Dearest Brethren of the Saddle,
Let’s face it, it’s getting tougher and tougher to promote a road race these days. All you have to do is look at our Arizona racing calendar and it’s slowly revealing itself. The restrictions are piling up and it’s making the necessary permits too tough and costly to obtain. As you read this, there’s a battle going on in the east valley over the use of the Bush Highway. We’ve all ridden and enjoyed that stretch of road by Saguaro Lake and if action isn’t taken soon we’ll never race on it again…
See: Usery Pass Time Trial, Usery Pass Road Race, Arizona Xtreme Desert Tri and Saguaro Lake Tri to name a few.
Below is a letter from Sterling Baer, president of the Red Mountain Brumby’s cycling group. You think your club/team is big? This guy’s running an empire of cyclists out in Mesa. The letter is long, but well worth the read…
Unless you only want to see criterium’s in our cycling future.
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Many of you may or may not be a resident of Maricopa County, but a cycling citizens petition campaign has been launched to literally “Save the Tour de Phoenix” and we need every cyclists support. We have a wonderful tradition of the Tour de Phoenix in the greater Phoenix area that followed in the footsteps of the Tour de Tucson. For 17 years the route has safely traversed a beautiful section of road called Old Bush Highway that runs through Maricopa County and Tonto National Forrest.
Last year ALL events were prohibited use of this section of road due to “new regulations” imposed by the Maricopa Co Transportation Dept. This affected a planned Mesa Marathon, Triathalons, Usery TT, RAGNAR Relay, the Tour de Phoenix to name a few. All were denied permits. Representing the 425+ group of Cyclists in my Red Mountain Brumbys gang, I led an effort to rescind the prohibition of permits and fortunately PBAA ceased efforts to cancel the Tour after 17 years without a single traffic incident along that stretch of road. While the permit was granted, new restrictions were imposed requiring one lane of this two lane road be closed and adding signifant more costs.
These costs forced PBAA to reconsider cancelling the event again and refunding all cyclists their money because these cost increases put them in a first time ever negative position. Cancelling it altogether would cost them a great deal of money as well yet putting on the event regardless of losing money would also not allow them to provide ANY funds to their committed Charities. We all want and support safe events, but raising Traffic control costs up to 700% is simply not acceptable.
We are asking all Cyclists to send a message to Maricopa County Dept of Transportation to lift these new restrictions and agree to a compromise. We want our community to create an atmosphere such that we can grow the Tour de Phoenix to the level of prominence and community/local goverment cooperation that exists with the Tour de Tucson. We hope that you can help us communicate this to our officials.
Our Mesa Mayor Scott Smith has been a terrific support of this effort to “Save the Tour” and so has County Supervisor Don Stapley. If you could please send a note and ask all that you know to do the same, we would greatly appreciate it. During these economic times we do not need additional costs levied at taxpayer expenses when they are not necessary.
Please direct your emails to Don Stapley and copy the following:
Don Stapley <dstapley@mail.maricopa.gov>
Mayor Scott Smith <mayor.smith@mesaaz.gov>
Nikki Amberg <nikki.amberg@mesaaz.gov>
John Counts, MCDOT <JohnCounts@mail.maricopa.gov>
Nicolaas Swart MCDOT <nicolaasswart@mail.maricopa.gov>
John Hauskins MCDOT <johnhauskins@mail.maricopa.gov>
James Candland MCDOT <candlandj@mail.maricopa.gov>
Sterling Baer <sabaer@us.ibm.com>
Thank you!
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Thanks for reading.
Have you sent your email yet?
