Mexican bike team repeats win at El Tour; 10 cyclists struck by car

A member of the P&S Specialized team of Hermosillo, Mexico, won the El Tour de Tucson on Saturday in a bicycling event that was marred by a hit-and-run collision involving 10 cyclists.

David Salomon, 28, won the 109-mile event in 4:20:35, the same time as teammates Carlos Hernandez, 32, (last year's winner) and Eduardo Lugo.

The 26th annual El Tour was held under sunny Arizona skies and drew some 8,600 cyclists to participate in the race or the shorter distance recreational bike rides.

Hit and run

The morning got off to a bad start, however, when an elderly motorist struck a group of 10 cyclists at about 10:20 at Ina Road and North Westward Look Drive.

Five of the cyclists in the 10:20 a.m. crash were taken to the hospital; one is in critical and another cyclist is in critical condition. The other 3 have non-life threatening injuries.

KOLD.com and KVOA.com report that the man made a left turn in front of a group of some 80 cyclists; the 10 ran into the side of his car. After the collision he stopped and checked the damage, then got back in the car and fled the scene.

The race

It was the second straight win for a member of the P&S Specialized team. Hernandez won last year.

The three top cyclists finished hand-in-hand, with Salomon credited with the victory. The three rode much of the race together.

The fourth place finisher also was a member of P&S Specialized, prompting the announcer tell the Tucson Citizen that the race was “Historic. Never happened. Not even close.”

See all the El Tour de Tucson race results.

The event

The El Tour was expected to draw 8,600 cyclists into Tucson, giving the local economy a $15 million jolt.

In addition to the 109-mile main bike ride, other options include 80, 67 or 35 mile rides as well as a four-mile kids ride.

The bike ride is a fund-raiser for Tu Nidito Children and Family Services, as well as other local charities.