FLAGPOLE NEWS: El Tour de Mesa Vistoso Cyclists Results:
This has been an exciting riding season with weather that kept changing weekly,
preparing for our friends from Chicago, and my most memorable meeting and then working
with the honorable Dr. Chris Helm (PHD Training & Pain). Chris was determined once again to
finish with another Platinum medal (you would think one would be enough) and put together a
training program titled “TEMPO RIDES”. He found a few elite riders to join him and after finding
out about his program, thought what a great idea and maybe I and a few others could join his
group and attempt to keep up as the “B” team. Chris agreed and I joined the group on their 2nd
training ride. Well to make a long story short by the fourth training session it was apparent we
had an “A”. “B”, and a much slower “C” team made up by yours truly and thankfully one more
rider, Mr. Jim Rigney. Professor Helm has the full story below.
Here are your Vistoso stars in order of finish times, along with their
personal stories:
Terry Vancil: This was a good ride after a dinner the night before with a great group of people. I was proud to be part of the
largest group of club jerseys standing around after the ride. Congratulations to all, we did very well as a club, and a special thanks to Chris
and his wonderful training program. It was an honor to ride with him.
Chris Held: As you know I was a classroom teacher in my former life, so it was easy for me to think of Tour De Mesa as a sort
of graduation day. Imagine how proud this former teacher was when everyone graduated with honors. It was not magic, these little guys
earned it over their 3 months of hard work. Attendance was good on Monday tempo classes and some of the class members even did extra
"interval" credit work. Imagine my pride as they all passed over the finish line in record time.
There are so many special stories; where to begin? There was little Terry who rode so swiftly he beat his teacher by the length of his bike.
And little Larry who studied so hard and took the exams so often but was finally rewarded with his Platinum medal. There was Paul who
overcame his fear of speed down the hill and little Danny who calculated his effort so exactly that his finish time was not only fast, it was
within 2 minutes of his prediction.
Remember little Philip who was always writing notes to his classmates? I wondered if he would amount to anything as he sat there penning
those many notes. Well, he flew around that course like a rabbit. His time was golden too. He worked harder than anyone knew. And of
course there was little Jimmy. It would be an understatement to say that Jimmy was the oldest boy in class, but Oh, did he shine that day as
he rode past many, many younger students there in Mesa and claimed his Golden medal.
As I said earlier, there were so many wonderful stories. I wish I had time and space to tell you about the rest of the class. There was little
Roe who kept sneaking off to the mountains and missing class and still getting gold, there was little Curt who may have had near perfect
attendance and was easily the fastest 75 year old in Mesa as well as a gold medal. Did I tell you about little Fred? I think his mom decided to
home school him because he rarely came to class, but he clearly did his homework and he did great on graduation day.
There was our exchange student , Roy who taught us about the lands up north and why we don't really need boarder walls. He was a great
class organizer, he organized all sorts of activities. I bet he will be very successful when he grows up. He rode to Gold too!
Finally there were the twins, little Denise and little Doug. We had to make special accommodations for them in the classroom. They needed
a larger space for their bicycle. I'm so glad we made that space. They taught us all a lot about those large bikes and how swiftly they can be
driven. They not only were Gold medalist they were one of the fastest tandems in Mesa.
Every single student did great. All were promoted; none were retained.
This class was the best class I ever had. They are clearly my favorite class.
So, with that, I wipe a tear from my eye and I retire from teaching a second and final time.
Mr. Held
Vistoso Elementary Bicycle School
"Where learning and field trips never end"
Larry wilson: It's really nice when a training plan gives all the right tools to do well on game day. Chasing Mark and Terry up
Craycroft and Swan at maximum watts provided the power to grab a faster wheel; the fast pacelining on River Road helped to hang onto a
couple of tandems for the last 15 miles of the race; and climbing La Canada made Usury Pass at lot easier than expected. But as good as the
medal is the camaraderie we developed for the three months of practice is better--and lasts longer.
