2 Cyclists Killed in Collisions

Since the last edition of Arizona Road Cyclist News, traffic accidents have claimed the lives of two cyclists. One deceased cyclist was riding a mountain bike on the sidewalk on Main Street in Mesa when he reportedly turned into the street in front of a municipal bus. The cyclist was subsequently pronounced dead at Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn. Mesa Police said the cyclist was not carrying identification and at last report they were still trying to establish the man's identify.

In an earlier incident, 53-year-old Cindie Holub was struck last week by a Waste Management garbage truck on Dynamite Boulevard near 105th Street last Wednesday as she was cycling eastbound at the right edge of the street. The Waste Management truck was reportedly trying to pass when the accident occurred. She was taken to Scottsdale Osborn Hospital in serious condition with a possible broken back, a broken pelvis, and internal bleeding. On Monday of this week, she passed away from her injuries.

Automotive Cyclist Airbag Evaluated in Amsterdam

The Swedish-American company Autoliv in cooperation with the Dutch research consultant TNO Automotive, the Dutch Ministry of Transport, the Dutch cyclist union Vogelvrije Fietser, and the Achmea insurance company is evaluating a prototype airbag system that would be mounted on the front of automobiles and would deploy when collision with a cyclist or pedistrian is imminent.

Assuming that the prototype performs as hoped, the next step will be to mount it on a number of test vehicles that do a lot of driving in an urban area, such as one of Amsterdam's package delivery companies. If those tests of the airbag system are successful, cycling interests will attempt to pressure governments to make it mandatory on new cars. The airbag could go into production in 2015 and is expected to cost as little as $280 per car.

Bicycle Racing on Versus

Here is the tentative March and April schedule of bicycle racing on Versus, a sports channel available with some packages on Cox Cable and Dish Network but not on Direct TV. As the date for each event approaches, please check your TV listings, as this schedule is subject to change.

Paris-Nice -- March 7:  3 to 5 p.m., March 14: 1 to 3 p.m., March 15: 1 to 3 p.m.
Criterium International -- March 28: 2 to 3 p.m.
Tour of Flanders -- April 4 & 5: 2 to 3 p.m.
Paris-Roubaix -- April 11: (time not yet published)
Flech Wallone -- April 25: 1:30 to 2 p.m.
Liege Bastogne Liege -- April 25: 2 to 2 to 3 p.m.

BOS Time Change

The starting time for the BOS ride has moved up to 7:00 a.m. The BOS ride leaves every Saturday morning from the southwest corner of Scottsdale Road and Shea Boulevard, which many years ago was the location of Bicycles of Scottsdale, for which the ride was named. This is a fast pack ride. Most of the participants are racers or people who once raced and still like to ride hard.

Phoenix Midweek Criterium Series Continues

The Phoenix Midweek Criterium Series, promoted by the Phoenix Consumer Cycling Club, continues from 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday evenings until the end of April with the exception of next week, when the Tuesday night race is rescheduled to Thursday March 11. There are four races nightly: a D race for beginners and juniors, a C race for category 4 and 5 riders, a B race for category 3, 4, and 5 riders, and an A race for category 1, 2, 3, and 4 racers. Riders register for the races on site, and both day and annual racing licenses can also be purchased. Turnout among both racers and spectators has been up this year. The races are popular among spectators, some of whom bring their lawn chairs to watch the races at no charge.

The races are held in the parking lot of Phoenix Municipal Stadium. Enter the lot from the south side of Van Buren, just west of Priest, which is also known as Galvin Parkway. To view the race series brochure in PDF format, click here.

Tucson Midweek Criterium Series has Started

The Tucson Midweek Criterium Series is underway on Wednesday evenings through March 24, promoted by Team Tolero. There are three races held each week: a C race for category 4 and 5 riders, a B race for category 3, 4, and 5 riders, and an A race for category 1, 2, and 3 riders. Racers must register in advance at Bikereg.com. To go to the race's Web page, first click here and then click on "EVENTS."

San Tan Criterium -- March 6

San Tan Cycling and Paragon Cycling present the San Tan Criterium this Saturday March 6, which will be held south of Mesa's Falcon Field with the first race beginning at 7:00 a.m., the women's pro and category 1/2/3 race beginning at 2:50 p.m. and the main event, the men's pro and category 1/2 race, beginning at 3:40 p.m. Juniors race for free in junior races only. Registration for other races is $30 for the first race and $10 for additional races. A free unlicensed kids' race begins at 12 noon. First place trophies will be awarded to all seniors and masters categories. In all the promoters will be handing out more than $1,200 in cash and prizes. To access the event's Website, click here.

Hungry Dog Criterium -- March 7?

The Hungry Dog Criterium is on the Arizona racing calendar for this Sunday March 7. However, as of this writing, a few days before the race is scheduled to take place, I am unable to find any information about this event.

Tour de Cure -- March 7 Tucson, March 13 Phoenix

The Tour de Cure is a series of cycling events held around the country to benefit the American Diabetes Association. Two rides will be held in Arizona this year, one in Tucson on March 7 and one in Phoenix on March 13. Riders are expected to raise pledges from friends and family in order to participate.

