Oz Report

The Tour de Palm Springs (from issue 10.035)

And how it compares with hang gliding competitions and fly ins

The Desert Sun article with pictures here and http://www.tourdepalmsprings.com/.

On Saturday I participated along with 8,000 other riders in the Tour de Palm Springs, not a bicycle race, but a bicycle ride (four rides actually) around the Coachella valley starting and ending at Palm Springs High School.  I did the 55 miler and there were 100, 27 and 8 mile rides available.

I had been getting ready for the ride in November and December riding ten to twenty miles each day getting in shape for the Australian hang gliding season. The practice turned out to be very helpful for flying in Oz and for riding in this ride.  I was able to maintain 15 mph between the three pit stops along the way (they average over 25 mph on 130 mile tasks in the Tour de France).  They were stocked with water, Gator-Aid, bananas, and cut oranges, all of which I devoured.  It would not have been possible to finish the ride without all that liquid.

There are fewer hang glider pilots in the US than there were bicycle riders in this ride.  This ride started in 1999 with 400 participants.  Why the difference?

Everyone can participate.  Kids were riding as well as 80+ year olds (Bill Bell). The whole family can come and ride together or tandem.  Tandem bikes can go really fast.

The bikes costs from less than a few hundred dollars to the most expensive at over $4,000.  Very cool bikes can be had for over $1,000.  Pure carbon fiber ones over $3,000. 

Hundreds start at once.  There is no need for a tug to pull you up.  There is plenty of room for everyone in the width of a street. 

It's $50 to join the ride for fifty five miles and much less for the shorter rides.

They've got a thousand volunteers and a year round twenty five person board that brings the sponsorship and logistics together, just for one event.

Ninety percent of the participants come from outside of the Palm Springs area (read from southern California).  You have a huge population base and you have many local businesses more than happy to have all these visitors.

It's safe.  The police are at the intersections stopping the traffic.  Additional lanes are set up for us.

Everyone is racing against themselves.  You can only go at your own best speed over the longer distances.  There is no way to suddenly do a lot better through an act of will.  If you have trained conscientiously, you'll do that much better. Your body is much more the issue than your mind.

The view isn't nearly as spectacular.  It gets hot as the day goes on.  You drink like a fish.

We will never be as popular as bicycling, but we don't necessarily need to be. We are an elite sport (that is taken up by a small number of ne're-do-well's). None-the-less we can always learn from other sports and see what works for them.

Discuss Tour at the Oz Report forum