Fred Pearce: Great experience with an unexpected result. Witnessed an amazing high speed frontal dismount (known to
some as the Superman) and the rider was back on his bike before the dust had settled. He also finished Platinum. Unless you have ridden long
distance and experienced the highs and lows it is truly hard to convey all the emotions. The greatest feeling of all is the shared camaraderie
after a physical test like an endurance race. I 'd like to thank all the Vistoso club members for the heart felt CONGRATULATIONS that I received.
Terry and Chris have been exaggerating their ages I'm sure they're 39ish.
Dan Rinks: It was a nice day for a 61 mi bike ride - pleasant temperature and light to moderate wind. Started (too) fast,
barely navigated around an early big crash. Hit my first time split at mile 15 right on the mark; 1 min behind at mile 25; still 1 min behind at
mile 38. Caught a good wheel at the top of Usury Pass that brought us back to a good group. Finished at 3:08, 2 min ahead of my optimistic
projected time, right along the Dixon tandem. It was pretty much a full gas effort for me. Could not have done better given my fitness and
training. A good time was had by all
Roe Erlandson: For me Mesa this year was very satisfying. Good weather, good roads, and lots of prized medals for the
group. Congratulations to all. We enjoyed our Monday training rides courtesy of Chris. It was fun to hook up with my teammates for segments
during the ride. I was fortunate to hide behind two young bucks with 17 miles left. However when Dan, Doug, and Denise and their gang
pulled away I just had to say ‘have a good finish’.
Curt Jones: It was a good day for a race, i.e. fair skies and light winds...unlike el Tour de Tucson. After a tense start with several
crashes to avoid, the rest of the race went well. Met one of my two goals by getting a solid "gold" with a 3:13 +, but fell just short of the other
which was to be the first rider over the line at my age (74) or older. A 75 year old was convincingly faster. All things considered, a good but not
great day for me.
It was a great day, however, for Vistoso Cyclists! Virtually everyone met or exceeded their expectations. Congrats to all and especially to Jim
and Phil, who continue to provide all the inspiration I need to stay on two wheels and strive to be better. Two amazing guys for sure!"
Denice & Doug Hicks: This pair of Vistoso Cyclists had “double the fun” on the El Tour De
Mesa! Our energetic rides with the Club prior to the event on April 1st proved to be a great benefit in being
able to perform better than we hoped! Riding a tandem did raise some concerns about dealing with the masses at
the start. Those concerns were quickly dissipated as Doug felt quite comfortable handling the long bike
through the 900 plus 100 K starters. After 25 miles into the ride, Denice had anticipated stopping at Aid-3,
but with the pace we were going knew that wasn’t going to happen! Denice waved to the Boy Scouts and their
Leaders (volunteers at Aid-3) who were cheering us on as we went by. Usery Pass was a long climb, but the
downhill was a sweet relief for the second oldest (combined age) tandem couple this event! It was a fun ride
and we both felt good afterwards and coming in at 318th & 319th was better than we expected.
Cudo's to Phil, Jim, and Patrick on what an inspiration you are to us. It was noted that you three were the
oldest. No other participants were in their eighties and the next oldest was 76! Congratulations!
Roy McGechaen: We all were interested in the weather forecast for the Mesa race as it had been windy in the Tucson area the
day before and the last thing any of us needed was a stiff headwind. As it turned out, there was a slight headwind in the early part of the race
and after that whatever wind there was seemed to have little effect. A distinct bonus for those of us who sit rather tall in the saddle.
Unlike some of my fellow cyclists who seem to have more on-board instrumentation than a 747, I had an odometer. But the strap for it broke
last week and I left it at home. But I did have a wristwatch and even though the strap for that broke a day before the race, I managed to make a
temporary repair with wire. So although I could tell the time, I really had little idea how I was progressing over the 61 mile course. It scarcely
mattered as I had Phil Procida.
