Chicagoan has nice praise for Tour de Scottsdale: 'The ride was awesome'
Cyclists came from all over the United States and five countries to participate in the HonorHealth Tour de Scottsdale.
Art Fessler, 58, was one of them. And, well, he loved the ride, the weather and accommodations as did more than 2,700 cyclists who rode in the event.
Saturday had perfect conditions for the Chicagoan, who flew in just for the ride. After all, they don’t get rides like these in Chicago, right? At least not at this time of year.
Art Fessler
The former mountain biker has transitioned to the road bike quite nicely, becoming a platinum cyclist.
“The ride was awesome,” he said. “The route was technical, fast with a lot of challenging climbs. I liked the technical part of it because it jives with my genre. It was a big race and competitive.”
Well, for those who wanted it to be. Not all made it a race, but a fantastic ride for a weather-proof day. He finished his ride in 2 hours, 52. 50 minutes.
“There was a nice group of riders,” Fessler said. “People being really nice, a lot of talking.”
He’s aware of the varied styles of the cyclists, given he’s ridden in El Tour de Tucson. It was there he found out about Tour de Scottsdale and decided he was returning to Arizona to ride this spring.
He’ll be back at El Tour in November, and be back for Tour de Scottsdale next year, too.
“For sure,” he said.
“This weather is much better than in Chicago in April,” he said, “so this is a big treat.”
He got it all: nice ride, friendly people and more.
He was riding with a group of about 30, but he was way ahead of that group. He spent his time soaking in the sun, enjoying the atmosphere.
It all started at RAGBRAI in Iowa where a group road and then agreed to join again in Tucson and then again in Scottsdale.
