"It was a sea of bicycles," Ernest Tofani of Nogales said. Tofani arrived just after 4 a.m. for the 25th Tour de Tucson, held Nov. 17. The sea of bicycles filled the parking lot of the Tucson Convention Center-the start point for the 109-mile event Tofani signed up for.

Priscilla Salcedo

"I got there very early in the morning, anticipating there were going to be a lot of bicyclists. I believe there were 9,164 bicycles all together. Everybody started lining up the night before. I lined up at 4:06 a.m., and there were some people coming there right up to the time the race started," Tofani said.

There were people arriving from all over the world: Japan, Chile, Mexico. Carlos Hernandez, of Hermosillo, won the longest event, the 109-miler in a time of 04:10:51.

"I saw him before the race started. He was leaning against the fence, peddling backwards to get his legs warmed up," Tofani said.

A total of 4,252 cyclists finished the 109-miler. It was, by far, the largest event.

Tofani was one of 18 bicyclists from Santa Cruz County to finish the 109-miler. Others competed in the shorter events. Nogales High School tennis and soccer player Priscilla Salcedo finished 244th of 442 finishers in the 80-mile event.

Salcedo rode the event with her father, Chacho Salcedo. It was the first time she had ridden that far, she said. Her longest distance in training was 40 miles.

She doesn't normally use a bicycle for training for tennis or soccer, Salcedo said, so the event was a new experience.

A day of bicycling

There were other events in the Tour de Tucson, including 66- and 35-milers, tandem events, a kid and family fun ride, plus bike patrols.

The day isn't only for beating the clock, or other riders. A lot of bicyclists, like Tofani, just go for the ride, he said. Tofani renewed his acquaintance with long-distance cycling in August. He said, "Then I heard about the tour coming. I haven't done it all these years, due to work and family reasons, but decided I was going to do it this year."

Tofani rides 15 to 21 miles almost every day.

"I'm not very fast right now, I do about 15 miles per hour," he said.

Placing wasn't Tofani's goal. Finishing was.

"I think if I had a little more experience as far as timed events, I would have done better," he said. "I had a 17-pound backpack on my back."

Tofani carried a bicycle pump, DVD recorder, walkman, various tools, energy bars and Gatorade. "I packed like for a mini-cross-country trip," he said.

The course

The 109-mile course started on Grenada, right in front of the Tucson Convention Center, Tofani said. The course made a loop of Tucson roads, encircling the city. The longest stretch was on Silverbell Road.

"At one point, we had to carry our bicycles through a wash," Tofani said. "On the other side, there was a group of Mariachis playing.

"Throughout the whole tour, approximately every 12 miles, there were aid stations," Tofani said. "They made it possible to do - theoretically - with only two water bottles. You didn't have to bring all the extra Gatorade because they give you water, bananas, oranges."

Volunteers, including Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops are at the aid stations.

"I think there's a lot of camaraderie between cyclists," Tofani said. "They helped each other with flats. There were teams from other countries, and from within the United States racing."

While some traveled from Mexico, Japan, Chile, California, Florida, Washington, Illinois and Georgia, Tovani has seen many states from a bicycle - twice.

The first time Tofani rode cross-country was in 1981.

"It was the summertime, and I got time off. I road from Manhattan, in New York, to Joshua Tree, in California," he said of the solo trip. "I had always wanted to do it. It went from New York, through New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and to California. That was a beautiful trip. I took a lot of pictures and met a lot of people. I had been cross-country in a car, but on a bicycle, you find out how beautiful the country is."

The trip took Tofani 38 days. His second tour was in 1985, for a cause. Tofani said, "The second time, I rode with a guy who was a diabetic, and we raised money for the American Diabetes Foundation."

For the exercise

Tofani rides because he enjoys the exercise. He said, "I enjoy knowing I'm doing well for my body. Sometimes you feel sluggish. With the bicycle, I've knocked off 17 pounds." Tofani lost five pounds during the Tour De Tucson. He said, "I lost five pounds on Saturday, and it's stayed off."

Fitness is important on the job for Tofani. He works for the Arizona Department of Public Safety, as an officer. "It's important to stay in shape," he said.

Exercise is an important part of staying in shape. Tofani said, "I think, for exercise, you have to stick with something you enjoy."

For completing the tour, Tofani was presented with a bronze medal.

"I want to try it again next year, and I really would like to get a gold medal," he said. "They have platinum, which is for first place, for those who do it in four to five hours. The gold is for five to six hours. The silver is six to seven. After that, you get a bronze."

Going for the gold is important, Tofani said. And, as a DPS officer, so is one other thing. "As far as bicycling comes down - everybody should wear a helmet," he said.