes riding around in a car and jumping out when a cyclist has a flat, identifying what type of wheel he/she needs, replacing the flat, etc...  Probably I should stick with registration next year and the free T-shirt.