The Tucson ride begins at the Rancho Sahuarita Clubhouse at 15455 S. Camino Lago Azul in Sahuarita on March 7. There are four ride lengths available, 100k, 50k 30k, and 10k. To view the Website for the Tucson ride, click here.

The Phoenix ride begins from the Reach 11 Sports Complex, 2425 E. Deer Valley Road, on March 13. The Phoenix ride has three ride lengths: 62 miles, 35 miles and 10 miles in addition to 1 and 4.5 family fun rides. To visit the site of the Phoenix ride, click here.

Tucson Bicycle Classic Stage Race -- March 12, 13 & 14

TriSports.com presents the Tucson Bicycle Stage race over a three day period from March 12 through March 14 with a $6,800 prize list. Friday's race is a time trial, Saturday's is a road race, Sunday's is a circuit race. Entry fees for the three-day event vary from $30 for juniors 10 to 12 years old to $85 for professional and category 1 male racers. At $10 to $15 late fee will be added for registrations submitted after March 1. To access the event's Website for more information, click here.

Sierra Vista Bicycle Classic -- March 14

The Greater Arizona Bicycle Association (GABA) is putting on the Sierra Vista Bicycle Classic on March 14 with 40-, 71-, 90-, and 100-mile options. The 71-mile and longer options go through the historic copper-mining town of Bisbee just north of the Mexican border. After the event, riders are invited to partake of a barbeque lunch compliments of Mike's Cowboy Barbeque. To access the ride's Website, click here.

The Focus Grand Prix Criterium -- March 20

SanTan Racing will promote the Focus Grand Prix Criterium on Saturday March 20 on Speedway Drove in the SanTan Autoplex at East Pecos and South Val Vista Roads in Gilbert Arizona. The first race, the junior race, starts at 7:30 a.m. The category 1 and 2 women's race is at 2:35 p.m. and the event wraps up with the category 1 and 2 men's race from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Juniors pay $10 to race, and others pay $30. The highlight of the event is a series of one-on-one 200-meter drag races from noon to 1:00 p.m. The loser of each drag race is eliminated while the winner stays to take on the next challenger. The last cyclist standing .... err, balancing might be a better word  ... takes the entire pot of prize money. To access the race's Website, click here.

Mining Country Challenge -- March 20

 There are two versions of the Phoenix Metro Bike Club's annual Mining Country Challenge, a 96-mile full (almost) century ride and a 66-mile metric century. Both rides start in Superior, Arizona. The official start of the century is 8:00 a.m. with the metric century starting a half-hour later. Registration and check-in open in Superior at 7:00 a.m.

Both of these rides are very tough and compete with the Heart of Arizona Centruy for the title of the the most challenging one-day organized ride in Arizona, unless you include the individual states of the Answer to the Challenge. The metric century goes from Superior to Winkleman and back and crosses twice over "End of the World", the leg-breaking, brutal 11% climb that goes on and on and often forces strong men an women to get off their bikes and push. As a prelude to End of the World, the return ride from Winkelman also includes Ray Mine Hill.

The full century is a loop starting in Superior and heading uphill over Top of the World to Miami and Globe. From Globe, the ride turns to the right and passes over the El Capitán climb. From the top of El Capitán, things go downhill, literally, with an exhilarating descent to Winkleman and lunch. After lunch the ride climbs Ray Mine Hill and the incredibly tough climb over End of the World before descending back to Superior.

Online pre-registration is now open. The cost of the ride is $30 for members of PMBC, ABC, and GABA and $35 for others until March 16. After that, the price jumps to $40 for members of these three clubs and $40 for non-members.

To view the Mining Country Challenge Website, click here.

Colleen Wheldon-Haught TTs -- March 21 & April 17

The Colleen Wheldon-Haught Memorial Time Trials, formerly the Three Bears Time Trials, will be held on Sunday March 21 and Saturday April 17 on Park Like Drive between the I-10 Frontage Road and AZ-70. The start-finish line will be about five miles east of I-10, and the race distance is about 30 kilometers. In addition to age-based categories in two-year increments for juniors and five-year increments for adults, there will be a Merckx Open category for riders on standard road bikes with no areo helmets, no disk or deep rim wheels, no skin suits, and standard road bars.

Online registration details are still pending, but on-site registration will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. with the first rider off at 8:00 a.m. Registration is $5 for juniors, $20 for adults, and $30 per tandem. There will be no cash prizes as all proceeds will be donated to the Livestrong Foundation to benefit cancer research. To access the race's Website, click here.

Tumacacori Road Race -- March 28

GST Bike Racing and Team in Training present the Tumacacori Road Race on March 28. This is a circuit race held on a six-mile loop with 460 feet of climbing on each lap plus rollers and corners. Registration is online at Sportsbase Online. Registration is $35 for the men's pro/category 1/2 race and for the women's category 1/2/3 race. Other adults pay $30 to race, and juniors ride for free. To access the race's brochure in PDF format, click here.

Silent Sundays at South Mountain Park

On the fourth Sunday of every month, South Mountain Park in Phoenix is closed to motorized traffic, and cyclists, skaters, etc. take over the park's roads. Upcoming Silent Sunday dates are March 28, April 25, and May 23. To visit South Mountain's Website, click here.