Early on, Phil shot by me with a cordial ‘Hi, Roy’. Later, somewhere around Shea, I managed to pass him. Near the Bush Highway, Phil caught up
and passed me once again. I knew that Phil was headed for gold and that I needed to stop loafing and stay ahead. I passed him one last time
and feeling pleased with my lead, carried on up Usery Pass. Imagine my horror when looking in my mirror, I saw a Vistoso Cyclist with green
sleeves and a grim expression coming up fast behind. You know who that was. No need for an odometer to tell me what to do, I had to crank it
hard all the way home. The ending was a happy one: we both got the red stripe across our number at the finish line - gold!
Much was made by the ride organizers about drinking water and staying hydrated. I found that I drank very little water, perhaps a fifth of a
bottle and now realize I had no need for water after all that beer the night before. And no need for an odometer either - I had Phil.
Phil Procida : This race was a true surprise for me as at 80 I did not have much aspirations for a Gold, but still was hoping for a
miracle. Well no miracles found its way to me other than pure determination, pain, and a day that was not windy. At about the 40 mile mark
with about 21 miles to go I had sucked down so many supplements that my stomach started to protest, but my legs told it to shut up and
process the junk. Well apparently through the miracle of drugs (all over the counter and legal of course) my legs came through and I was able
to finish within the Gold qualification time. Of course after they marked my number for Gold, I could not get off the bike and had to be assisted
off to the side (that was a little humiliating). Once home I did sleep all afternoon and evening and did have a difficult time walking our dog the
next day. YES IT WAS WORTH IT.
Jim Rigney:
I’m truly grateful to still be able to participate in our group’s cycling activities. There is not a finer group of
people. I get excited for our strong riders and their accomplishments. I enjoy all the riders and people in the Vistoso Cyclists group.
The Mesa ride became exciting for me when I realized I was in reach of achieving “Gold” at about the 38 mile mark. All I had to do
was average about 21 MPH for the last 23 to 24 miles. There was no more climbing to worry about. Wind wasn’t much of a factor. It became a
mental thing to keep pushing which I don’t normally do because of my age. I wasn’t sure I was going to make “Gold” until I crossed the finish
line with 27 seconds to spare. I calculated my average speed was 20.6 MPH for the last 23+ miles. To my surprise, I wasn’t fatigued. Maybe I
should have done better. Feeling pretty good, I then went to my son’s soccer game in Phoenix that afternoon.
Jim Elkan: SAFETY PATROL VOLUNTEER Note from the Editor: Jim said he had no stories to tell but I would like to share that
this very kind sole is always around doing something good for the club, the community and for his friends. On this day Jim broke his spoke and
bent the rim at about five miles into the ride and had to be taken back to his car. Jim from all of us thank you for always being around for us.
Name
Overall Rank
Age
Time
M.P.H.
Terry Vancil
121
65
2:44:29
22.3
Platinum
Chris Held
122
68
2:44:29
22.3
Platinum
Larry Wilson
174
70
2:50:53
21.4
Platinum
Fred Pearse
188
60
2:52:33
21.2
Platinum
Paul Kane
308
69
3:06:56
19.6
Gold
Dan Rinks
317
71
3:08:13
19.4
Gold
7 (TANDEM RIDERS)
64 Doug
3:08:14
19.4
Gold
Denice & Doug
Hick
Medal
Denice (no ask)
Roe Erlandson
320
73
3:09:42
19.3
Gold
Curtis Jones
338
74
3:13:23
18.9
Gold
Roy McGechaen
446
70
3:27:44
17.6
Gold
Phil Procida
467
80
3:31:01
17.3
Gold
Jim Rigney
525
86
3:39:33
16.7
Gold
Patrick Bunch
664
82
4:03:13
15.0
Silver
Jim Elkan
SAFETY PATROL
VOLUNTEER
Race Day:
The Start
5 Minutes to Go:
And Away we Go!
Chris & Terry first across the finish line in 2 hours 44 minutes:
And now time to Celebrate / 4 Platinum’s & 9 Golds:
A big thank you to everyone participating and to our staff photographer Ms. Gay
Wilson (Larry’s wife) with some assistance from Fred Pearce.
Phil
Editor & Chief Reporter
Flagpole News