Tour De Palm Springs Soars Through Desert, Despite Familiar Winds

They came from far and wide – nearly 10,000 cyclists rolling through the desert Saturday for the 14th Annual Tour de Palm Springs.

“This is the first time I’ve ever been on a bike,” 82-year-old Al Villasenor said.

He’s already impressing, because at 82 years old, he’s more active than ever.

“These guys dragged me out, I’d much rather stayed in bed with a beer. And, look what I’m doing here,” Villasenor said. “Twenty-five miles. You bet, and I’m going to do it too.”

Riders chose between five, 10, 25, 55, and 100 mile routes, taking them on their own personal tours throughout the Coachella Valley. Some people ran into some trouble, though.

This year’s tour has been a wind-challenged one, causing some cyclists to turn around.

“Wind just got really severe. High winds, I’d say 30-40 mph. Sand blowing to where it’s stinging your legs and teeth. So at that point, we turned around,” cyclist Nancy Duval said.

Organizers kept tabs on those that needed to cut their ride short.

“We have support vehicles that are picking up these riders,” Tour de Palm Springs founder Tim Esser said.

Some cyclists didn’t mind the wind.

“It’ll just be more difficult and we’ll burn more calories,” one cyclist said.

“Most of them are making it through the tough winds. They struggled for maybe four or five miles against the wind, and then they have wind against their back,” Esser added.

“Fourteen years now, and it just keeps getting bigger and bigger. It’s a real honor to host something like this,” Palm Springs councilman Paul Lewin said.

“Palm Springs is beautiful and I love the people, and the scenery is great. We just love it,” Duval added.

As far as the gusts that keep the race flowing, “That’s not wind, that’s God blowing a little kiss for our riders for their safety,” Esser said.

News Channel 3’s own Jeff Stahl emceed the event.