CATALINA FOOTHILLS, Ariz. (KGUN) — At Oro Valley Bicycle’s Foothills location on Sunrise and Swan, workers said the lead-up to El Tour brings a predictable spike in customers looking for last-minute tune-ups and repairs.
Cycling specialist Collin McCoskey said one of his recent tasks involved building a new bike for a customer ready to test ride.
“We have a guy who came in yesterday who was looking to test ride a bike and we happened to not have that size, so I’m building this up for him,” McCoskey said as he worked on the bike.
He added that the most common pre-race needs are simple but essential. Some of the more common ones he said people come around for are tune-ups and general refreshes for chain lube and tire sealant.
“A lot of people who ride in El Tour haven’t ridden their bikes in a year, and then the other half ride four or five times a week,” he said.
The shop started seeing an uptick as early as late summer, with demand rising quickly as the race approached. “It really did start to ramp up in October,” McCoskey said, noting that the seasonal surge is especially welcome following a slow summer. Weekend traffic, he estimated, has doubled.
And even after El Tour concludes, the work continues. McCoskey said post-race repairs are surprisingly common.
“A lot of people smoke signs or smack into cones, so you see a lot of repairs,” he commented.
It’s not just bike shops feeling the boost. Local restaurants also see increased foot traffic from race participants, spectators, and seasonal visitors.
“Our stores all around Tucson get to see the benefit of things like El Tour, busy football games, or U of A games,” said Ray Flores, owner of The Monica and El Charro restaurants. “Tucson is just an incredible town for eating out, and people travel a lot for that, so we’re proud to be part of the fabric of Tucson.”
Flores said winter visitors, often snowbirds returning for the season, are another key part of the economic boost. “We always love our winter visitors… we’re happy to have the winter tourists back.”
He emphasized that this time of year is crucial for supporting small, locally owned businesses.
“Local restaurants, local businesses, small shopping—those are really important to the identity of our community,” he said.
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Andrew Christiansen is a reporter for KGUN 9. Before joining the team, Andrew reported in Corpus Christi, Texas for KRIS6 News, Action 10 News and guest reported in Spanish for Telemundo Corpus Christi. Share your story ideas with Andrew by emailing andrew.christiansen@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, or Twitter.
